Just did a new install at a friend’s house using 8- 150LED 5m strips.
Specs:
Light source: 5050 RGB LED
LED Qty: 30pcs per meter
The gray level: 256
Color: full color (24-bit )
Voltage: DC 5V
Power: 6W/M
Waterproof: Waterproof IP67
Dimension: 5000124mm
Package: 16.4ft/roll
Port scanning frequency reaches to 2KHz/s
Data transmitting speed is up to 800Kbps
I decided to use a ESP-WROOM-32 since I’ve read that it can handle up to 10- 5meter strips.
I’m using 2- 5v 10amp power supplies. One at each end. And I cut the 5 volt wire in the middle of the eight strings so each power supply is only powering about four strings.
The problem that I am having is while using the wled app, no matter what I set the current limit at in the settings or the brightness slider the best I can get is about 7 strings to work correctly. The last string or so always flickers, or the colors aren’t correct etc…
My initial thought is maybe the ESP32-WROOM-32 only outputs a 3.3v signal but when I Googled it I read that it does output a 5v signal… but now that I think about it I don’t think that would be the problem because depending on the brightness or current limit that I said it gets better or worse so maybe it’s not the signal…
It sounds to me like you need more power injection points - using 5V strips, 20m is a really long run to only power it once. Start your debugging by adding extra wires from either power supply to the center point (where you cut the 5V wire) and make sure the grounds from the 2 power supplies are tied together, then report back with your findings!
Also, I’m pretty certain the data out from the WROOM will be 3.3V, but that is likely not the problem you’re encountering. Not yet at least
(Edit to Add: The discord bot says 600 ws2812b will use an average of 10A, so your supplies are likely undersized for full-brightness. Keep this in mind as you move forward)
+1 for bigger supply and more injection points.
One sure way to tell is set the whole setup to full white and max bright (or as close as you can).
If you measure your voltage at the injection points and then the furthest point from that injection, you’ll get an idea of your drops.
What is the maximum distance between the ESP32 and the first pixel?
What is the maximum distance between any other pixel and it’s “neighbour”? (think about how you tie the various strings together).
Those distances will determine what type of level shifter(s) you need.
ESPs do not put out 5v signals. That is why.