It is to my understanding that I need a logic level mosfet with an RDs(on) of 3.3V or less, but I am really struggling to find one readily available in Australia... There are cutting marks along the strip marked with a scissors icon that shows you where you can cut your strip as shown in the figure below. This strip has segments of three LEDs. I have noticed that when using the IRLB8721, my LEDs are always on, and I am not able to switch them off. I did make sure not to mix up the Drain and Source, yet still not working.

I have looked this up extensively and tried it on my breadboards but with no success. Only lead I have is pointing to a fairchild mosfet which I am not able to get to for weeks. MOSFET stands for Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor which is why we just call it a MOSFET for short. Enhancement mode means that when the device has zero Gate voltage, the device is off. This is denoted by the schematic symbol with the broken line which indicates that it does not conduct when there is no Gate voltage. You need a driver circuit to boost the power – add a transistor amplifier in each control line. For example, you can use N-channel MOSFETs like the IRLB8721 that work with 3.3V and 5V logic. So, they are suitable to use with your Arduino or ESP8266. The very low ‘ON’ resistance means that there is very little voltage drop through the device and that also helps to keep power dissipation down. microsecond, which would be fine for 1kHz PWM, but pushing it for 50kHz PWM where there's only 10usThis strip requires a 5V data signal, so you should have no problem controlling it through an arduino digital pin. However, if you want to control your strip using Raspberry Pi, or ESP8266 that send signals at 3.3V, you should use a logic level converter module that converts 3.3V data signal into a 5 V data signal. Libraries frequencies you need to ensure shorter RC time constant in the gate-drive circuit. This usually means The waterproof version is easier to work with as they have more weight, are more flexible and can be easily placed outside. However you should be aware that these shouldn’t be placed inside pools, or in places where they will be subject to agressive weather conditions.

I used an optocoupler rather than a mosfet, which worked! But unfortunately at only around half the mA I need (80 vs the fans 130) so this isn't ideal. V DS : Drain-To-Source Voltage is the maximum voltage that the device can be used to switch. If you’re switching 12V, you need a device with a V DS> 12V and usually you want something with a fair amount of safety margin.

Analog LED Strips

There are libraries that make it really easy to control the strip and make all sorts of crazy effects. Alternatively I have a couple of 2N3904 transistors available but I am not entirely sure how I can use these without frying them. The other parameter you need to consider is the total gate capacitance as that affects how fast PWM can be used (depending on the gate drive current). You get a temperature rise related to power (Watts) so yo might need a heatsink on a hot day even if you don't need on a cold day. Power is calculated as Voltage x Current. According to Fig. 12 of the datasheet, the Rdson degrades significantly when Vgs=5V instead of 10V. For Tj=125˚C (worst case), Rdson=16mΩ. So the power dissipated will be 0.016*(20A)