Need some basic help for WS2811 RGB

T

The Juggernaut

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Hi

I'm asking for some advice on some WS2811 RGB lights I purchased for a Christmas sign I'm looking at making.

These are the lights I purchased from China

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/161857664975?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I also purchased this controller to drive them

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311468621210?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

My problem is the wiring of these items, when I bought them I thought that it was "plug'n'go"
but what I received was the controller has a male 3 pin and the lights a female 2 pin with 2 loose wires.
Is it a matter of cutting the connectors off and hard wiring (soldering) the 3 wires, or is there some other magic
involved. Thanks in advance :)
 
Hi Jug


Without actually seeing what you have, it's a bit hard to provide definite answers but here is some info that may help.


the string has three wires, being +5v, Ground and Data. Because, depending on the install, the controller may not have the capacity to provide enough current, often additional +5v and Ground wires are provided. you will have to determine the colours of these wires. the pixels may have connection details on the PCB. You can't rely on the wire colours with chinese stuff.


the controller has three outputs being the same +5v, data and ground. so it's just a simple matter of connecting the the string to the controller. and the controller to a 5v supply.


the other thing to be careful of is that the controller can only handle 6 amps, which is 2 strings or 100 pixels. remember that these are chinese amps so your milage will vary.


hope this helps
Cheers
Fing
 
Hi Fing

Here's a picture of each that I received

By the sounds I got the wrong controller as I need 130 pixels for this project....I bought 3 sets of WS2811 :mad:
 

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It is a matter of cutting and soldering but you need to get the wires around the right way. Look closely at the pixels and you might be able to see writing on the PCB telling you. The positive and negative out of the controller should consistently have 5V between them and you can check with a multimeter. Not too sure about the data line. The lights having 4 wires suggests that there are two wires the same. Look closely or check them with a multimeter to work out which two are just soldered together. Another option is just to remove the first pixel and use the 3 wires there.

You can use the controller if it supplies enough data for that many pixels (not specified in eBay listing). What you need to do is connect power straight to the pixels themselves. If using more than one power supply, don't connect their positives together but always connect the negatives. This is called power injection. You would need to do this anyway because the 5V won't make it all the way to pixel 130.

Also be aware if you're using a cheap plugpack they are sometimes very dangerous and the lights could be at nearly full mains voltage.
 
Hi Jug,


your controller should be able to do 3 strings, but you will have to inject power to overcome the current limits and voltage drop issues.
have a look at the 101 manual http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php/topic,1889.0.html


about pg51 talks about power injecting, the photos show a clock wire, the 2811 doesn't have this so just ignore it


What kind of power supply are you using?


cheers fing
 
I'm using a 5v power supply I got from Dick Smith I wasn't game getting an el cheapo from O/S, having had problems in the past with them.

I'm pretty certain using a multimeter that the red wire from the controller is +5v and the white is GND. So I'll play around with them as see if I can get some sort of lift off :D

Thanks gents
 
Hi again,

I cut and joined the wires together and all I get is a very brief blue flash from the lights. I believe that the controller is faulty, using the remote I can't get any response and no matter what I press I'm getting a constant voltage using the multimeter. I suppose I'll get another and I'll update when I try that one. Thanks again for your input.
 
the voltage should remain constant as it supplies the lights. the pixels are smart and the data line instructs the pixels what to do.


the blue flash could be simply a power on flash.


as a thought, cut one of your pixels from the string and use it to sort out your connections, as it's easy to damage the pixels by connecting them wrong, better to sacrifice one instead of a whole string.


cheers
Fing
 
G'day


Not sure if it helps but I powered up my first lot of bullet pixels yesterday, not knowing anything about them I used a magnifying glass and was able to read 1 of the boards out of 50 showing +5, ground, data.


Homer
 
I wouldnt blame the controller just yet..

What current rating is your dick smith supply? Pretty good chance it doesnt have sufficient power to power the pixels mate..


50 x 60ma = 3amps to power a single string of your ws2811..


So provided your supply is capable of 5vdc at 3amps or more you should be sweet..


Next is your wiring setup..


From power supply you should be going to the dc input connector on the controller, making sure your polarity is correct..


From the controller you should be going to your strings, making sure you connect the V+ To V+, Data to Data, V- to V-.. Dont trust the wire colours, use the markings on the lights and controllers to ensure that you have the right things connected to each other..


Then plug in the power supply and you should be away.. Make sure to the remote is working by replacing the battery..


If you do all this and still have no lights then your controller is possibly faulty/dead..


Cheers..
 
Make sure you don't connect and disconnect the strip whilst the power is on as this can cause possible damage to the first pixel
 
Thanks gents, all useful info.

I've cut one pixel from the strand to test it out and I still just get the blue flash at power on.
The power supply is 5v 3a, so I either have a dud controller, a funky remote or I've stuffed the 1st pixel lol
I will soldier on.
 
Just a quick question, looking at the ws2811 , do they all come with a two pin from the lights? I thought it was a three pin with additional black and red so 5 in total, or does it depend on who you get them from?
 
Most recently they have come with a small 3 pin connector and a 3.5mm connector for additional power input. As you have mentioned you just never really know what you are actually going to get, even from the same supplier.
 
Thanks superman, when I place my order I'll double check [emoji106]
 
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