I know you are not supposed to do this, but how much power can I draw through the ESP board and make available to the LEDs without popping it?
So the idea, plug a 2.4 amp USB into the board and then power some WS2812B direct from the 5v out pin on the board. I suppose, in theory, I could put as many LEDs behind it so long as I set the max power low enough. What would be the max power draw I should set in WLED to stop it burning out?
The goal is to make as simple and compact a setup as possible so that it could be embedded into a 3d printed object.
The other thought would be to use a small breadboard with a USB socket and power both the ESP and the LEDs from it instead, but that is more fiddling
The whole concept of “powering LEDs from the ESP board” is a red herring (IMHO).
Power for your LEDs comes from whatever wires connect to the V+ and Gnd pins on the LEDs.
Those wires eventually go back to some 5V power source, either a separate supply, a USB port, battery, etc.
What causes issues are all the little connections in between. The copper traces of the ESP board were likely never designed to handle any appreciable power, as the board itself usually needs < 1A.
In effect you’re trying to use that ESP board as a power distribution bus, something the traces were never designed for. The data section could care less how much power you’re passing to your LEDs (not 100% true, but I’m simplifying) and will blissfully generate a data stream as long as it gets minimal power it needs.
So when you’re designing this:
Your power supply should provide power to your LEDs with appropriate wiring.
Data supply should provide data to your LEDs with appropriate wiring.
Appropriate wiring for power is not the same as that for data and vice versa.