Can I control 5050 RGB Strips with the Raspberry pi?

Question

I have purchased 5 meters of a 5050 RGB Strip yesterday. I bought it for my PC case, but of course I don't want to use 5 meters in my case.

I want to do some smart lighting in my room and a bias light for my RPi Mediacenter. However, I only found tutorials on how to control WS2812 LEDS, which run at 5 Volts.

But how can I control those 5050 Strips, running at 12 Volts. Would be great if someone knew that.

Answer 1

It looks good except a lot depends on which IFRZ44s you get. Its turn on voltage is from 2 to 4 volts. On a good day your pie has 3.3 volts so if they work expect them to get hot. Since you have not purchased them yet pick something with a lower Vgs requirement or use a gate driver IC.