Docs / MagWLED-1 / LED Strips & Effects

Using FCOB (Flexible COB) LED strips with MagWLED-1

FAQs

FCOB (Flexible Chip-on-Board) LED strips look like a continuous glowing strip rather than individual LEDs, but many are addressable and use standard WS28xx protocols. They have some quirks that differ from standard strips.

Grouped pixels

Many FCOB strips group multiple physical LED chips behind a single IC/controller. For example, a strip labeled “144 LED/m” may have 48 ICs per meter, each controlling 3 physical LEDs. This means:

  • WLED sees 48 pixels/meter, not 144
  • Set your LED count to the number of ICs, not the total physical chip count
  • The “pixels per LED” setting in some configurations may need to be set to 3

Check your strip’s datasheet or listing — it should specify how many ICs per meter.

Voltage — check carefully

FCOB strips come in 5V, 12V, and 24V variants. Make sure:

  • The voltage switch on the MagWLED-1 is set to match your strip
  • You’re not exceeding the 3A current limit (use an external power supply for long runs)

Data timing

Some FCOB strips use WS2811 protocol with slightly different timing to standard WS2812B. In WLED’s LED settings, try selecting WS2811 as the LED type rather than WS2812B if you’re getting incorrect colors or no response.

If the strip doesn’t respond at all

Work through these checks in order:

  1. Confirm the DI (data in) end of the strip is connected — FCOB strips have directional data flow
  2. Try setting LED type to WS2811 in WLED if currently using WS2812B
  3. Check that LED count matches the number of ICs, not physical chips
  4. Confirm the data wire is in the DATA terminal on the WAGO block, not VCC or GND

FCOB strips that use a different protocol

Some FCOB strips are non-addressable (no IC, just continuous power) or use analog PWM control — these are not compatible with MagWLED-1. Check that your strip has a signal/data wire in addition to VCC and GND.