How Do I Run 50m Of RGB LED Strips on a portable system?

[yashasmasha]

Hi guys,

I thank you all in advance for any help that you can give me, I'm stranded here! I promise to post pics of the project once I have made some more headway!

So, I've got a made a suit of robot armour for halloween, And I want to cover it in LED strips, And submit it to a local costume competition. I have ordered 50m Of RGB LED strips, which comes in 5m sections.

The Spec For a 5m Section is below.

How do I
A) Run all ten of these 5m sections on batteries? If I attach them end to end, in parallel. Will they work like standard leds and divide the voltage between them? making it 24v per 10m.

B) If this is the case, I can't run 120v through one of those portable little controllers. A friend of mine suggested using four npn transistors in between the controller, and the LEDs, one for each channel, R, G, B, and +. But I don't understand this either, Will I need to have 120 v running through the transistors to power the ten sections of 12v strip? Or just one big 12v? with loads of AH.

C)Am I on the right track at all with this? I'm a novice in electronics and I'm Kind of fumbling around in the dark here. Any battery suggestions for me?


Thanks to everyone and I look forward to hearing your suggestions and advice!8-O


SPECIFICATIONS:
LED Type: 5050 PLCC-6 SMT SMD LED (Waterproof)
Color: 16 solid colors options
Different lights changing modes: Flash, Strobe, Fade, and Smooth
LED Quantity: 150 leds/5 Meter or 30 leds/Meter
Size: L500cm (5M) x W1.40cm x T0.40cm
Package: 5 Meters / Reel
View angle:120°
Working Input Voltage: 12VDC
Working Current/meter: 0.6A
Output power: 36W /5 Meter
Working Tempreture:-20° to 50°
PCB Background: Brown
Water Proof: IP65
Drive Mode:Contant Voltage

 

[KJ6EAD]

From what you're saying, you'll need 30 Amps at 12 VDC. That's a lot of battery to be carrying around though it can be done if you're strong or have a lot of money for LiPo batteries. Am I correct in assuming that what you bought includes a controller that can run all 1500 LEDs connected end to end, and this is a bussed parallel wiring scheme? Why not just tell us what brand and model?

It occurs to me on further consideration that the listed current consumption is at least twice what should be typical for the LEDs alone and that a great deal of power is being wasted in dropping resistors. The system was designed for a power supply, not to run efficiently from batteries. You really need someone local to look at what you have and advise you.

 

[djsfantasi]

You are making a costume to wear and want to run 120VAC through it? I would also consider the safety factor...