Jay Czerwinski Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I have a damaged CCR and had an idea to cut it up in to smaller segments and put some distance between each pixel.Anyone have any suggestions on the best wire gauge/connectors/other that I should consider? Right now I have a standard CTB16PC controller (16 channels) and I am using channels to light a single light bulb in 7 different Styrofoam pumpkins. They only light in one color. My thinking is to put 1-3 pixels in a pumpkin and then have an extension wire go to the next pumpkin for the next three pixels, and so on. This would allow me to do so many more pumpkins and in ANY color I want! (Also a great benefit to go to low voltage and have a safer product where the lights are near the sidewalk) I'm sure this must have been done before, so I would love to hear your advice. (I searched for a while and couldn't find an existing thread - sorry if I am being redundant) Thank you in advance for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddm1919 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Last year I used Cat5 cable and twisted the wire pairs together to create a 15 foot extension. It worked without any issues. I assume it would work just fine in your case.This year we are putting dumb strips around all our windows so I bought some security wire from Lowes to use as the extensions. Everything tested fine with that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sax Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Treat the CCR as you would any pixel. I personally use 18 awg wire. The extensions of this gauge are purchasable so I don't have to make them. I found that by purchasing them I have more time to other things than build them. Plus, they look more weatherproof. Purchase a pigtail. Solder it on...insert extension......etc. Just like a pixel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmienLightFan Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I use 20AWG for all my pixels. I also use CAT5 in the same way as toddm1919 for some runs. You may have to do power injection, which you may or may not be familiar with depending on if you have used other pixels before) to prevent voltage drop between the pieces of CCR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrohdejr Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 After you cut open the water protection sleeve, do you use the same sleever or did you find a different product to put it in. I just found out i have 3 bad ribbons in the middle so i am trying to figure out what i should put the repaired ribbon in to protect it from water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxon Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 After you cut the strip, you can slide your hand across the sleeve and work the pixel out of it. Replace your pixel and work the sleeve back into place. Use a good amount of silicon at the but joint and let dry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrohdejr Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 After you cut the strip, you can slide your hand across the sleeve and work the pixel out of it.Replace your pixel and work the sleeve back into place. Use a good amount of silicon at the but joint and let dry.So just to clarify you cut the waterproof sleeve just below the ccr ribbon where your going to cut and remove or replace? Then repair the ribbon and slide the sleeve back and silicon it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxon Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Cut the sleeve at the cut point. Then which ever half is longer, slide your hand across the silicon sleeve several times and it will begin to unsheath and expose the pixel you need to replace. After you replace the pixel, work the sleeve in the same manner back to its original position. You will be surprised how much that silicon sleeve collapses and expands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Czerwinski Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 I ended up using toddm1919's idea. I cut the strip at the cut points with the weatherproof sleeve still on it and slid the sleeve over a little during soldering. Then I cut 3" cat5 network cables in half to make mini pigtails, soldered them on and used the silicon glue LOR provided with the strips originally. Then, the beauty is I use a F-F straight pass through connector to add any length of cat 5 cable in between the pixels during installation. Very modular design. And allows for delicate storage of the pixels in between displays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrohdejr Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I came accross this today and i had to share it. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=5050+connectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Laff Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 None of those work very well outdoors there ok for interior use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Czerwinski Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) Thanks everyone for the ideas - now it is installed and I see a power drop at the end of the run and pixels are more pink. Any direction on how I inject power in to a CCR?? (This has got to be posted somewhere already and I'm just not finding it) Edited December 7, 2015 by Jay Czerwinski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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