LED lights behind monitor connect via USB question..

[Saiyan]

Just looking into adding some more color to my setup and get some RGB glow behind my monitor. I want one that has a USB plug for power because my monitor is right next to my PC however, most the strips with USBs won't make it down under my desk and back up to USB slot on my PC. Would a basic USB extension cable work for powering the lights like I need to?

[W-L]

6 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Just looking into adding some more color to my setup and get some RGB glow behind my monitor. I want one that has a USB plug for power because my monitor is right next to my PC however, most the strips with USBs won't make it down under my desk and back up to USB slot on my PC. Would a basic USB extension cable work for powering the lights like I need to?

Yes you can use a USB extension if necessary but note that your PC's USB  ports usually only have a maximum 1amp (USB3.0) capacity and can get overloaded if you use a strip that is too long.

[linesma]

You should be fine using a basic USB extension cable for power. The time to worry about length is with data transmission, but with with a short run of a couple of meters, you should be fine.

[Saiyan]

31 minutes ago, W-L said:

Yes you can use a USB extension if necessary but note that your PC's USB  ports usually only have a maximum 1amp (USB3.0) capacity and can get overloaded if you use a strip that is too long.

Found this on Userful USB guidlines and figured it was basically the same kind of statement you made, don't go too long. So basically if I only have to use a 1 meter cable it will be ok? And for powering something like the LED strips should I be getting a 2.0 extension to plug into a 2.0 slot or 3.0 extension for a 3.0 slot?

 

 

"Userful does not recommend daisy chaining USB hubs or USB zero client devices. But if you absolutely must, be sure to use powered USB hubs when daisy chaining USB stations. The USB protocol specifies a maximum of 5 hubs ("hops") per USB port. If you need to use extension cables, ensure that the distance between the USB device and the computer/powered USB hub is not greater than 5 m (15 ft) to prevent voltage drops"

[linesma]

4 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Found this on Userful USB guidlines and figured it was basically the same kind of statement you made, don't go too long. So basically if I only have to use a 1 meter cable it will be ok? And for powering something like the LED strips should I be getting a 2.0 extension to plug into a 2.0 slot or 3.0 extension for a 3.0 slot?

 

 

"Userful does not recommend daisy chaining USB hubs or USB zero client devices. But if you absolutely must, be sure to use powered USB hubs when daisy chaining USB stations. The USB protocol specifies a maximum of 5 hubs ("hops") per USB port. If you need to use extension cables, ensure that the distance between the USB device and the computer/powered USB hub is not greater than 5 m (15 ft) to prevent voltage drops"

It doesn't really matter. If you have more 2.0 slots, I would use them. You should be fine no matter which port you use. The only concern I have, is most LED lights require 12v of power and both USB 2.0 and 3.0 only have provisions to output 5v. What kit are you looking at? When I build custom kits for people, I wire in a "booster box" to take the 5v from USB and boost it to 12v.

[Saiyan]

1 minute ago, linesma said:

It doesn't really matter. If you have more 2.0 slots, I would use them. You should be fine no matter which port you use. The only concern I have, is most LED lights require 12v of power and both USB 2.0 and 3.0 only have provisions to output 5v. What kit are you looking at? When I build custom kits for people, I wire in a "booster box" to take the 5v from USB and boost it to 12v.

Just something like this

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maylit-Cabinet-Backlighting-Changing-Included/dp/B0183JJ7WG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480927746&sr=8-7&keywords=tv+led+strip

[linesma]

2 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Just something like this

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maylit-Cabinet-Backlighting-Changing-Included/dp/B0183JJ7WG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480927746&sr=8-7&keywords=tv+led+strip

That will work fine with a USB extension. That looks to be a really nice set.

[Saiyan]

Just now, linesma said:

That will work fine with a USB extension. That looks to be a really nice set.

Thanks for the help. 

[linesma]

2 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Thanks for the help. 

No worries. Post pictures if you would when you are done.

[W-L]

36 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Found this on Userful USB guidlines and figured it was basically the same kind of statement you made, don't go too long. So basically if I only have to use a 1 meter cable it will be ok? And for powering something like the LED strips should I be getting a 2.0 extension to plug into a 2.0 slot or 3.0 extension for a 3.0 slot?

 

 

"Userful does not recommend daisy chaining USB hubs or USB zero client devices. But if you absolutely must, be sure to use powered USB hubs when daisy chaining USB stations. The USB protocol specifies a maximum of 5 hubs ("hops") per USB port. If you need to use extension cables, ensure that the distance between the USB device and the computer/powered USB hub is not greater than 5 m (15 ft) to prevent voltage drops"

Depends on what LED strip you are using mainly if it's 30LED's/meter or 60LED's. However for SMD 5050 LED's (0.24W/chip) even at the 30LED's/meter it would draw 7.2 W which would overload a USB connector, unless you use something like a 2A plug in USB power adapter/charger. 

[Saiyan]

5 minutes ago, W-L said:

Depends on what LED strip you are using mainly if it's 30LED's/meter or 60LED's. However for SMD 5050 LED's (0.24W/chip) even at the 30LED's/meter it would draw 7.2 W which would overload a USB connector, unless you use something like a 2A plug in USB power adapter/charger. 

Then if using some LED's like these, listed at 5V. I only have a 25 inch ultrawide monitor so it's not comparable to what you'd need for a 40" TV.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maylit-Cabinet-Backlighting-Changing-Included/dp/B0183JJ7WG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480927746&sr=8-7&keywords=tv+led+strip

 

That should be fine since the voltage is 5V and USB output is at 5V right?

 

[linesma]

43 minutes ago, Saiyan said:

Then if using some LED's like these, listed at 5V. I only have a 25 inch ultrawide monitor so it's not comparable to what you'd need for a 40" TV.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maylit-Cabinet-Backlighting-Changing-Included/dp/B0183JJ7WG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480927746&sr=8-7&keywords=tv+led+strip

 

That should be fine since the voltage is 5V and USB output is at 5V right?

 

You should be fine. Since it is designed to run off of USB at 5v. You really only have to worry about the amperage when you are custom building an LED setup.

[W-L]

7 hours ago, Saiyan said:

Then if using some LED's like these, listed at 5V. I only have a 25 inch ultrawide monitor so it's not comparable to what you'd need for a 40" TV.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maylit-Cabinet-Backlighting-Changing-Included/dp/B0183JJ7WG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480927746&sr=8-7&keywords=tv+led+strip

 

That should be fine since the voltage is 5V and USB output is at 5V right?

 

You will want to ensure you don't exceed the amperage of your USB output as mentioned. For those strips I see it mentions that there are 9 chips for half a meter so a full meter will have 18 of them coming out to 4.32W which is under the 5W capability of a 1amp USB port while providing some saftey margin. So as long as you don't exceed two 0.5M lengths you shouldn't have any issues.