ShawTech Lighting Mini LED Project Kit Instructions – Easy Setup Guide

Indoor LED Controller Kit Instructions

Product Overview

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the ShawTech Lighting Mini LED Project Kit. This versatile kit is designed for a variety of indoor lighting projects, such as under-cabinet lighting, outlining doors or windows, and other creative applications. Its compact design and powerful performance make it a reliable solution for enhancing your indoor spaces with vibrant, customizable lighting.

The kit includes everything you need to get started, with optional add-ons to expand your lighting setup. Whether you’re creating accent lighting or a functional workspace solution, this kit is engineered for ease of use and flexibility.

Please follow these instructions carefully to ensure safe and proper installation. If you have questions or encounter any issues during setup, refer to the troubleshooting section or contact our support team.

What's Included in Your Kit

The Mini LED Project Kit contains the following components:

  • Mini LED Controller: Pre-loaded with WLED for easy setup and operation.
  • 12V 5A Power Supply: Provides up to 60 watts of power, suitable for most indoor lighting projects.
  • 2x LED Output Cables: Connect the controller to your LED strings or strips.
  • 2x Power Injection Pigtails: Allows for additional power injection to prevent voltage drop in longer installations.
  • Optional Components (if purchased):
    • RGB Pixel String: 50 LEDs, 25 ft, with 6" spacing between LEDs.
    • RGBW Pixel Strip: 150 LEDs, 5 meters long, with 30 pixels per meter.
Warning
If you are using strips, DO NOT power them on while they are still on the little spool. They may overheat and burn out. 

Product Features

Power and Capacity:

  • Supports up to 60W of power, suitable for a wide range of LED projects.
  • Powers approximately:
    • 300 RGB LEDs (e.g., WS2811 or SK6812 strings).
    • 150 RGBW LEDs (e.g., SK6812 strips with white channel).
  • These lengths can be extended significantly by reducing brightness or injecting power at appropriate intervals.

Built-in Safety Features:

  • 3A resettable fuses on each output to protect against overcurrent.
  • 5A main fuse for overall system safety.

Controller Specifications:

  • Pre-loaded with WLED software for customizable lighting control.
  • 2 Data Outputs, each supporting up to 3A.
  • 2 Power Injection Outputs for extending the lighting setup with additional power, each supporting up to 3A.

Controller Setup

Connecting to Wi-Fi

  1. Plug the controller box into an outlet. It will broadcast its own Wi-Fi access point.
  2. Using a mobile device (such as a laptop, tablet, or phone), search for and connect to the WLED-AP Wi-Fi Network.
  3. Enter the following password: wled1234
  4. If prompted, sign in or allow access to your network.


Once connected to the WLED-AP Wi-Fi network, it should automatically open the 'Welcome to WLED!' screen. If it doesn't, open a web browser and enter http://4.3.2.1 into the address bar.
  1. Tap WiFi Settings
  2. If there is a scan button, tap that and select your home WiFi.
  3. If scan is not an option, enter your WiFi Name (SSID) and password.
  4. Tap Save & Connect.
It will then reconnect you to your home Wi-Fi network and WLED-AP should no longer be visible as an available network.



Download the WLED-Native App

Download the WLED Native app onto your iOS or Android device. Make sure you download the correct version.


Configure WLED Outputs

Open the WLED Native App, It should show you all the controllers connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

1. Tap anywhere on the name or IP address to access this controller.


2. From the Home Screen, click Config.


3. Click on LED Prefernces


4. Scroll down to LED Outputs and verify it is set up correctly. Use the dropdowns below to select the type of LEDs you are using. 

Our RGBW Strips


Adjust the total length of each output to match the number of LEDs you are using. These strips have the LEDs controlled in groups of three, so one 5m / 150 LED strip = 50 length.
Our RGB Strings

Adjust the total length of each output to match the number of LEDs you are using.
Other LEDs
Start with our suggested settings above, but if those don't work you'll need to play around with them a bit. 

LED Type
There are lots of different LED types. Most are one of these two, but yours may be different.
  1. WS281x covers most RGB pixels
  2. SK6812 covers most RGBW pixels
Color Order
You will most likely need to adjust the color order. If you're telling the LEDs to be blue, but they are turning green, then you need to swap those colors. For RGBW pixels you might also need to swap the white with a different color. 

Length
Adjust this as needed. A lot of 12v strips will have pixels controlled in groups of 3. If that's the case, then take your total number of pixels and divide it by three. For example, if you have a 5m strip with 150 pixels, you will need to set the length to 50. 

GPIO
Keep these the same (32 & 33) or nothing will work.

 Configure Brightness Limiter

The brightness limiter in WLED ensures your LED setup doesn’t exceed the controller’s power capacity, protecting your components and optimizing performance. How to know if you need to use it:
  1. The LEDs keep suddenly dimming almost all the way. This means you are using too much power and it's tripping the resettable fuse.
  2. Using it can also help you get much longer runs of LEDs on a single output. If you are noticing LEDs are dimming or more red than normal, that means there isn't enough power. Decreasing the brightness helps resolve this, as does power injection.
How to configure it:
  1. Go into Config > LED Preferences
  2. At the top, check Enable automatic brightness limiter
  3. Verify LED voltage is set to 12V (30mA)
  4. It will give you a suggested current based on the total number of LEDs you're using. Enter that current into the Maximum Current box.
  5. If you're still having issues with tripping fuses or reddish dimming, turn it down more. 




Power Injection

Power injection ensures consistent brightness and performance across long LED runs by compensating for voltage drops that occur as electricity travels through the strip or string. This is especially important for longer setups or when running LEDs at high brightness. 

When to Use Power Injection

Try it out first without power injection, but if you run into these issues you may want to either lower the brightness or inject power.
  • Visible Dimming: LEDs near the end of the strip or string appear dimmer and more red than those near the controller.
  • Long Runs: LED setups exceeding 100 pixels (strings) or 5 meters (strips) often require power injection.
  • High Brightness: If running LEDs at full brightness, power injection may be needed even for shorter setups.

How Power Injection Works

Power injection adds power at specific points along the LED run, typically using a secondary connection to the power supply. This prevents voltage drops and ensures even brightness across all LEDs.

Steps for Power Injection

  1. Identify Injection Points
    1. Determine where voltage drops occur (e.g., further along the strip or string).
    2. Common injection points are every 100 pixels (strings) or 5 meters (strips).

  2. Use the Power Injection Pigtails
    1. Splice additional wire onto the end of one of the included power injection pigtails to extend it to the desired injection point. We recommend using 18 AWG wire for this.

  3. Connect to the LED Strip or String
    1. Locate the pigtails or terminals at the beginning or end of the LED strip or string.
    2. If the LED strip or string does not have pigtails, you may need to:
      1. Cut and Splice: Carefully cut the insulation to expose the wires, then splice the injection wires to the LED’s power and ground lines.
      2. Solder: Solder the injection wires directly to the LED strip or string contacts for a more secure connection.
    3. Match the wire polarity:
      Red Wire = Positive (+)
      Black Wire = Ground (-)

  4. Test the Setup


Troubleshooting

Can't Connect to my WiFi inside WLED

Causes
  1. User Error (most common, but it's not very intuitive so we don't blame you).
  2. Router Settings
  3. Connecting to 5ghz instead 2.4ghz network
  4. More! Review this article on WLED Connectivity Issues.
Solutions
  1. Review the steps on how to connect it to your Wi-Fi very carefully. Note that you don't do this through the app. You do it through connecting to WLED-AP. 
  2. Review this article on WLED Connectivity Issues.
  3. Email us at support@shawtechlighting.com

Lights go from bright to off/very dim

Cause
  1. You're drawing too much power on a single output and it trips the 3A fuse.
  2. You're using too much power between all the outputs and it trips the 5A main fuse.
Solutions
  1. Lower the brightness using the brightness limiter in config > LED preferences. 
  2. Lower the brightness with the slider. 
  3. User power injection to spread the load from one output to two outputs.