IRFZ44N MOSFET LED Driver

Switch a 12 V LED strip from a 3.3 V microcontroller pin using a logic-level N-channel MOSFET.

Difficulty: Breadboard. Estimated build time: about 25 minutes. Estimated parts cost: about US$3.50. 4-part bill of materials with live supplier pricing. A low-side MOSFET switch that lets a 3.3 V microcontroller pin (for example, a Raspberry Pi GPIO or an ESP32 output) turn a 12 V LED strip on and off.