SK6812 LEDs Not Working with WLED on ESP8266 - Newbie

Issues
1

I recently bought these two items:

  1. ESP8266 Controller
  2. 5m SK6812 RGBW LED strip

I managed to access WLED successfully, but the LEDs are not lighting up. Initially, only 3-4 LEDs turned on, but then they stopped working completely.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

  • Powered the LEDs via a USB port, connecting V+ and V-.
  • Set WLED to only 30 LEDs to test, but nothing worked.
  • My wiring setup is as follows:
    • White wire = GND
    • Green wire = Data (GPIO 2)
    • Red wire = V+ (5V)
    • USB connection: USB red = V+, USB black = V-

I’m attaching a screenshot of my WLED configuration screen.

Screenshot_3
Screenshot_3603×861 24.8 KB

Does anyone know what the problem could be? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

2

5m Stripe and power supply from USB cable…
Good joke! :rofl:
20 mA x 4 (RGBW) x 5 x LED p. Meter - thats some Ampere :sunglasses:
And some Ampere needs fat wires und power on both sides from stripe - plus an buffer electrolytic capacitor on both sides from stripe 1000 or 2200µF 6,3 or 10V low ESR type.
Also i miss a levelshifter between ESP and Data Input from stripe.
Ok, it sounds drastic, for first tests a 5V PSU from 1-3 A is enough, if you test only with 10% brightness, effects like knightrider, scanner etc.
But for stable operating you will need a fat PSU, fat wires and levelshifter.
12 or 24V stripes are not so sensitive, cause currents be smaler. :wink:

1 Like
3

Your power requirements are likely to be ~ 1+A (worst case) with 30 LEDs.

That may cause you some grief but should be reasonable for testing (might depend on your USB power source).
Try knocking the LED count down to just 10 LEDs (in the hardware setup) and see if it makes any difference.
If you can get some control, think about upgrading to a more realistic 5V supply (3A-5A at least)

Another possibility is you may have a fried LED or 2 on the start of your strip.

2 Likes
4

Make sure you are connected to gpio 2 on the Esp8266. Gpio 2 is not d2 on the Esp. It is d4

1 Like
5

He shows a GLEDOPTO controller in the OP.
It’s labelled GPIO2 on the outside of the case at the connecting terminal.

2 Likes
6

I bought a 5-volt adapter and made a video about it. Here it is:

Guys, I’m going crazy here! I mean, to set up a 65-inch TV with IP65 LED strips (60 LEDs/m), what exactly should I use to make everything work?

Do you know what it is?

7

what means d2 or d4?

8

When you have a bare board (not in a case) they’re often Labelled “D2”, "D3,“D4” instead of GPIO numbers.

Stick with GPIO numbers

1 Like
9

If pressing on an LED gives you light, you very likely have 1-3 bad LEDs at the start of your strip.

Either return it, or cut off the 1st 5 and solder the wires onto the new connection spot.

10

Thank you so much for your response! I’ve ordered two more ESP32 boards with WLED. However, I’ve noticed there are some issues with Hyperion because my ultimate goal is to connect it to my TV to create an Ambilight effect using a Firestick. But I’m not sure if services like Netflix and others with DRM will work or not. Could you tell me if that’s true? In that case, I’m not sure how to proceed. Do you have any advice?

11

Haha, yes, I already said I’m a noob! I’m just taking my first steps into this amazing world. To be honest, it’s quite complex. I watch some videos on YouTube and it all seems so easy, but so far, I’ve already spent over €100, and I’m still far from my goal of creating an Ambilight setup for my living room TV with Hyperion connected to my OpenMediaVault NAS. Hopefully, I’ll manage to make it work!