One E1.31 universe carries 512 DMX channels, controlling up to 170 RGB LEDs at 3 channels each

The DMX512 standard allocates 512 channels per universe. For RGB LEDs, each pixel requires 3 channels (R, G, B), so one universe can address a maximum of 170 pixels (510 channels; 2 channels are unused). WLED supports up to 9 adjacent universes for a theoretical total exceeding WLED’s maximum of 1500 LEDs. Universe capacity is the fundamental budgeting unit: installations must count pixels, divide by 170, and allocate universes accordingly. Exceeding 3 universes (510 LEDs) is not recommended if frame rates of 40fps (25ms) or higher are required. WLED supports E1.31 (sACN), Art-Net, and DDP as alternative protocols with the same underlying channel model.

Examples

A 300-LED strip needs ceil(300/170) = 2 universes. A 600-LED installation needs 4 universes — at this scale, frame rate should be tested. LedFx users must set Universe Size to 510 when adding WLED devices with more than 170 LEDs.

Assessment

You have 400 RGB LEDs. How many E1.31 universes do you need? At what LED count does WLED warn that 40fps may not be maintained?