MattJ Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 We have had a lot of rain here in north Texas over the last few days. As I have been getting ready for the show this year, I have found that some of the "extra" pixels in my props are picking up some kind of noise in the rain and turning on randomly. Because they are not part of a prop or any show... they do not turn off again until I power cycle the system. By "extra pixels" I mean things like... a spinner has 197 pixels.... I have 3 "extra" at the end of the second string of 100. 3 matrix columns has 96 pixels, so I have 4 "extra" every 3 columns of my matrix. Because of the design of some of my props I cannot find places to hide these extra pixels so I want to cut the strings. Historically I have tried not to do this very much as I don't have a great way of sealing the pixel string open end. So, my question to all of you experts: If you have a cause to cut a pixel string and are not repairing/joining it, do you have a cool way of terminating it? Right now these are sitting at the top of my list: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Strings are easy - strips are much harder. Scotchloks (and clones as your photo) are very easy. I use them for mid season repairs on strings because they are far easier to deal with than a soldering iron and heat shrink gun when standing on a ladder. I do normally make a permanent repair when the prop comes down. Schotchloks are available in various sizes and at least wth the original 3M product, they are color coded for different sizes. For pixel strings, the UR connectors are usually a really tight fit to get the insulation into the connector, but the ULG usually work fine. One issue I have run into is that if your pixels have very small wire inside a larger insulation (for example the insulation size is about right for 19 or 20 AWG wire, but the actual wire is 26 AWG, the ULG may not make a reliable contact with the wire. The currently pixels on my pixel tree are somewhat that way. The standard is heat shrink tubing - preferably the variety that has the goo on the inside that melts and seals when you shrink the tubing. If you don't have the dual layer heat shrink tubing, you can also cover the wire with silicone sealer then put the heat shrink over that and heat it. Makes more of a mess, but it does seal it. In a pinch, there is always electrical tape, but over time it will come off. It is not as good of a seal as you might think. On the other extreme, I have just left the end of the wire cut off. On my pixel tree, the controller feeds the strings from the top, and at the bottom end, I have just cut off the wire cleanly and left it that way. It's only 5 volts, so not an electrical hazard, and any water will drip off. At the very bottom of the photo below, you can see that the wire just ends. http://www.newburghlights.org/photos/2014_Bottom_of_strip-mounting_detail_1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMassey Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 By the way, just because the show is off and the pixels are dark (hopefully) doesn't mean they are not powered. Pixels always have 12V, or 5V on the wires as long as the controller is powered. Remove power from the controller before surgery. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattJ Posted November 26, 2022 Author Share Posted November 26, 2022 Thanks Jim - I guess I was a little gun shy on cutting strings - water has not been my friend over the years! Scotchlok clones installed and working. I figured solder and heat shrink would be the standard. I'll patch them up properly in the off season. (maybe! 😉) Phil - Timely reminder. Thanks. I was running on autopilot and likely would have chopped into some "live" 12V while making this repair if you had not have posted. Appreciate it. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMassey Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Yep. Off is never off anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibblejr Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 (edited) 44 minutes ago, MattJ said: Thanks Jim - I guess I was a little gun shy on cutting strings - water has not been my friend over the years! Scotchlok clones installed and working. I figured solder and heat shrink would be the standard. I'll patch them up properly in the off season. (maybe! 😉) Phil - Timely reminder. Thanks. I was running on autopilot and likely would have chopped into some "live" 12V while making this repair if you had not have posted. Appreciate it. 👍 If you want to block water permanently here's what I do. I also have short videos I made on youtube and vimeo.. I used this method for a long time having boats. Separate your strands but before doing so get a piece of heat shrink that will fit over all 3 strands and your soldering method, solder or the pre soldered butt connectors. After separating the wires put a single smaller piece of heat shrink tubing over each wire. (i use marine grade heat shrink tubing) Splice your wires together and once they cool slide the smaller section of heat shrink over each wire and shrink them. Next take some silicone - I use Marine grade 3M5200 and put some oner the 3 wires where they are spliced. Now pull the larger section of heat shrink over all three connections and the silicone Shrink the heat shrink until the silicone protrudes from the ends. That will outlast your lights and never leak unless it is damaged. JR Edit- Ive never liked jelly bellies for some reason. Edited November 26, 2022 by dibblejr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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