2 leaping arches daisy chain issue

[raymondclow]

First of all thank you if you are reading this post which i hope is in the right place, i looked around and wasn't sure where to ask for the help. I am using a Flacon f16v3, I just built 2 arches using a tutorial I found which turned out fine with the exception of one arch not lighting up at all. I am using ws2811 light strips which I cut in half to be able to make 2 arches. I am using one port on the falcon with a PSU just for the arches since i have other things running off the other PSU. I am stumped at after setting everything up only one arch lights up but the last 3 nodes are off...i checked voltage and its running through, the other arch that it's hooked up to wont light up at all....I am not sure if at this point it's wiring or setup at the falcon board? I am trying to troubleshoot but i want to know if anyone has had any issues with this before. This is my first time using pixel strips. thanks again for the help.

 

[Snowy]

how many pixels per arch? have you tried them in test mode on the falcon.

 

[raymondclow]

thanks for the reply. I did try them on test mode on the falcon and only one turns on....what i dont get is that the last 3 pixels are off but when i check for 12v at the end i could read 12v. There are 150 pixels on the strip.

 

[uncledan]

Using the test function on the F16v3? As @Snowy mentioned thats a good place to start. A link to the strip you're using and a screenshot of Falcon port configurations would be helpful. When I have issues with a prop. I replace it with another for testing purposes anyways. You could always swap the physical location of arch 1 and 2 and see if the problem is still there. If the last three LED's are off on arch one and nothing on arch two I would assume you have a bad pixel at that point. Strip is very fragile..

 

[BAZMick]

This strip is one node for each 3x leds pixels? Did you cut it in the right spot?

 

[raymondclow]

Below is the link and falcon port setup. I am in the testing phase and hopefully ready next year. eventually i would configure everything in order but for now the way i have it everything works with the exception of the arches that i tried to add today.

Amazon.com

 

[raymondclow]

This strip is one node for each 3x leds pixels? Did you cut it in the right spot?

I never thought about that but the tutorial that i followed had me find the middle which was at 150 and then desolder versus cutting at the spot. could that be an issue with the second arch that wont light up?

 

[raymondclow]

Using the test function on the F16v3? As @Snowy mentioned thats a good place to start. A link to the strip you're using and a screenshot of Falcon port configurations would be helpful. When I have issues with a prop. I replace it with another for testing purposes anyways. You could always swap the physical location of arch 1 and 2 and see if the problem is still there. If the last three LED's are off on arch one and nothing on arch two I would assume you have a bad pixel at that point. Strip is very fragile..

after i saw the last 3 pixels not lighting up, my first thought was that maybe the pixel was bad therefore not sending signal or power to the other arch but when i checked for voltage at the end of the strip i would read 12v so that's where i got confused.

 

[BAZMick]

Try what @uncledan said and see if arch 2 will light up.
The voltage may read ok but if you've got a bad pixel then it's data is not being passed on down the data line

 

[bmh255]

Unsure on the WS2811 strips, but are they directional like the bullets ? If so is data in out backwards ?

 

[uncledan]

Good point, data is directional. The fact that the last pixel(I'm assuming) on the first arch doesn't light up would lead me to look elsewhere. If it was at the beginning of arch two that would've been my first reply

 

[Goliath]

I'd be inclined to think your last pixel has gone bad.
Don't plug/unplug pixels with power applied.
Swap the order of arches is good advice, before cutting out that last pixel.
Half a strip would be 25 pixels, 75channels, would it not?

 

[raymondclow]

well you guys were right...it was a bad pixel which i cut and i was able to get power and data to both arches now.....BUT now im having issues with random flickering even though im injecting power....i guess this is all part of the hobby. even though i have two arches it doesnt act independently like it should in xlights. good thing this is a work in progress. thanks for the guidence

 

[davenmarcia]

For getting the 2 arches to act independently try setting the pixel count to 50 not 150 as every 3 leds equals 1 pixel with strips (count the chips not leds) As for flickering how long is the run to the arch could be data loss.
Edit: try 25 like Goliath said I read it as each arch was 150 but yes 1 strip is 50 pixels half strip would be 25

 

[raymondclow]

I think im getting somewhere thanks to the help from the Pros! I"ve only dealt with pixel strings which even though it might be the same concept for some reason i found strips a bit more complicated when trying to understand the "Pixel" vs "Led's" but yes it was a 100 pixel strip which i cut in half to make 50! I am testing in my garage so i do have a pretty long line so i will try to shorten it and see if that was the issue with the flickering....fingers crossed! Just for reasurance....in my falcon port settings i have "arches = 100 pixels" then xlights " 2 arches with 50 pixels each" i think that's correct but i'll still play with the 25 since once again that's one of the reasons i got into this hobby, i like tinkering with things and trying to figure things out besides the outcome is awesome when it's fully functional. I see some of these displays on youtube and it's just amazing!