How to avoid high current flow through long runs of addressable LED tape without compromizing the data ground

high-currentled strip

I'm battling with Addressable LED tape power. I have 12V TM1812 RGB LED tape and want to run the maximum lenght in pixels , which is just over a 1000 pixels. This means the current will be around 40 Amps at 12V. This comes to about 20 meters of strip.

I will ditribute the 12V and GND along the strips by using a bigger cable to reduce voltage drop and heat. But connecting the GND across for the reference of the data signal will give a path for the current to flow through the thin PCB of the strip which I need to avoid.

I'm adding small restistors to reduce noise betweeen the strips for data, but how can I make sure the high current which is driving the LEDs is not passed through the previous strips and goes through the big ( buzz bar ) cable I use to power the strips.

Each strip of 132 pixels draw just over 5 Amps on 12V.

Best Answer

You can't avoid some current passing thru the ground in the strip connections but, if the resistance of the busbar cable is significantly smaller then it shouldn't be an issue; most of it will flow in the busbar and do the job as you intend.