Failing Pixels

[Jack S]

This is my 2nd year at putting out an animated display. The first year no problems. This year after a lot of rain I'm getting several strings of Pixel lights that either stop working or only partially work and any strings that they feed don't work at all. All these lights have Ray Wu connectors and I thought should be water proof. One 4 ft coro tree stopped working all together and when I brought it inside and let it dry out for a week started working again.  Yes I purchased most of these through Amazon, but appears they now have very limited availability that way. Do I just have a batch of poor quality lights or is something else going on?

[JonD]

I have had a LOT of issues with lights from Amazon.  When COVID hit, they were the only option, so I bought what I could, but I have replaced most of them only two years later.  I have always used Ray Wu connectors and have never had any issues with the connectors themselves.  (I buy most of my lights from Ray Wu).  Some lights come without the rubber o-ring, so make sure each light has one before you screw them together.

[k6ccc]

Unfortunately a few years ago, it would appear that the quality of almost all pixels from all sources (remember that they all come from China) went way down.  This has been reported on every lighting forum that I watch.  I also have had a fairly high failure rate on 3,000 pixels I bought from Ray Wu in 2020.  I am planning on a rebuild of that pixel tree in 2024 and expect to buy new pixels for it.  Hopefully the new ones will be better.

[LedMutt]

Second that, just bought some pixel from Ray Wu a few months ago and had to replace two strings already, test all pixels as soon as I get them, all seem ok, but about a week into the light show had to replace one then another...

[jnealand]

Always buy at least one more string than you need.  Eventually eveything will start to fail.  Although I do have pixels still in my show that were purchased in 2012 from Ray Wu.  Along with many more Ray Wu pixels over the years.  I also have pixels from many other vendors including Amazon.

[k6ccc]

Same here.  Buy the extra pixels and mark the packaging so you KNOW what prop those pixels are spares for.  Even if you but the same pixels a year or two later, they will likely look at least slight different between batches.
Same goes for P5 / P10 matrix panels.

[Jack S]

But it gets super frustrating when you have a prop with several hundred pixels and one fails in the middle then nothing after that works. Or that prop is feeding another prop or two then that whole portion of your display is out of order. I have to take down the prop and bring it inside to figure out which string failed and replace it. A big pain. This year I've had at least 4 string failures. All these pixels worked fine last year. So much for being waterproof!

[JonD]

The general rule is cut out two pixels.  The first one that does not work, and the one in front of it, and replace.  Click-its and Click-it2 work okay in most cases.  I will replace them in the summer, but have no issues using them to resolve a light issue when it is cold out.

[k6ccc]

For locations where I can reach it from the ground, I will cut out a couple pixels and re-solder and insulate with heat shrink tubing.  However, that is more than I want to deal with 10 feet up a ladder.  For that, I will use crimp connectors.  Usually I will redo those with soldered connections after the season.  No need to pull the prop down for the repair.  Here's an example of the type crimp connectors I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Industries-86-955-Jellybean-Connectors-Single-Conductor/dp/B00PX1ESI6/ref=sr_1_10?crid=XEAERUIJO9FO&keywords=jellybean%2Bcrimp%2Bconnectors&qid=1703264695&sprefix=jellybean%2Bcrimp%2Bconnectors%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-10&th=1

[Jack S]

I didn't realize there were water proof crimp connectors like click-its. Are those ok to use permanently?  I have tremors so soldering has become difficult for me.  

[Jack S]

Are the V2 Click-its more water resistant than the V!. Do you guys have a preference?

[JonD]

My preference is to use the heat shrink solder tubes, and wrap with black electrical tape. https://www.amazon.com/Kuject-Connectors-Terminals-Waterproof-Automotive/dp/B0B6BQJJDS/ref=sr_1_11?crid=10HVLEB3HKZ7C&keywords=heat+solder+connectors&qid=1703282472&sprefix=heat+solder%2Caps%2C294&sr=8-11

The V2s are a little longer, but I typically prefer the v2s over the v1, as you do not need to separate the wire strands.  That feature is handy doing an emergency repair with a flashlight.  Do I think they are as good as soldering... no, but they are VERY handy to have on hand at 7:00pm on a cold and dark Saturday, when one of your props is not working.  I typically keep my props under 170 pixels, so data strength and power are not common issues I run into.  I ended up running out of time this season, and had my son trim some extra pixels off a bunch of props this year.  I did not want him to hate me, so just had him use the click-its.   I assumed I would clean them up later at some point, but I probably have at least 30 of them outside, and have not had a single issue.  I did have him wrap them with electrical tape, and it has been a pretty dry season so far.

Mattos Designs has a similar offering, but I have not tried any of those yet.
https://mattosdesigns.com/collections/tools-accessories/products/iii-lok-gel-lok-connectors-20pak

[k6ccc]

I do not like the heat shrink solder tubes you linked as there no mechanical connection.  The only thing holding it together is a solder connection that may well be crappy due to not enough heat.  MAYBE for an emergency repair, but certainly not anything permanent.

I had never seen the Clickits.  From a mechanical and electrical standpoint, they are very similar to the jellybeans that I use - except all three wires are dealt with in one connector.  That looks really nice for a field repair in the middle of the season while standing on a ladder.  Might have to get some of those.

I would still plan on replacing those with a properly soldered and heat shrink connection after the season.

[LedMutt]

The funny thing is its never the one at ground level...

[JonD]

do not like the heat shrink solder tubes you linked as there no mechanical connection.  The only thing holding it together is a solder connection that may well be crappy due to not enough heat.  MAYBE for an emergency repair, but certainly not anything permanent.

Sure, if you don't get enough heat on them they could have issues.  The trick is to make sure you put enough heat on them.    Obviously you could have issues with any type of a connection not installed properly.  Have you actually used heat shrink solder tubes and had bad luck with them? 

As a general rule, data does not like to be kinked or bent sharply.  The wires should be reconnected parallel to each other.  I have used UR2s for analog POTS phone lines in the past, but haven't used them for years.  Typically UR style connectors A.K.A. beans, jellybeans, fish-eyes, scotchlocks, are a no no for data lines.