RGB LED Flex strips help

mmais68569

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I have read that the flex strips have a max length of 5M before they start losing their constant color. I need to have strips 6.1M & 9.2M or 21' & 30' in a straight line on the roof. Do people use this item,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150704766887?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

or do you just add another strip & 3 more channels to make the length.

One other question
I have had some correspondence with Ray wu but it seems like after about 1 & at most 2 emails back & forth with questions & answers it either gets lost or they get tired of questions & stop replying.
Is or did anyone else have this problem.
I ask many questions just to make sure I am getting what I need & want not something they are trying to push & get rid of.

Mike
 

David_AVD

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You should be able to butt two sections of strip together and feed then both from that joint. Just make sure that the wiring going back to the controller is man enough for the current draw.
 

fasteddy

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You may get away with just connecting the 6.1 metre strip without injecting power, you will have to just see how it goes, the 9.2 metre will definetly need power injection and this could be done either at the end of the second strip or at the join between the 2 strips. So you can use the same channels to run the whole length as long as the current is below the controllers output rating. A 30 LED/m strip will draw 1 amp per metre at 12vdc so all you do is parrallel from the controller output and connect the extra wire there if the output can handle that current.

Ensure if the power is connected together on both strips that the power comes from the same power supply.

As far as Ray, i use the chat with Ray, but if you want to expect to learn about his products by asking him lots of basic questions then he may start ignoring you as he has enough to do without having to teach people how it all works. Remember your dealing with Chinese dealers here and they have a very different outlook on how sales are done. They like a relationship being built up so just throwing lots of questions at them without having any history may turn them off.
 

mmais68569

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Eddy

Let me make sure I understand what you are saying about the 9+M length.
I take a 5M strip & add what I need to make my 9+M strip to it. Connect the Cat5 to the end of the strip, then using the same power supply I run another Cat 5 cable to the other end of the strip & just inject power & no signal. So that would mean the other end I would only use the orange strip, green strip & brown strip, & cut the rest of them off. then out of the controller I would have 2 Cat5 connected to the power side.

One other question doing it this way I will only need to buy 5M rolls & then make the length I need correct.

Thanks
And by the way Eddy your display is the best I have watched this year.

Mike
 

David_AVD

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You can join the 2 sets of 4 wires together at the join between the strips and run it back as one 4 core cable:

Code:
  [5m strip]---+---[5m strip]
               |
               |
 [controller]--|
 

fasteddy

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mmais68569 said:
Eddy

Let me make sure I understand what you are saying about the 9+M length.
I take a 5M strip & add what I need to make my 9+M strip to it. Connect the Cat5 to the end of the strip, then using the same power supply I run another Cat 5 cable to the other end of the strip & just inject power & no signal. So that would mean the other end I would only use the orange strip, green strip & brown strip, & cut the rest of them off. then out of the controller I would have 2 Cat5 connected to the power side.

One other question doing it this way I will only need to buy 5M rolls & then make the length I need correct.

Thanks
And by the way Eddy your display is the best I have watched this year.

Mike

Now remember that Cat 5 cable is really only good for 1 amp per core so make sure you run 2 seperate cables for the 9.1 metre and for the 6.1 metre you may be slightly over but it may not pose an issue for you.
The strip comes in 5 metre lengths so all you have to do is cut it at the joins in the strip (each section is 100mm long for 30 LEDs/m strip) to make it to the desired length

It sounds like your using the digital strip and not the standard 3 channel strip, the same applies though for the digital strip, the +12v and Ground must be injected but the data between the strip is just connected from one strip to the other.

And thanks im glad you liked my display
 

mmais68569

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David_AVD

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I would not be using CAT5 to wire those LED strips. You need something with a much better current rating.

Maybe 14/.2 4 core security cable at a minimum, thicker if long cable runs are involved.
 

fasteddy

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ok so your using the standard 3 channel strip so the best way to connect that would be davids way but you may exceed the reccomended current capacity of CAT5 if you just run the one cable in between the strips for power. At around 9 metres the current will be 1.8 amps per core and 5.4 amps down the common (black wire)

The best RGB cabling for the price that i have found and use is 4 core security cable, im not sure what its called in the US but it can handle 4.5 amps per core and as well you can get in 6 core as well

4 core security cable

6 core security cable
 

mmais68569

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So using the 4 core 14/020 I would just take 1 cable per color & hook them to the strips. use black as + red -red, green -green & yellow - blue. Hooking them to a DC controller would be the same way as the Cat5.
Thanks everyone for the help the muddy water is becoming clearer with every post.

Mike
 

David_AVD

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Yeah, probably best to use a 4 core security cable (14/.2) for each 5m section or part thereof. You could do one cable at the join if you used thicker (24/.2) cable, but that's a lot more expensive.

EDIT:
Using 6 core security cable (14/.2) could also work if you used the extra 2 cores for the common +ve.
 

mmais68569

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David_AVD

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The first one seems to have two 18 gauge and two 20 gauge wires. If you used one of the thicker (18 gauge) wires for common +ve, that may be ok.
 

mmais68569

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I found this one while in the store the other day 5 18GA wires. Would this one be better?
Also an update I am only going to run 5M strips will space in the middle of the roof so cable run fro the controller & power supply( both in the same box). I am oly guessing but should not be over 15' for the farthest one.

Mike

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=31725-295-64169622&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3128633&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

Or would CAT 5 work?
 
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