# Multiple Lights with single mc

**URL:** <https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [December 16, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48 "2019-12-16T13:59:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wursthandschuh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/wursthandschuh/32/28_2.png) [@Wursthandschuh](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Wursthandschuh)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/1 "2019-12-16T13:59:00Z")

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Hi there,  
I got 2 small questions.

1. Can I use a single mc for multiple lights? E.g. connect 2 led stripes to one mc and control both individually.

2. Do I suffer from hue bridge limitations when I use hue emulator + OEM bridge for ZigBee communication?

Thx a lot.

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**Author:** ![cheesemarathon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/cheesemarathon/32/27_2.png) [@cheesemarathon](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/cheesemarathon)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/2 "2019-12-16T15:29:25Z")

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1. Yes this is possible with the sketches we provide. However only with smart Led strips such as WS2812 and SK6812, or the P9813 led controller. However it should be possible to modify sketches to support multiple “dumb” LED’s

2. What limitations are you referring to? If you use the OEM bridge for ZigBee you will be limited to officially supported ZigBee hue products. Was there another limitation you were thinking of?

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**Author:** ![Wursthandschuh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/wursthandschuh/32/28_2.png) [@Wursthandschuh](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Wursthandschuh)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/3 "2019-12-16T15:47:17Z")

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thx for the fast response.

1. that’s great. I’m looking into an alternative for asus aura, possibly with hue integration. I’d like to control top/bottom fans… separately without using like 10 microcontrollers. I’ll do some more research here
2. if I remember correctly you are limited to 50 devices with a hue bridge

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**Author:** ![cheesemarathon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/cheesemarathon/32/27_2.png) [@cheesemarathon](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/cheesemarathon)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/4 "2019-12-16T18:39:27Z")

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Yeh if your using the OEM hub then that limit stands for the devices connected to the hub. So you can have 50 ZigBee devices plus anything else compatible with diyhue. If you use deconz and a ZigBee USB stick, there is in theory no limit. However, eventually something would crash.

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**Author:** ![Wursthandschuh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/wursthandschuh/32/28_2.png) [@Wursthandschuh](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Wursthandschuh)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/5 "2019-12-17T15:52:26Z")

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could you link me a ressource for using a single mc, which shows up as 2 (or more) separate lights in hue, please?  
I didn’t find any code that, does that yet.

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**Author:** ![cheesemarathon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/cheesemarathon/32/27_2.png) [@cheesemarathon](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/cheesemarathon)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/6 "2019-12-17T15:55:16Z")

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This sketch works with WS2812 led strips and allows you to define the number of lights created and the number of LED’s per light.

> **[diyhue/Lights](https://github.com/diyhue/Lights/tree/master/Arduino/Generic_WS2812_Strip)**
>
> DIY lights with support for diyHue. Contribute to diyhue/Lights development by creating an account on GitHub.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Wursthandschuh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/wursthandschuh/32/28_2.png) [@Wursthandschuh](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Wursthandschuh)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/7 "2019-12-17T16:08:09Z")

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awesome! thx a lot.  
I can do some diy time between xmas and new year!

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**Author:** ![tchesket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@tchesket](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/tchesket)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/8 "2020-06-16T03:09:42Z")

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Did you ever accomplish what you were going for? If not, you can do what I did, it is a little janky and requires a lot of current, but you can get a Ws2812b strip and solder jst 3-pin connectors (or whatever 5v argb connectors you need for your devices), solder along the strip at x number of leds, x being however many leds the previous device is using, and then do the next one and so on. That way they are all separately controllable and run in series. This works with Aura out of the box, what I also do is usefreeware Jacknet RGBSync+ which allows you to control each individual led you have separately and however you want to, it tricks Corsair icue into thinking your aura compatible stuff is actually one of their devices. And the icue software is way better than aura sync. I just hide the 2 ws2812b strips I’m using in the back of my case out of sight. Depending on how many leds you have, you may need a separate 5v psu, I’m running almost 300 leds in my case so it’s close to a 20A draw at max brightness. Anyways, if you are interested in that approach and have any questions, let me know.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tchesket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@tchesket](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/tchesket)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/9 "2020-06-16T03:11:23Z")

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Not sure if I properly replied with my comment, so this way you hopefully get notified

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**Author:** ![Ro4cHii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Ro4cHii](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Ro4cHii)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/10 "2020-07-08T14:18:41Z")

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What this sketch does is ask the amount of lights and the amount of LEDs per light.  
Is there any possibility to create multiple lights while defining the amount of LEDs for each light on its own?  
E.g.:  
Light #1: 12 LEDs  
Light #2: 6 LEDs  
Light #3: 144 LEDs

I want to decorate my wall unit with multiple LED strips but it would be a waste to use 6 microcontrollers for 6 lights if I could use only one. Splitting the amount of LEDs per light by 6 would be possible, however this would result in 24 individual lights for my “big light” consisting of 144 LEDs… pretty unhandy.

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**Author:** ![Mevel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/diyhue.discourse.group/mevel/32/34_2.png) [@Mevel](https://diyhue.discourse.group/u/Mevel)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 9:15am UTC](https://diyhue.discourse.group/t/multiple-lights-with-single-mc/48/11 "2020-07-10T09:15:52Z")

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Currently the number of leds are divided into equal numbers. There is a commit pending that will allow individual separation just as you will need
