I use the uSC connected to either 12v or 5v power. connect 3wires to the pixels and you are good. a magnetic switch is used to enter test mode, or you can solder a wire across the switch and always have test mode enabled.
these babies are about $8 and can do 5v or 12v, can run test mode in isolation, run DMX or Pixelnet.
I should explain: the uSC is the micro string controller, available on the FalconChristmas.com forum.