LED Control Issue

post 11 questions? or a proper schematic?

There is something not right with your explanation. Start small using example code and build from there, that is how we all do it. You appear to be missing some basic concepts, google ws2812, pick a sample or two to try then understand what is happening. Now try your setup again and hopefully with a little knowledge you will spot your own error.

Something went wrong attaching your image. It doesn't show.

We still have no clear idea of what happens with the data signal from the Arduino at that midpoint on each U, and until you tell us, this thread is pointless.

Hi, @electro_jay

Lets get back to basics.

  1. Connect ONE strip, that is ONE strip only.
  2. Write some code to control that strip.

Then get back to us.

This will help to prove your hardware and basic code.

Tom... :smiley: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

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Hi Guys, thank you all for your contributions, I truly appreciate it.

Before I started this project, I connected one strip which worked fine.

Today, I connected two strips in parallel using the same wire used in the wheel.

All strips lit up. Here is a video of it.

My next step that I'm thinking is to find some code that can make all the LED's a single colour because that's what I'm going for? Does anyone know where that is?

At least I know now that I don't think the wire was an issue.

Pick any WS2812 example code and modify it to taste. Start by going through what the example program does and what each line of code means, then adapt it to suit your purpose.

Pay attention to this: the strip has 720 LEDs per meter in groups of 36. That's 20 addressable groups per meter. You can reduce the number of LEDs in your sketch a lot.

@oqibidipo Yes! Datasheet:

Schematic, page 5 of that doc.
So. How many groups in each of the 10 strings, @electro_jay?

Because if you've truly wired them all in parallel(as you've not yet answered), you may be down to that number of LEDs.

Thx a lot of the advice guys, I'm taking it onboard.

I believe I have wired each section in parallel and each section is connected together in series.

Then that is not reflected in your original schematic, and has caused significant confusion; if they were in series, there would be connections to both ends of each strand. Your repeated ignoring of requests for further information, or a schematic, in this thread has earned you an 'ignore'. I'm sure you won't care, and I'm good with that too. Salut!

I'm sorry but I didn't mean to ignore or confuse anyone. I am an amateur at this, I hope you understand. I hoped sending videos would help.

No, the LED's are not connected at both ends.

I'm don't know the exact number of groups but it would be around 55

Here is the schematic with the arduino.

Where's the Arduino's power supply? Where's the shared GND connection between the Arduino and the LED strips?

Thank you for your response.

When I connected the GND of the LED strips to the Arduino GND and the power supply, nothing happened and the LED's never turned on. It's only when I only connected the signal pin only to the arduino, the LED's lit up. It's strange I know.

I am running the arduino of the USB-B connector to my PC usb port. Do you think I should plug in the circular jack as well?

When you mentioned clear photos of the steel connections, what do you mean exactly?

You need to connect the Arduino GND to the LED strip GND. The fact that it seems to 'work' otherwise is just because you're sending random noise to the LED strips, to which they respond by displaying a random pattern. However, you also risk damaging the strips or the Arduino by not connecting the GNDs between them, so don't do this again.

I mean clear photos of your actual wiring. You've showed some images of the entire device earlier, but the actual electrical connections between the parts were impossible to see well. Usually in cases where people cannot provide a clear and complete schematic (as is the case here), it helps to be able to see their wiring.

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Running the strip without the GND connection is incorrect use, you always MUST connect all GND's together.
I don't see a point even in discussing the "strange LED behaviour" without GND.

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