On the controller I have WLED version 0.15.1.beta2.
Initially, I had only one strip connected and that worked great
But then I had the idea to mirror the same strip. I had the initial one on top of a bathroom mirror, them o thought I would install another one below, where the lights are synchronized.
I connected both Strips to the controller pin-to-pin. So, both +5V pins to the + terminal of the controller, both data pins to the data terminal and both GND to minus.
So I have the strips in parallel, or T configuration. My limited electronics knowledge tells me this should work. And I even found a thread on the forum where someone was successful with the same setup.
However, for me the results are not as expected. The leds turn on, but they flicker like crazy and the colors are nowhere near what I set in WLED.
I have 55 leds in one strip, and I had to make the other one shorter to fit, at 52. Consumption wise, it’s not that much. I have a 3A power supply. I’ve disabled the current limiting settings in WLED. But I don’t think it’s the power. The behavior is the same even when I set the length to only 10 in Wled. Which also tells me that the difference in length of the strips is not the cause.
I’ve double checked polarities and they are OK. The data pin so connects to the IN direction of both strips.
Any ideas? Am I missing anything?
Later edit: I’ve added pictures of my connections, for more clarity.
first, those clamp connectors are unrealiable.
second: splitting high speed data lines can work but it also can’t, especially if the lines are longer than 20-30cm. you can try adding series resistors.
The connectors are not it in this case. I get the same problem if I disconnect one of the strips and just leave its wire connected to the controller.
Is there any possibility to decrease the frequency in WLED? I searched in settings but couldn’t find it. I might be able to live with a lower frequency, as I don’t have any resistors at hand.
I would think that you should be able to do a single split without issue, provided the data line is level shifted to 5v. Not sure if that controller you have there has a decent level shifter on it or not. If it does it should work.
The other possibility as dedehai said would be a bad connection.
You could try adding a resistor between the data out of the controller and the led strips data in and see if anything changes. I would try something like 33Ω or 249Ω or really anything you happen to have available under like 300Ω
I was hoping the same, especially after having read about similar success stories in the forums. Plus, the controller is dedicated, so I was expecting more from its level shifters. I’m a bit disappointed, but it is what it is.
I managed to get my hands on some 330 ohm resistors and now I need to find the time to solder them. I’ll post back if that solved it.
