RGB LED Strip Calculator
Digital RGB strips address each LED individually, which is what makes animations, gradients and colour chases possible. They are the strips behind TVs, around gaming desks and along skirting boards, and they are what most people picture when they think of LED strip lighting.
They are also the type most often underpowered. A 5 V RGB strip pulls its full current at white, and the voltage sags along the run long before the strip is at its rated brightness. Enter your length below and the calculator works out the real current draw, how many injection points that needs, and the wire gauge for each.
When to use Ambient Lighting (Digital RGB)
Primary use: Dynamic ambient lighting and decorative effects.
Digital RGB allows for colorful animations, gradients, and patterns, making it perfect for creating mood lighting in spaces like gaming setups, media rooms, or behind TVs.
- Bias lighting behind screens
- Gaming and entertainment setups
- Decorative lighting with dynamic effects
How the calculator works
- Select the purpose of the lightstrip. Choose whether you are lighting for ambience, for task and accent work, or as the primary light source for a room. The purpose determines whether you want digital RGB, digital RGBW or analog strips, and the calculator only offers strips suited to it.
- Enter the available length. Enter the length of the run you need, in metres or feet. The calculator works out how that maps onto the strip's cut zones, since a strip can only be cut at fixed intervals and the usable length is rounded down to the nearest cut point.
- Read the results and bill of materials. Each matching strip expands to show its power draw in watts and amps, the number of power injection points needed, and a full bill of materials: controller, power supply, wire gauge, aluminium diffuser and tools.