Technicolor Survival

ShayneT

Apprentice elf
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
59
Location
Florida
I had some Technicolor pixels fail this year mainly after rain. A couple had a faint blue all the time but after being unplugged for a few days acted normal today. I am concluding that the issue was clearly water intrusion. They seem very watertight from the back which leads me to believe like others that the entry point is around the LED. I had the C9 covers on so I thought I would of been OK. Ray has been kind enough to replace the bad sets. The new batch is supposed to have the water intrusion issues resolved but just in case I was thinking of adding a layer of Teflon tape to the threads - any thoughts?
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
I have the same strings and they didn't make it onto my roof this year... I have heard others talking about the water intrusion issue even with the C9 cover in place and I just don't get it. When I screwed the C9 covers on the one test string I purchased last year, those threads were painfully tight (good thing I was only doing one string!). I really don't think that the threads are the issue. If water can get into the LED without the C9 cover on, and it is entering at the interface between the black plastic body and where the LED pokes out, then chances are, the water is getting into the same place by seeping in where the clear C9 cover mates to the threaded "nut" body... If that is the case, then I think one would be better off putting a little clear silicone around that joint after tightening the bulb cover down... which I very well may do... I have 900 C9 bulb covers to attach to my Technicolor strings over the next couple weeks... yes, my roof lights are going up in January because I want to know if they are going to fail by March. My neighbors will just have to deal with me having lights on my roof...

-Louie
 

ShayneT

Apprentice elf
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
59
Location
Florida
Thanks for the suggestions. Would I put silicone at base threads or where the cover meets the adapter or both?
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
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Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
Hauvega said:
I had the c9 covers and still had moisture in them. Mine were hanging led down.
Please don't take this post the wrong way, but I just don't see how this is possible. Mainly because of your comment about having them hang LED down. The only thing I can think of is condensation due to high humidity swings or temperature swings. I guess if you had wind driven rain, that could force water up into the bulb in an upside down configuration, but doesn't seem likely. Where are you located in the usa? Down here in Florida we have issues with humidity and temperature based condensation.

Louie
 

dannyp

Full time elf
Joined
May 12, 2010
Messages
262
Location
Sydney
Just to confuse things a bit more, I am in Sydney Australia and we have had no rain here for a while and it is 40 celcius (100+ F) and I have failures happening even today (yes I still have my lights up for testing), so I cant blame water for my problems.

Cheers
 

fasteddy

I have C.L.A.P
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Apr 26, 2010
Messages
6,648
Location
Albion Park NSW
DannyP said:
Just to confuse things a bit more, I am in Sydney Australia and we have had no rain here for a while and it is 40 celcius (100+ F) and I have failures happening even today (yes I still have my lights up for testing), so I cant blame water for my problems.

Cheers
Danny then your issue may be the 2811 chip, so I would try lowering the voltage to below 11 volts from your power supply as this seems to have helped a few users having similar issues.
 

dannyp

Full time elf
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May 12, 2010
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262
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Sydney
Ok I will try that. Would that also help with random flickereing (multiple colours) that I am seeing on one section of my matrix? I have tried plugging in a different strand of lights into the P12r outlet and that section still flickers.

Cheers
 

fasteddy

I have C.L.A.P
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There is a chance that could help but im more inclined to say that you have a weak chip that may need a different speed setting or needs to be removed as its effecting the other chips down stream from it.

The issue is that it could be the output of the last good working chip or the input of the first dodgy chip. More times than not its the output of the last good working chip/LED that is the cause, but for me I always just change them both.
 

dannyp

Full time elf
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May 12, 2010
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Sydney
Yep got that, but I swapped out the entire string in that section and it still flickers.
 

Hauvega

New elf
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Southeast Louisiana
nutz4lights said:
Hauvega said:
I had the c9 covers and still had moisture in them. Mine were hanging led down.
Please don't take this post the wrong way, but I just don't see how this is possible. Mainly because of your comment about having them hang LED down. The only thing I can think of is condensation due to high humidity swings or temperature swings. I guess if you had wind driven rain, that could force water up into the bulb in an upside down configuration, but doesn't seem likely. Where are you located in the usa? Down here in Florida we have issues with humidity and temperature based condensation.

Louie

I live in southeast Louisiana. Mine were hanging off the gutters cover down (gave best effect and liked the look). Everything was fine until the first rains. I even changed out the strings and still occurred after the next rain. The c9 covers I had was the slip on. Here is a pic of one of the nodes cut open.
 

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ShayneT

Apprentice elf
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
59
Location
Florida
It seems that several like myself had the covered pixels hanging downward.
Some of the postmortum pictures show the inside exposed but a very cleanly opened back. Could it be the seal on the back plate?
Just thinking as it was facing up toward the elements
 

Hauvega

New elf
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Southeast Louisiana
ShayneT said:
It seems that several like myself had the covered pixels hanging downward.
Some of the postmortum pictures show the inside exposed but a very cleanly opened back. Could it be the seal on the back plate?
Just thinking as it was facing up toward the elements

I cut them open with a hot knife. It is all injection molded plastic. If you look at the black on the pcb that is where the problem is. It should be clean. I have opened up some that have no problems at all.
 

ShayneT

Apprentice elf
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
59
Location
Florida
Could it be from the wire entraces? If so maybe the Pastidip solutions is the most preactival? Or do the new boards have a better coasting?
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
Thanks the picture. I haven't seen any other pictures posted here at ACL, does someone have a link to more? Again, I didn't get mine out this year <yet>... they should be on the roof within a month and I plan on leaving them there to look for failures...

If that back plate is not the culprit and you had them hanging upside down, I still can't believe that the pixel to plate junction is at fault. It would have been shielded from the rain. Considering you're in Louisiana, I am guessing that the water in the bulbs probably came from condensation... the fact that it happened when it rained probably has to do with the fact that it is usually higher humidity out when it rains, no? Again, I'm in Florida... down here the worst humidity is after it rains...

I am starting to wonder if I should bring my strings to work and run them through our selective conformal coating machine... ;)

-Louie
 
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