Yes, definitely don't send power down the wrong way, you could blow all the pixels. Check the wires on the edge, it should have a white dot on it to show positive? Best thing to do is cut off a single pixel and plug it into your controller on test mode to see if it is the right way around. Maybe take a picture if you want guidance, but there should be a white piece of paper showing the orientation or a photo in the ali listing.
WS2815 12V Seed Pixel Purchase Query
- Thread starter Luckyphil32
- Start date
Power goes "both ways" as long as you've got positive and negative the right way around. There's "directionality" from the end of the string, so to speak.
Data, on the other hand has explicit in and out. You wont damage anything by connecting to the out, the string just won't work.
Data, on the other hand has explicit in and out. You wont damage anything by connecting to the out, the string just won't work.
That's the way. Even if it is marked with the little paper tag (check both ends) or in the Ali listing, not a bad idea. Then, after you confirm it, tape that marked one to the top of the reel for safekeeping... future you will thank you.
Every rule of thumb I know of has some documented exceptions. The assumption that white dashes are negative/dots are positive, has exceptions. The assumption that data is in the middle has exceptions. The assumption that the input end of the string is the one dangling off the reel even has exceptions.
One tip is that you can tell which side of the wires the chip is on. Between that and any other wire marking (spots, dashes, copper colored strand in the mix, larger gap) you can get used to telling which is which on a single pixel.
Yes power flows both ways on the string... but the "wrong way" is reverse polarity or putting power into the data (in or out), as some pixels can be damaged in that manner.
Images below are just examples of the kind of tag you are looking for (check both ends) or Ali listing image or text.
