Can someone please check to see if I have set this up correctly.

I looked at the specs of my PixLIte 16 and the Lights I am using and I13 was right. The string I am using has 30 leds per meter and with my roof line it is a total of 20m. So that is 600 leds for my roof line and the PixLIte 16 has a MAX output of 340 leds per output.


To solve this problem can I simply run another data feed from a second output on the PixLite 16 to the halfway mark of my roof line, or will the distance from the controller be to far (is the distance only an issue for power)?


Also can I get some feedback on the power supply setup and if this works in the attached picture? I am still not sure how to ensure all my PSU's are grounded together.

wce06 said:

Sorry,


But I think Fing just confused me again...LOL...So he says I need to run black wires (GND) along all the red ones I have put down.


I thought the GND running through all the strips was doing this?


Confused...

Click to expand...

The ground will, but what you need to realise is the way power works. Power goes from the positive to the negative through each of the LED's that are on. The reason you need to power inject is that the current flowing through the resistance of the small tracks on the strip/string causes the voltage to drop.

Lets say you run 5 amps through your 12V strip and the far end, with respect to the power supply, reads 10v, so it has dropped 2V. Now if you measure the -ve at the far end, again, with reference to the -ve on the PSU, you will fins it would read about +2v, so instead of 10V available at the far end, you only have 8v, and you would have read 8v if you measured across the far end of the strip.

This is why power injection involves a pair of wires, not just 1.

Oh and to answer something on the chat here as well, why do we need the -ve connected right the way through the strings? The data signal is a voltage in reference to the -ve rail, so if thats not joined, or slowly rises due to poor power injection, it gets to a point where the chip on the pixel can have trouble telling if the data signal is a 1 or a 0, thus you get random flickering from a point, especially when displaying full white (The most current, thus highest voltage drop)

The earth and positive cables are the same size so what happens

wce06 said:

I looked at the specs of my PixLIte 16 and the Lights I am using and I13 was right. The string I am using has 30 leds per meter and with my roof line it is a total of 20m. So that is 600 leds for my roof line and the PixLIte 16 has a MAX output of 340 leds per output.


To solve this problem can I simply run another data feed from a second output on the PixLite 16 to the halfway mark of my roof line, or will the distance from the controller be to far (is the distance only an issue for power)?


Also can I get some feedback on the power supply setup and if this works in the attached picture? I am still not sure how to ensure all my PSU's are grounded together.

Click to expand...

This is the ordinary 12V pixel strip so each pixel has 3 RGB LEDs. This means that you have 200 pixels on your roof outline. The PixLite 16 is limited to 340 pixels per output so your setup is ok. You had too many pixels in the diagram with 9 rolls of strip.

The positive and negative lines run the entire length of the strips. If you have connected the power supplies to a long run of strip then their negative outputs will be connected as they should be. The problem is that this also connects the positive outputs which should not be connected together. You have to cut the positive lline in the strip between each power supply. See the diagram that I have attached for how I'd wire up the roofline.

Thankyou very much, that helps heaps I think the penny has finally dropped...


Sorry to everyone that it took this long, I should have started with the house diagram instead of the overkill diagram at the start.


But thanks again, it just reconfirms how helpful this site and people are.

So thanks to Fing, Lithgowlights, Kitman and I13 I have finally locked down the plan for my very first edging (see attached picture), now to put it into practice, hopefully all goes to plan.


There is also a diagram of what I have planned for 2017. At least I have 12 months to sort any issues out....lol