Making strings for basic RGB strings

[Timothy]

Can you take 3 sets of WS8211 LED's and connect them together to make a full addressable 150 long light string? I just got in my Pixie4 controller and while trying to test things I can only get the first 58 to light up for me. Any idea on what the problem might be? What settings should I be using?

Update:Channel 2 can adress all 150. Maybe I crossed some wires somewhere? Pretty sure I didn't but I guess I'll have to double check that.

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Timothy

[Timothy]

Checked all soldering connections and everything is soldered correctly. The problem isn't in the controller as the 1 arch I have that all pixels work, work fine on all 4 channels. Any thoughts/tip?

 

[k6ccc]

2 hours ago, Timothy said:

Can you take 3 sets of WS8211 LED's and connect them together to make a full addressable 150 long light string?

Yes with a couple caveats. If they are from the same batch of pixels, neither of these are usually an issue.  First is that different batches of pixels may have a different color order.  Second is that different batches of pixels may not look the same (colorwise that is).

 

2 hours ago, Timothy said:

I can only get the first 58 to light up for me.

The 58th or 59th pixel may be bad.

 

 

 

[Timothy]

would that cause the rest to not illuminate? It does this on 3 strings.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Timothy

[Timothy]

How to fix this batch issue?

[TheDucks]

1 hour ago, Timothy said:

would that cause the rest to not illuminate? It does this on 3 strings.

Smart Pix use a 'Bucket Brigade' protocol. Peels off (and uses) the instructions on the stack, the passes the rest to the next.   

Node 1 is because it is first, not because there was a internal setting. (like any LOR controller ID) that said it is One.

💡 Always Test each string 1)When you receive an order (warranty usually is less than 90 days). 2)Before you INSTALL it in a prop or hang em high (up)

#58 is an odd place to have,  Not 1, not 2, but 3 strings all fail . 💡 Bucket Brigade: Each node is identical. Each node has a GozInda (DI) and a GozOuta (DO). GozOuta connects to the GozInda. 😁 of the next node.

Look at the nodes 57 & 58. they should be oriented (the chip inside) exactly the same (all my nodes, the black chip is on the DO side. YMMV, another reason for K6ccc warning to use the same batch in a string. they are not wrong, just built different)

[k6ccc]

Let's clarify the problem.  I am getting the feeling that between your first and last messages my understanding of the problem may have changed.  So let's see if I have this right.  You took three strings of I assume 50 pixels and connected them end to end to create a single strings of 150 pixels..  As I originally understood it, when you test that 150 pixel string, only the first 58 pixel operate and then it's dead after that.  My original understanding is that you only had on such 150 pixel string, but later message implies that multiple strings are doing the same things.  So please tell use EXACTLY what you have and have done.

If multiple strings are all failing after 58 pixels, that is almost certainly a configuration issue.  Have you tried moving strings to a different port on the controller, and if so, do the strings behave the same.  If you have multiple 150 pixel strings, do they all behave the same on different ports?

The more detail you provide, the easier it is for us to help you.

 

[Timothy]

Ok, so the problem with the one where only the first 58 would light up and after closer inspection I found the wires past that pixel got damaged somehow. After soldering the wires back together, that string now works. Now the last string won't light up at all. I took 3 pixel strings of 50 each and soldered them together to make a line of 150 pixels. I didn't test them ahead of time because I didn't have the pixie controller until Friday, otherwise I would have. I made them all up the same way and the others worked just fine. Is there something about strings that I'm not realizing?

I did check that the pixie connections using the ones that work and it lit up as it's supposed on each port so the controller is not the issue. This last string acts the same on all ports.

[Timothy]

It's really hard to tell but it looks like the first pixel in one of the strings of 50 has both the GND and DAT connected to the GND terminal. Hard to tell for sure though because there's a black chip right there where it is routed in the pixel, I also noticed that the wires is marked with 2 ground wire markings which is odd.

[Jimehc]

Some strings come with a wire to allow for power injection at the end connectors - so usually the first and last Pixel in the string will have 5 wires (2 wire pair & 3 wire pair) - so check your wiring by looking closely at the pixel to determine the proper wires to solder... seems like you may have them crossed on that string..

[Timothy]

15 hours ago, Jimehc said:

Some strings come with a wire to allow for power injection at the end connectors - so usually the first and last Pixel in the string will have 5 wires (2 wire pair & 3 wire pair) - so check your wiring by looking closely at the pixel to determine the proper wires to solder... seems like you may have them crossed on that string..

These strings do have power injection wires also, but those are not what I'm referring to. On the GND/DAT/+12V 3 strand wire the GND and DAT lines are soldered into the GND terminal on the chips. I assume the machine saw it as a GND and automatically soldered it there on the chip. Took me 3 blown fuses to figure this one out. Got new strings in today and look them over closely before connecting them to my pixie controller.