Have a run of 12v LED’s running off a dig-quad controller. Lights along lover level of house work great, but the upper level doesn’t work. They light up to white, but do not change with the others. I have checked # of LED’s in the settings to be sure that is set correctly, but am lost on what to do next. Any help would be appreciated.
What is the actual length distance of the data line servicing the upper level?
If you’re using a 2nd port on the dig-quad, then measure from there.
If you’re using the end of the lower level string to connect to the upper, then measure from that point.
As long as you have a levelshifter for the data line ( the dig-quad outputs should have that and/or the output of the lower level string is already at 5V data level) then you may need to use a long data line solution, see the KB: Long data lines
One way to test is to temporarily connect the upper level directly to the dig-quad with a short data cable (< 30cm). If that solves your issue, look at implementing a TxRx pair as documented above. It’s not a difficult solution and it works very well.
Did you check your ‘segments’ (not LED Preferences) in the main WLED GUI to make sure they have the correct # of LEDs?
Thanks! Can I put the TxRx directly at the end of the lower level even though they are 12v?
I think the best solution is to add a small 12V->5V buck converter to provide 5V for the TxRx pair.
It only needs to be able to supply 0.5A (or less) so it’s not a big load.
You can place it at the end of the lower level and use a light 4 wire cable (I like 22/4 alarm wire) to carry both 5V power and differential A+/B- data to the upper level.
There are some differential boards out there that advertise high voltage (up to 24V) ability, but most of them are junk as far as power converting ability. I’ve had at least half a dozen of them die in real life, you’re better off with a basic board and to supply your own clean 5V power.