Why are MOSFETs only giving 8.1V for LEDs, not 12V? I'm using three PWM outputs from an Arduino Mini Pro to drive the R/G/B parts of some strips of LEDs. The circuit is basically this:


I've got a single 12V power supply, rated at 200W, to light the LEDs and to power the Arduino via the RAW pin, and there are 5 metres of 60LEDs/m RGB LEDs, i.e. a total of 300 LEDs, which should be drawing ~72W according to the spec sheet (14.4W/m).

The problem is that even when the sketch says digitalWrite(9, 255); digitalWrite(10, 255); digitalWrite(11,255), the LEDs are considerably dimmer than when connected directly to the 12V supply. My cheap, digital volt meter measures ~8.1V between GND and the PWM pins across the LEDs, not the 12V that the transformer is supplying.

Am I doing something wrong? Does the MOSFET really cause such a large drop in voltage? Is there anything I can do to mitigate it? (It's important to get as much brightness as possible from the LEDs for this project).
By my calculations you are sinking 6 amps:

72 W / 12 V = 6 A


I have some doubt that the Arduino board is designed to handle that amount of current through its ground plane. Try running a separate ground wire to the MOSFET sources.

I would also be concerned about the gauge of wire you are using, and whether the prototyping board can handle that amount of current.