12V Ray pixel string giving me fits...

[nutz4lights]

Now that I have S3 talking to my ECG-P12R controlling my RGB twig tree (which uses two universe outputs, each with 100 5V pixels on them)... I decided to test out the 100 pixel 12V string I bought from Ray Wu. I had tested it out quickly with the Ray Wu pixel controller when the shipment came a month or so ago and it worked then. I am a pixel newbie still and wanted to try and measure the current draw for 100 of these 12V pixels. I hooked it up the way I thought it should get hooked up to the P12R and it wouldn't work... I started to second guess myself, because as I said above... I am a newbie... I went through the P12R guide again to make sure that I had the 12V hooked up right (my RGB twig tree is 5V) and I did... made sure my connections were good, they were... ended up deciding to cut the 100 pixel string in half and use the second half of the string and WHOILA... 50 pixels working perfectly...

So, it appears that I have my first dead string of pixels. It is probably something that I did in trying to hook it up, but whatever... the problem I'm having is... the way I understand this... if there is an IC dead in the series chain, the lights should work well up to that point and then not at all afterwards. The only thing I'm getting out of the "dead" half is that the first pixel is dimly blinking a reddish color... I cut that pixel away thinking that maybe it was something with that pixel and I get the dimly lit reddish color on the next pixel... and again... did the same thing... this time cutting away 5 pixels... same dimly lit reddish color...

Obviously, there must be some trick to this that I am just not seeing... so I'm hoping that someone here can help. When you have a string that is not behaving properly... how do you go about troubleshooting?

Thanks,

 

[Trafficman]

I will tell you what I have seen with the pixels. Make sure sequence is correct to go beyond 50. Check the speed you have setup in the controller. Last thing I can see is that the last pixel that is burning bright may be bad. I would check out the first two options first. Both of them caught me and I cut a string like you did.


Jeff

 

[nutz4lights]

Thanks Jeff.

When I cut the string in half, the string that was the second half of the string will work on Output 1 or Output 2 of the P12R whereas the other half of the string that was the first half will not work on either. When I say "will not work on either" I mean that not a single bulb lights up aside from the first bulb that is a dimly lit red.

Considering the "good" half of the string works on both of those outputs, I believe it must be something in the other half that is killing performance there, make sense?

 

[Trafficman]

Yea. Sounds like first pixel is bad on the second string but first now that you have cut it make sure you are connecting in the right direct. If you have arrows they always point away from the controller. Made that mistake to. LOL


Jeff

 

[nutz4lights]

So I decided to cut another 3 pixels off figuring "what the heck, why not?" and it worked... so in total I cut off 7 pixels and something in one of those pixels was causing the 50 count string not to work (well, and the 100 count string before I cut it in half).

Still I must say that it didn't quite behave the way I expected it to... I mean, only that first pixel in each case was doing something, even though it was not that pixel that was messed up....

I still look forward to some more comments and suggestions... or at least additional "life experiences" !!

 

[fasteddy]

So I decided to cut another 3 pixels off figuring "what the heck, why not?" and it worked... so in total I cut off 7 pixels and something in one of those pixels was causing the 50 count string not to work (well, and the 100 count string before I cut it in half).

Still I must say that it didn't quite behave the way I expected it to... I mean, only that first pixel in each case was doing something, even though it was not that pixel that was messed up....

I still look forward to some more comments and suggestions... or at least additional "life experiences" !!

Sounds like you may have had a short to give you a dim red light. So i would check to see that you dont have a circuit between the +v and the ground. I would check both ends of the string and also check that there is a complete circuit on the +V and ground from one end of the string to the other.

 

[nutz4lights]

Sounds like you may have had a short to give you a dim red light. So i would check to see that you dont have a circuit between the +v and the ground. I would check both ends of the string and also check that there is a complete circuit on the +V and ground from one end of the string to the other.

Hi Eddy.

I went and measured the snip-offs for isolation between +V and ground and found that it was in the 100kohm range, which is not good. The full string of 43 remaining had isolation between +V and ground in the 10Mohm range. I am guessing that I had a failed IC or LED element to give poor isolation between +V and ground, is that common?

Thanks.

 

[fasteddy]

Sounds like you may have had a short to give you a dim red light. So i would check to see that you dont have a circuit between the +v and the ground. I would check both ends of the string and also check that there is a complete circuit on the +V and ground from one end of the string to the other.

Hi Eddy.

I went and measured the snip-offs for isolation between +V and ground and found that it was in the 100kohm range, which is not good. The full string of 43 remaining had isolation between +V and ground in the 10Mohm range. I am guessing that I had a failed IC or LED element to give poor isolation between +V and ground, is that common?

Thanks.

What can actually happen is that a wire may have had a strand or 2 not correctly soldered and when you have moved the string then this may have cuased the short. Try taking a reading whilst moving the string around and see if the resistance level changes, if it does then thats most probaly your problem. This has happened before to a few people in the past.

 

[nutz4lights]

What can actually happen is that a wire may have had a strand or 2 not correctly soldered and when you have moved the string then this may have cuased the short. Try taking a reading whilst moving the string around and see if the resistance level changes, if it does then thats most probaly your problem. This has happened before to a few people in the past.

Thanks Eddy... that is exactly what I was looking for was "life experiences"... since this is all new.