Baldrick Ports & Power: Plan Your Pixel Display
A Baldrick plan has two separate jobs: get the right data to each prop, and deliver the power that each cable route needs. Write those jobs down before buying a controller by its largest advertised pixel number.
Reviewed October 29, 2026. The capacity examples below use RGB pixels at 40 frames per second. A finished Mattos MD1500 package is a 12V assembly; a bare board's supported input range does not change the voltage supplied by that package.
Start with cable runs and prop locations
Draw where the controller will sit and trace a real cable route to each prop. Count the separate outputs you want to use, then record the number of nodes on each route. One 100-node string on one output is a very different layout from eight 100-node props spread across a yard, even when both fit comfortably within a controller's data specification.
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Example | Physical output plan | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| First 100 EVO pixels | One 100-node strand on output 1 of an MD1500 Baldrick8. | Correct 12V strand, connector, short test route, color order and configured count. |
| Four small window outlines | Four 48-node outlines; one output per window. 192 installed nodes across four outputs. | Finished string lengths and terminations, cable distances, mounting and the real operating load. |
| Apollo example with 32 strands | Two MD1500 Baldrick17 Mconnect controllers; 16 separate 75-node strands per controller. 2,400 nodes in total. | Exact tree option, controller placement, supply/feed load and the routes around the base. One output stays unused on each controller. |
These are example wiring plans from our project budgets, not a rule that every tree needs two controllers. Chaining props can reduce the number of outputs but changes the cable, servicing, configuration and power plan. Keep the first build easy to trace.
Use the controller's data capacity correctly
Baldrick8 provides eight local pixel outputs; Baldrick17 provides seventeen. The manufacturer lists up to 750 RGB pixels per output at 40fps. A total of 6,000 or 12,750 describes that data arrangement. It does not mean the included power supply, one connector or one long extension can power that many pixels.
Record every model assigned to an output, including models placed after another model in the physical string. Their combined count must fit the configured output and the actual frame-rate/pixel-type requirements. Recheck the count after adding null nodes, changing model wiring or using a different pixel type. Do not apply the RGB figure to a different channel-per-node format without its documentation.
For the xLights assignment and upload steps, use Baldrick in xLights. Save a screenshot of the final output assignment with the physical labels.
Record the electrical path in four layers
- Supply: identify the actual supply model, output voltage, rated current, environmental derating and the controller load supplied from it.
- Board feed or bank: record which output group is connected to which supply feed in the finished assembly.
- Output and protection: check the output, installed fuse and the weakest rated component on that path.
- Cable to the prop: account for connector rating, conductor size, length, terminations, voltage drop and any separately designed injection path.
Baldrick8 groups outputs 1–4 and 5–8 on its two power feeds. Baldrick17 uses four groups of four outputs plus a separate feed for output 17. A group assignment is not a new supply of power: the upstream supply and wiring still limit the load. In an assembled controller, identify the actual feed arrangement from its documentation rather than assuming how the installer divided the supplies.
The standard 7.5A output fuse is protection, not permission to pull 7.5A through any attached cable. Use the lower limit wherever a connector, extension, board feed or other part requires it. Do not increase a fuse to solve repeated failures.
Read the exact power-supply model
The MD1500 packages list MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 supplies. The 12V model's datasheet rating is 29A / 348W per supply, despite the LRS-350 series name. Two such supplies have 696W of combined nameplate output, distributed through their actual wiring; this is not one unrestricted output or an instruction to parallel supply positives.
Actual usable capacity depends on the installation and the manufacturer's derating requirements. Leave appropriate headroom and include the controller's own demand. Keep mains terminals covered and follow the ready-to-run package's required enclosure orientation and ventilation.
Plan brightness, then test the intended operation
Record the intended maximum operating brightness and a documented or measured load for the exact pixel product. Current draw is not interchangeable across every product called a “pixel.” If you do not have a suitable figure, obtain it before treating the plan as complete.
Begin the functional test with a short compatible strand and a low test brightness. Prove the count, individual colors and chase direction. A low-brightness test only proves that limited test condition; it does not approve the full display's power design. Once the complete electrical plan is checked, test the installed route at the highest load the show is intended to use.
Brightness can be limited in more than one place. Record the settings used in the sequence and controller so a later upload or test-mode selection does not unexpectedly change the load. Follow the power-planning guide for the longer cable and injection questions.
Keep a port record you can use outside
For each output, keep: controller name/address, physical port, prop/model name, node count, voltage, connector family, cable length, supply/feed group, brightness limit, planned load and the date it passed testing. Label both ends of every extension to match this record.
Download the editable planner and bench sheets from the First 100 Pixels resource page. To review the selected equipment for the three examples, use Build This Project. Keep any equipment you already own in the planning record even when it is removed from the shopping list.
References
- Baldrick8 manual and Baldrick17 manual: physical outputs, power groups and protection.
- MEAN WELL LRS-350 datasheet: use the LRS-350-12 column and applicable derating curves.
- Mattos controller comparison: current board and ready-to-run package distinctions.
