Power/Setup issues

Setting up Pixelblaze V2+ and a 2 meter strip of WS2812 LEDs. I followed the Getting Started webpage to wire it up, CLK is not connected according to the directions. I’m using a ALITOVE 5V 10A 50W Power Supply for the LEDs and a 5V USB power supply (Apple) for the Pixelblaze.

With only the USB power supply plugged in I get 1 amber light and 1 blue light on the Pixelblaze and the first LED on the strip illuminates with RGBW. However, when I plug in the ALITOVE power supply the light on the LED strip goes dark, lights on the Pixelblaze remain the same

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I was able to setup and configure the Pixelblaze with my WiFi network, no issues. Comes up in a webpage and I get the options Patterns, Edit, Mapper, Settings Get Patterns, and a Brightness slider. On the other side of the header I get this: Status:Connected v2.23 FPS:479.52 Mem:2035 Exp:-

When I select a pattern and click on Start Sequencer the preview shows at the top of the webpage but the LED strip never does anything. So far the first LED is the only one to illuminate and it just stays at full brightness.

Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?

Thank you.

Also, here are my settings

Are you sure blue is DAT and not GND? The cable will be in the same order, and no lines should be swapped. Sorry if the colors are not representative in the photo!

BTW I recommend the Buffered WS2812 variant.

You’ll also want to update the Pixels count to 288 for a 2M strip of the 144/m RGBW.

Hope that helps! Let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the suggestions in the settings. After making those adjustments the amber light is not lighting up anymore on the Pixelblaze…not sure if that’s good or bad.

However, I’m still getting the same behavior from the LED strip. 1 single light if only the USB power supply is plugged into the Pixelblaze, and no lights if the USB and ALITOVE power supplies are both plugged in.

As far as wiring I believe I have it set up correct. The wires themselves are not in the same order as the inputs on the Pixelblaze so the blue wire “crosses over” the green wire, but I have the wires connected to the Pixelblaze per the guide online.

Hey Charlie -

I know a lot of strips tend to put data in the center, and have GND and +5V on the ends - so your clear picture showing the crossover makes me think Wizard is likely right; you might have Data and Ground swapped.

I know in the online “Getting Started” page diagrams Data is shown as blue, but that’s a little arbitrary in that some strips will use different colors for data vs ground. The important thing is to trace back your green wire to where it enters the strip (or use a continuity tester) and verify that it connects to a copper pad that’s labeled “G” or “GND”. If so, you have it wired correctly.

Also, you mentioned the amber light going out; hopefully no magic smoke was released. Don’t plug in the ALITOVE and USB at the same time; the USB plug is not generally used for any data stuff, it’s just an alternative way to get power in (vs connections such as barrel jacks soldered to the strip). In general, I only plug in the USB if I have no LEDs connected, or very few.

Your strip pictured looks like the 144/m high density variety - Max current is probably 60ma * 2meters * 144/m = 17A - that’s way too much for the USB (which I generally try to limit to 1.5 amps). With strip attached, just use the 10A ALITOVE supply, and make sure to not create or select an all-on white pattern without turning down the brightness limit in the Settings page. Best to perhaps set a 50% brightness limit with a 10A supply utill you’re quite comfortable you won’t code all-white by accident!

Cheers,
Jeff

First, I really appreciate all the help trying to get me up and running, thank you all.

Ok, I swapped data and ground and appear to be making progress. So blue is now going to ground and green is data. I am now able to use only the ALITOVE powersupply to power everything, so thats good. The blue and amber lights are both illuminated on the board, and no, at no time did the magic smoke get released. :wink:

Now the issue is that only the first 6 LEDs are illuminating and running a pattern, the rest of the strip remains dark. I’ve tried adjusting settings but I’m not exactly sure what I should be choosing.

Any ideas on what I need to do next?

pxl

Current settings

Its possible there’s a bad pixel on that strip. Like @jeff mentioned, sometimes pressing or wiggling can temporarily fix it. In general, avoid bending or crushing them, as the are somewhat fragile. We generally test everything before shipping, but if you purchased it on my store, shoot me an email wizard@electromage.com and I’ll get you a replacement and return label.

Your settings look OK, though I would recommend GRBW vs GRB-W. The minus mode won’t leverage the white element, and draws more power. Its there in case you want to use an RGBW strip as a plan RGB strip.

@wizard, did you get my email yesterday?

@mal1ce, yes, was getting your replacement shipped. You should see an email with tracking info. Please return the broken LEDs, there should be a return label in the package.

Sorry for the trouble!

@wizard, got it, thank you for the help.