This listing is one 50-node string — reference HL-WS2811-RGB-50-12V. Each node is an individually addressable 12 V RGB bullet pixel with a WS2811 control IC and an internal constant-current regulator. Sold as a finished string with 3-pin X-Connect on both ends, ready to daisy-chain or to join a controller and power feed.
What you are buying
A professional outdoor pixel string for signage, channel letters, building outlines, display matrices, event décor and architectural features. Each 12 mm sealed bullet pushes into a 12 mm drilled hole. Nodes sit on heavy-duty black 18AWG cable at 100 mm centres. The string is the regulated type: each pixel holds LED current as the 12 V rail drops along the run, so the last nodes stay closer in brightness and colour to the first. That is a clear step up from resistor-only pixels, which go dim and colour-shift as soon as voltage falls.
Why 12 V regulated pixels
- 12 V vs 5 V: the same light uses less current, so voltage drop is lower and cable runs can be longer before you inject power.
- Regulated vs resistor: a resistor pixel is only as good as the voltage at that node. A regulated pixel keeps the LED current stable until the supply is too low for the regulator to work. You still inject power on long jobs — regulation does not replace copper — but the string stays even for much longer.
- 18AWG black cable: thicker than the thin jumper wire on cheap strings, so it carries current properly and disappears on dark façades.
- X-Connect: locking 3-pin in and out. Join strings, add a spare tail, or inject power without cutting factory ends. Spare male/female pair: HL-XCON-3PIN-MF-20 (Related Products).
How to control these pixels
These modules take a standard WS2811 / SPI data signal (one data wire plus 12 V and ground). They are not a 4-channel RGBW strip and they are not DMX until you put a decoder in front.
- Simple / wireless: WiFi SPI controller HL-WT-SPI — no DMX addressing. App control, suitable for shops, signs and most first installs.
- Pro wired DMX: DMX512-to-SPI decoder HL-DS-L indoors / rack, or waterproof HL-DS-WP outdoors. Point the decoder at WS2811, set pixel count (50 per string), and check colour order (usually GRB — swap in the controller if red/green look swapped).
- Larger or custom work: Hi-Line can support pixel mapping, DMX universe planning, power layout and site integration. That needs proper design and testing. Send project details if you need that level of help.
Open the Related Products tab for the matching 12 V drivers, the X-Connect tail pair, and the SPI / DMX controllers above.
Power budget (installers)
- About 0.6 W per pixel at full white → ~30 W / 2.5 A at 12 V per 50-node string.
- Size the 12 V constant-voltage driver with ~20–25% headroom: one string → 40 W / 3 A class; two strings → ~75–80 W. Related Products lists 30 / 60 / 100 / 150 / 200 / 400 W 12 V options.
- Common 0 V between PSU, controller and pixels. Data 0 V and power 0 V must be the same ground.
- Feed 12 V into the string at the start. On two or more strings, or any long remote run, inject 12 V again at the X-Connect join (power + ground only — do not duplicate the data line). Extra connectors do not remove voltage drop by themselves.
- The controller only needs to send data. Heavy current should not all travel through a small controller board if you can inject at the pixels.
Data direction and wiring
Each string has a data IN and a data OUT. Data must enter the first pixel and leave toward the next string. Reverse the string and it stays dark. Do not mix 5 V pixel products on the same 12 V feed.
X-Connect pigtail cores (same as spare tail HL-XCON-3PIN-MF-20):
- White-spot / marked outer wire = Ground (minus / GND)
- Middle wire = Data
- Other outer wire (no mark) = Positive (VCC / +12 V)
Simple rule: mark = minus · middle = data · leftover = plus. Swapping plus and ground can destroy pixels and the controller.
Installation
- Drill 12 mm holes and press-fit each bullet until the flange sits flush.
- Tighten X-Connect nuts by hand. Do not cross-thread.
- Modules are IP68. The joint is only as waterproof as the tightened connector and any soldered pigtail ends — seal unused or outdoor terminations.
- One string = 50 pixels ≈ 5 m of lit length at 100 mm pitch, plus the factory tails. Plan hole centres at 100 mm.
- 50 nodes × 3 channels = 150 DMX-equivalent channels if you map 1:1 through a decoder (check your decoder’s pixel/channel mode).
Looking for Related Products or Accessories?
Click the Related Products tab for 12 V drivers, X-Connect tails, HL-WT-SPI, HL-DS-L and HL-DS-WP.
Technical specifications
- Reference: HL-WS2811-RGB-50-12V
- Input: 12 V DC constant voltage
- Type: regulated (constant-current) WS2811 RGB bullet pixels
- Power: approx. 0.6 W per pixel · approx. 30 W / 2.5 A per 50-node string (full white)
- Pixel count: 50 per string (one WS2811 IC per node)
- Protocol: WS2811 SPI, 24-bit colour, typically GRB — confirm on the controller
- Connector: 3-pin X-Connect, locking, in and out
- Cable: black 18AWG, 100 mm node spacing
- Module: 12 mm sealed PVC bullet, push-fit in 12 mm holes
- IP rating: IP68 (modules; seal all field joints)
- Viewing angle: 100–120°
- Operating temperature: −40 °C to +50 °C
- Certifications: UKCA, CE, RoHS
- Spare tails: HL-XCON-3PIN-MF-20
