Power Injection How To - 12v WS2811 Strings

[mpageler]

Starting to think about a 12v ws2011 pixel multi string prop for next year.  With the distance between e6804 controller and pixels, will beef up the connecting wire but also go ahead and plan for power injection.

Have been researching all the forums and haven't seen much on how you actually wired it up.

DIYchristmas's wiki page for PI. shows routing both a positive and negative wire from power supply and tee'ing  into the pos/neg wires between pixel strings. And then doing this also at the end of the injected string.

I see some forum references to using 4 conductor wire and using the extra 4th wire for injection but exactly how?

I'm assuming;
1) Run 4th wire from positive terminal on power supply and connect to positive wire on injected string.   Do you tee into the positive wire between  strings or brake postive connection between strings and connect directly to inject string?
2) Run negative wire as normal from power supply, to controller and continuously through all strings?

Am I Close or off base...this is why I'm asking.  

Thanks

[Dennis Laff]

If your new to pixels you should go auschristmaslighting.com. And read the Auschristmaslighting 101 manual it explains everything on pixels

[mpageler]

Had browsed the 101 manual a few years ago but kind of forgot about it.   Found the infjection section and diagram were basically what I found in DIYchristmas.  Used separate 2 conductior wire from the power supply, to tee into the */- wires between pixel strings. Makes total sense and easy enought to do.

Still wondering how 4 core wire for injection is being used on 3 core pixels? Maybe mute point if what's shown in the 101 manual is the best/correct way to do it...separate 2 core from poser supply to injection points.

[k6ccc]

I would not think that using a 4 core wire for power injection would be a good idea unless it was fairly large conductor. Although the 4th wire would get +power for the injection, you still need the negative for the PI as well. The 4th wire idea does not address that need.

[KStatefan]

I would not think that using a 4 core wire for power injection would be a good idea unless it was fairly large conductor. Although the 4th wire would get +power for the injection, you still need the negative for the PI as well. The 4th wire idea does not address that need.

 

The V- wire seems to be forgotten in a number of explainations of power injection.

[Dennis Laff]

What's the V wire?

[k6ccc]

Dennis, you missed the minus sign after the V.  What goes out has to come back to complete the circuit...

[marsh28]

I inject using the T connectors Ray Wu Sells.  It's easy.  With 12v 2811 pixels, you only have 3 wires, Ground, Data, 12v.  You inject directly into the Ground (+) and 12v (-) using the T connector.  I use little 60w power supplies and waterproof them for injection purposes.  

Edited November 19, 2015 by marsh28

[marsh28]

Set up would be like this:  Pixel Controller -> 3 core connector -> pixel string -> 3 core connector -> T connector with 2 core injection point (you then inject from the two core point) - 3 core connector -> pixel string.    With 12v pixels, you don't need to inject as much as you might think.  If you connect your pixels with good 18 gauge security wire, you can get runs of 25 feet without needing to inject.

[marsh28]

How long do you think your runs between controller and pixels will be?

[jerry72]

There is a developer on one of the DIY pages that has developed a splice, it is used to splice two strings together and can be used for power injection as well. It is 3/8 x 3/4 so after soldering your wires on, you can seal it up in shrink tube.

 

http://diychristmas.org/vb1/showthread.php?5128-Multipurpose-Pixel-Splice/page4

[saxon]

I would not think that using a 4 core wire for power injection would be a good idea unless it was fairly large conductor. Although the 4th wire would get +power for the injection, you still need the negative for the PI as well. The 4th wire idea does not address that need.

+1

without the neg you are only solving 1/2 the problem

 

Mpagerler

You are not way off base.

run POS and NEG to every injection site. You do not need to break the POS connection as LONG AS IT IS THE SAME POWER SUPPLY. If using an additional PS, you would break the poss at the injection site, NEGS can all be together regardless.

[mpageler]

Thanks everyone..exactly what I wanted to know. As I reasearch this, was supprised how much the term "power injection" is used in various forum thread  with little actual how-to infor.