The ESP8266 runs on 5v and the WS2815 lights run on 12V. This means the lights can not be powered by the microprocessor. The WS2815 lights have separate red and white wires from the 4-wire connector that can be used to power the lights.
- Connect the White wire in the 4 wire harness to one of the ground pins on the ESP8266.
- Connect the Green wire in the 4 wire harness to one of the ground pins on the ESP8266.
- Connect the Blue wire in the 4 wire harness to pin D4 on the ESP8266.
- Note: do not connect the Red wire in the 4 wire harness to anything. My preference is to just cut it off on my installs. The 3.3V pins on the ESP8266 are not likely to power any LED Light strips, but they may exist and could definitely power individual LEDs.
- Connect the White wire in the 2 wire pair (not in a harness) to the negative (aka ground/common) side of the 12V DC power jack connector.
- Connect the Red wire in the 2 wire pair (not in a harness) to the positive (aka live/hot).
- Connect microUSB cable to the ESP8266 and the other end to 2.5V-3.6V power supply.
- Connect the 12V DC power jack connector to a 12V power supply large enough to power the light strip being used.