What You Need

What you need

For a first setup with one LED strip you need very little. This page lists the parts, explains how to choose them, and how to work out the power supply.

The shopping list

Part	What to look for	Why
Controller board	An ESP32-S3 with at least 4 MB flash. HyperLED is developed and tested on the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Zero (4 MB flash, 2 MB PSRAM).	This is the "brain". It runs HyperLED and its web interface.
LED strip	WS2812B, 5 V, individually addressable ("NeoPixel") is the easy start. Also fine: WS2813, WS2815 (12 V).	The lights. Many other types work too, see the full list below.
Power supply	The right voltage for your strip (5 V for WS2812B) and enough current (see below).	The LEDs need far more power than the ESP32 can give.
USB cable	A data cable (not "charge only"), matching your board.	To flash the firmware once.
Resistor	About 330 Ω (anything from 220 to 470 Ω is fine).	Protects the data pin.
Capacitor	1000 µF, at least 6.3 V (use 10 V or 16 V if you like). Mind the polarity.	Absorbs the current spike when the strip switches on.
Wires	Thick enough for the current (the 5 V and GND wires carry the LED current).
(optional) Level shifter	74AHCT125, from 3.3 V to 5 V.	Only if the strip flickers; see Wiring and power.

You also need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) for the first installation, and a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. After that, a phone is enough for everything.

Tip: Buy a strip with a few more LEDs than you think you need - you can always set a lower LED count in HyperLED.

Which ESP32?

HyperLED is built for the ESP32-S3 and mostly tested on it. The Slave also runs on the ESP32-C6 (for example the ESP32-C6 Super Mini); that is new and still being tested, see Several devices. Other ESP32 chips could work in theory, but need changes in the code. If you want to know more, read Hardware setup in the repository. The requirements in short:

• Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) and ESP-NOW
• at least 4 MB flash (two update slots plus a file system)
• enough RAM for the web server, encryption and radio at the same time
• for HUB75 panels: a chip that the panel library supports

Which LEDs?

You choose the type in the web interface under Devices → LED hardware → LED type (see First light). WS2812B (the "WS281x" entry) is the usual choice and the best one to start with: it is the type that has been tested on real hardware. HyperLED supports many more. This is the complete list, in the order of the drop-down list.

Digital LEDs (1-Wire): one data wire

Entry in the list	Typical strips	Status
WS281x	WS2812B, WS2813, WS2815 (12 V), WS2811 and clones; RGB	✅ tested
SK6812/WS2814 RGBW	strips with an extra white LED	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
TM1814	RGBW strips	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
400kHz	older strips with 400 kHz timing	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
TM1829	RGB	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
UCS8903	RGB	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
APA106/PL9823	RGB pixel LEDs	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
TM1914	RGB	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
FW1906 GRBCW	RGB plus cold and warm white	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
UCS8904 RGBW	RGBW	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
SM16825 RGBCW	RGB plus cold and warm white	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
WS2811 White	single-colour white strips	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
WS281x WWA	white strips with warm white, cold white and amber	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
WS2805 RGBCW	RGB plus cold and warm white (12 V)	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware

Digital LEDs (SPI / 2-Wire): a data and a clock wire

Entry in the list	Typical strips	Status
WS2801	older RGB strips	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
APA102	APA102, SK9822 ("DotStar")	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
LPD8806	RGB	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
LPD6803	RGB	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PP9813	P9813 / PP9813	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware

Analog / simple LEDs (PWM): no data signal; the ESP32 dims each colour channel itself, usually through a driver or MOSFETs

Entry in the list	What it drives	Status
On/Off	a lamp or relay that only switches	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PWM White	one channel, single-colour strips	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PWM CCT	two channels: cold and warm white	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PWM RGB	three channels	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PWM RGBW	four channels	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware
PWM RGB+CCT	five channels	⚠️ not yet tested on hardware

Scan matrix panels

Entry in the list	What it drives	Status
HUB75	HUB75 LED panels, for example 64 × 64; set the driver chip to Generic (most panels), FM6126A, ICN2038S, FM6124, MBI5124 or DP3246 if you see ghosting or flicker	✅ tested (generic)

"Not yet tested on hardware" means the driver was checked against the library and the data sheet, but nobody has run it on a real strip yet. If you try one, please tell us in an issue, with the exact strip you used.

For 12 V and 24 V strips in which several LEDs share one chip (for example WS2805), the setting LEDs per chip matters; see First light.

LED panels (HUB75, for example 64 × 64) are connected with a fixed pinout that the web interface shows you; see Panels and elements and Several devices (a panel can run on a board of its own, a Slave).

Working out the power supply

A single WS2812B LED can draw about 60 mA when it is fully white (red, green and blue at full brightness). So:

Current in amps = number of LEDs × 0.06

LEDs	Worst case (all white, full brightness)
30	1.8 A
60	3.6 A
144	8.6 A
300	18 A

You will rarely run all LEDs at full white, and HyperLED has a brightness limiter that keeps the current under the limit you set (see First light). Still, choose a supply that is at least as strong as your limit, and use thick wires and feed long strips from both ends.

HyperLED also works it out for you: under Devices → LED hardware → Power supply it shows the recommended supply for the number of LEDs you entered.

Important: The ESP32 must not power the LEDs. Use a proper power supply for the strip and connect only the data line and a common ground to the ESP32. How: Wiring and power.

Next step

Wiring and power