Odd Colors Showing Up Where They Are Not Supposed To

[jja0607]

I have some effects on my MegaTree using colors white, red and green.  For some reason, the ends of the white pixels are showing up yellow on one end and blue on the other.  This is happening for a few different effects. For example spiral and bars.  

Any ideas on why the ends of the white display are showing up blue and yellow?

[rayster]

Check your voltage at both ends. When they are under powered they do different things. You may need to add power to the output end to give it more power and a better ground.

[k6ccc]

That sure sounds like a voltage issue.  Are these 5V or 12V pixels, how long are the strings (number of pixels), and are you reducing the intensity or using them at 100%.

[rayster]

Also how far away from the controller are they? The longer the run from Controller to first pixel makes a big difference.

[jja0607]

That sure sounds like a voltage issue.  Are these 5V or 12V pixels, how long are the strings (number of pixels), and are you reducing the intensity or using them at 100%.

I am using 12v pixels.

I will be surprised if this is a power issue.  Each "string" is 130 pixels (65 pixels per string, using 2 strings per port).  Everything is running at 30%.

The star is doing it too.  it is a 90 pixel 3 ring star from Boscoyo, the star is running off of one port on the controller.  The star is on the longest lead wire, it is close to 11 feet long.

[jja0607]

Also how far away from the controller are they? The longer the run from Controller to first pixel makes a big difference.

controller and power supply box is at the base of the tree.  Longest pigtail from the controller to pixel 1 is maybe 3 feet at the very most.

[k6ccc]

I will be surprised if this is a power issue.  Each "string" is 130 pixels (65 pixels per string, using 2 strings per port).  Everything is running at 30%.

130 12V pixels at 30% likely is not going to be a problem, but don't guarantee that.  Turn on all the pixels to white and measure the voltage at the controller and the far end of the string.  You might be surprised.

My pixel tree is 100 5V pixels per string running at 30% and really do need to add power injection.  Granted, 5V pixels are more of an issue than 12V pixels.  I can also tell you that the wire size between pixels is TINY!  They were sold as 18AWG and the insulation is that big, but the actual wire size is around 26 AWG.  Blew my mind when I cut one to replace a dead pixel.  Looks like the Chinese were trying to scrimp on wire...

[jja0607]

I will be surprised if this is a power issue.  Each "string" is 130 pixels (65 pixels per string, using 2 strings per port).  Everything is running at 30%.

...Turn on all the pixels to white and measure the voltage at the controller and the far end of the string.  You might be surprised.

I will give it a test and see what volts I am getting at the other end of the string.  How much volt drop is acceptable to these lights?  

[k6ccc]

How much volt drop is acceptable to these lights?  

Likely depends on the pixels.  Most of mine are 5V so less experience with 12V pixels, but One of my strips was down around 10V if I recall and was looking pink at the far end.

[MasterTJ]

I will be surprised if this is a power issue.  Each "string" is 130 pixels (65 pixels per string, using 2 strings per port).  Everything is running at 30%.

130 12V pixels at 30% likely is not going to be a problem, but don't guarantee that.  Turn on all the pixels to white and measure the voltage at the controller and the far end of the string.  You might be surprised.

My pixel tree is 100 5V pixels per string running at 30% and really do need to add power injection.  Granted, 5V pixels are more of an issue than 12V pixels.  I can also tell you that the wire size between pixels is TINY!  They were sold as 18AWG and the insulation is that big, but the actual wire size is around 26 AWG.  Blew my mind when I cut one to replace a dead pixel.  Looks like the Chinese were trying to scrimp on wire...

No shocker here.  I have tried some amazon brand, RGB MAN and now Gilbert Engineering.  I think 26AWG is just the new standard.  It does seem like trying to push a golfball through a garden hose though doesn't it?  using 18AWG peripheral wiring just to have it bottlenecked at the sting?  oh well.  I am injecting every 150ish at 40% on 12v and so far no issues.

This does lead me to another question I have had a while though.  I read it somewhere but I was wondering if anyone else has heard it...you can say you are running 200 12v pixels off of 1 port and are using the same PSU for the Power Injection...you can inject at pixel 200 and it have the same effectiveness as Injecting at 100 and again at 200? 

[jnealand]

I have two 24 strand (6 ports with 4 strands of 60 each) mega trees, 3 mega spinners @ 240 each, multiple ports with 4 x 60 node mini trees all with no power injection.  All 12v.  Also 8 ports with 200 pixels each (16 trees x 100 per).

[k6ccc]

his does lead me to another question I have had a while though.  I read it somewhere but I was wondering if anyone else has heard it...you can say you are running 200 12v pixels off of 1 port and are using the same PSU for the Power Injection...you can inject at pixel 200 and it have the same effectiveness as Injecting at 100 and again at 200? 

Especially if you are using the same power supply, there is no end to the different ways you can inject power.  There are lots of opinions on what is the "best" way to do it along with things to do or to avoid.  I have injected at the end, and near the end.  Remember, the DC will travel either direction in the string, so take a look at how far away any given pixel is from any injection point.  Obviously if you cut the string power, it forces the power to come from one direction or the other.  In my case I have always had the same power supply feeding both power feed points of the string, and have never cut the power along the string somewhere.  One down side to that is if you overload one fuse (a failure, a short, or just too much load), you are pretty much guaranteed to blow any other fuses on that string.

[k6ccc]

I have tried some amazon brand, RGB MAN and now Gilbert Engineering.  I think 26AWG is just the new standard.  It does seem like trying to push a golfball through a garden hose though doesn't it?

Too bad to see it going that way.  Makes for a greater need for power injection, I guess...

[MasterTJ]

I have two 24 strand (6 ports with 4 strands of 60 each) mega trees, 3 mega spinners @ 240 each, multiple ports with 4 x 60 node mini trees all with no power injection.  All 12v.  Also 8 ports with 200 pixels each (16 trees x 100 per).

Bold Sir, very bold haha.  You don't really risk much except for seeing visually that you need to power inject I guess.  I think latency and brightness are the only reliant factors.  

I have tried some amazon brand, RGB MAN and now Gilbert Engineering.  I think 26AWG is just the new standard.  It does seem like trying to push a golfball through a garden hose though doesn't it?

Too bad to see it going that way.  Makes for a greater need for power injection, I guess...

Haha, well that's the approach I took...overkill for sure.  402 on port 1 and 450 on port 2, 3 MW 350 w 29 a...1 for the first 100 on each and a power supply for each string.  Last year I was trying to spread it out so thin that I ended up with so many leads and home made distros that I accidentally plugged one in with a 2 pin in reverse polarity...fried every IC in my Singing Tree...lol, it stood unlit for the season once I realized what I did...kept blowing the fuse in my ESPixelStick and my distro box and I kept replacing it...until I realized what happened. 

2 things I learned...

1.) No more cheap amazon pigtails
2.) look at your connection indicators (arrows)...similar to the old woodworking saying...look twice, plug once.  haha.  

[jja0607]

Back to the topic at hand.  I played around with my color order for my controller.  This had an effect on the colors at the end of my white lines, they were not just yellow and blue.  They changed to green and red or purple and blue and other combinations depending on the RGB color order.  So then I started thinking, maybe it has something to do with the channel numbers.  Below is my controller set up as well as a pic of the white lines...

Each strand on the tree is 65 pixels.  I have 2 strands per string connecting at the top of the tree.  The string starts at the bottom, goes up and then back down. 

Any other ideas on why I might be seeing colors at the end of white lines?