First off. im happy to meet you all. doing addressable LED lights for holidays has been a dream of mine for around 6 or 7 years. However previously I was horrible with computers(like helpdesk nightmare). The last two years that has changed dramatically!
I discovered the fun and joy of micro controllers last weekend! been messing with micropython and have some servos and other things already coming in the mail. I also have two setups running WLED. The first one is an indoor set running ws2811 at 5v. It worked perfectly. Then i decided to Throw together a quick ws2811 set on 12v last night for outdoors. However this morning i noticed an issue that didnt show itself when i set it up only by chance. If ESP2866 loses power briefly while the 12v ws2811 strand is plugged in. It wont reconnect to wifi. but as soon as i unplug the light strand it has no problem connecting and will stay connected when the lights are plugged back in. Hopfully this is a simple solution that im just overlooking, but a point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!
Note: please dont criticize the usage of wrong symbols on the diagram. its just for a visual reference of the wiring.
Looks like your power supply is not powerful enough to drive your setup.
Could you explain? I may have forgot an important detail. They are string lights, and from my research i found that the 12v ws2811 string lights consume 2.77 amps per 50ish lights(RGB). in the config section of WLED i have this estimate " (Current estimated usage: 434mA)". also my 5v setup works perfectly fine with everything powered on a 5v supply. so im not seeing where the extra draw could come from
I’m guessing the issue may be the 12V → 5V converter not having enough “oomph” to drive the ESP/Wifi.
Try a separate dedicated 5V-2A (or better) supply for the ESP alone. Just make sure ground is common between all the supplies.
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ok ill do that.