On the tube-end of the wiring, the CAT-5 connects directly* to the LED-strip (through a header that simply makes the connection easier). More details in this video:
Haven't bothered figuring out the max.
Yes, I plan to make these available for purchase (just haven't taken the time to post yet). I am working on the next version, that doesn't rely on the data to be daisy-chained back from each icicle, into the controller and back out (which would be a benefit), but would only allow for 6-outputs, instead of 8 (which is a negative).
https://www.tindie.com/stores/bwinter/
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