I would like to control 4 strings of lights independently, ? ( ESP32 WLED )
Is it possible or will the 4 outputs only play the same data .
All 4 outputs are working the lights now but i can’t figure out how to make them independent.
You need to create segments and then select a segment and set it’s colors, uncheck it and check the next one and set it’s colors… and so on.
And for some reason , i can only use gpio 16 , all the other pinouts send the lights a flickering and random colors.
I am doing something wrong but don’t know what . I understood there were at least 4 pinouts usable .
If i put the lights in series they are contolled using the segments off the 1 pin .
Even if you use 4 pins you will still need to create segments. Segments is how WLED divides up the control of LEDs. If you use 4 pins, by default WLED will still have all of the LEDs on segment 0 unless you create segments and save them in a preset
If you are having flickering issues you likely need a level shifter.
Connected 4 ws2811 12v in series , created all segments and lighting works as it should.
What i am trying to do is save in wiring. 2 strips in the back and 2 in front , if i was able to use 2 pins it would save me from having a long continuous data wire .
As @Jinx mentioned, WLED doesn’t really care how you connect your various strips. Whether you use 1,2,3, or 4 GPIOs WLED will collect all the connected LEDs into one long logical strip consisting of all the LED sections you have defined.
The way you gain control of individual sections is by creating segments. A segment has a start and end address that refers to a subsection of the entire strip. You can activate or deactivate the segments as you wish so that colours and effects only apply to active segments. Additionally you can save the various setups in presets to quickly get back to what you need.
A long continuous data wire is not a disadvantage in of itself. The LED data stream is regenerated after every pixel, so there’s no inherent “pixel limit” based on the data wire. The distance issue comes about when you have a long “bare wire” from either the ESP board or the previous pixel to a pixel data input.
Depending on your layout, it may be easier to run a 2nd data wire rather than making sure the end of each strip is near the input of the next. That’s completely up to you.
Thanks, i understand what you are saying,