Wiring Help - Flickering LED Pixels

Hardware
1

I’ve read several posts, seen every diagram, I still have flickering pixels.
Here is my exact wiring diagram and hardware:

wiring-diagram
wiring-diagram1702×1585 277 KB

I am using the following hardware:

  • LE D Pixels - WS2811 (12v) - 50 Nodes
  • Meanwell 12v PSU
  • WT32-ETH01 running WLED v0.14.1
  • Arduino Logic Level Converter (converting 3.3v output of the WT32-ETH01 to 5v expected at the LEDs)
  • Chuangruifa DC to DC 12w Step-down converter from 12v to 5v
  • 2x 3 Pin Wago Clips

I have tested my solders, they are good.

My preferences in WLED are:

  • Enable automati brightness limiter - Off (I have tried on at 500 and 5000, they dont make a difference)
  • Hardware setup is WS281x with color order RGB, start 0, Length 50, GPIO 4, Skip First LED off (I have tried on with 1, didn’t work). Off Refresh is off.

Everything else is off, or default with the exception of:

  • Use Gamma correction for color is on
  • White Balance correction is on

When the WT32-ETH01 is on connected to the LEDs, they do 1 of the following, seems to rotate, or be inconsistant, in the order of what happens most frequently:

  • Flicking (flashing, alternating colors)
  • Colour selected is not the color I chose, despite knowing my LEDs are RGB order.
  • 1 Pixel is randomly a different color
  • Multiple pixels are not the same color

I will note though, if I set a colour in WLED web interface, whilst it will flash and what not, if I unplug my WLED, the LEDs will stay that color solid, no issue whatsoever, no flicker, no random color, nothing. It ONLY does it, if I have my WLED connected, I thought possibly that means data? Which is why I got the Logic level converter, but that didn’t do anything.

We are talking like 10 cm from all my cabling to LEDs, its not a long distance, and I’m using 18 gauge wiring throughout.

I can only assume I made a mistake with my wiring somewhere, somehow, despite looking at endless diagrams online.

Please, I’ve spent 3 full days of at least 12 hours each day trying to work this out. I’m a horrid solderer, so 80% of this was attempting to get the thing to stay, but I know for sure, it’s all there now.

The ONLY thing I haven’t done is power injection, it’s 50 pixels, I can’t imagine thats the issue.

PS: I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this or not, Mods can remove this note if I’m not. I will happily pay someone to work with me here to fix this. My time is far to valuable to be spending 3 days on this, I’ll just pay someone to solve it so I don’t have issues.

2

Veeeerrrrry probably the wrong levelshifter here.

Looks like I2C type, too slow to work reliably with addressable LEDS.
See the warning in the KB: Levelshifters and use something appropriate (74AHCTxxx type are simple, only 5V needed).

That’s the 1st issue to fix.
What part of the world are you in?

3

I can safely say I had not yet come across the Levelshifters page you referenced, and… of course, I’m using an I2C one.

Because I’ll have to order this online, it’ll take a couple of days, I don’t want to just find out that I’m still in the same hole as I am now once it arrives because it is in fact my wiring. Can you please confirm my wiring isn’t the issue?

And if you have any other possible suggestions that I could try before placing an order for something to wait several more days for, only for me to then require something more that I then need to order.

I’d rather be told everything I need and exact part numbers and I’ll order it all lol.

4

In general, the wiring looks correct.
You don’t have a picture of the actual wires used so it’s hard to comment there, but if you’re only running 50 LEDs total, that’s not a huge load so power wirie size is not as critical as some setups.
For data wire, try and keep it reasonable 24AWG or 22AWG and it’s a good idea to run both a data line and companion ground wire together.

You don’t give any distances in your diagram, how long is the data run from the levleshifter to the pixels?

As far as parts, I’d go for a 74AHCT125, and get a 100nF ceramic bypass capacitor. If you don’t have any perfboard, you’ll want a piece so you have something to solder the chip onto. Wire it up as per the diagram in the KB. You can ignore the data line resistor, but make sure you connect all the unused inputs. Also make sure to put the bypass capacitor close to pin 14 of the chip and then to ground.

5

Hey, I’m using 18AWG, the max amount of pixels I intend on running is 250 with injection though, I can upgrade to 22-24 once I get this working.

The distance is a whopping 10cm. Something I ruled out as an issue, in fact, all research indicates for that distance I don’t need a Logic Level Shifter, but, I had a flicker without it, so I thought I may as well add one. No harm.

I can order myself some 74AHCT125, that’s not an issue. When you go into capacitors though, you lost me. I am completely new to all this, hobbiest at best. I can order them, not sure what they do, dispite researching a little. When it comes to capacitors, it kind of takes away all my fun from learning and now I’m bored, so I try and stay away from them as it is a little more advanced then I wanted to go on this project.

Such as, keep the bypass capacitor close to pin 14, I have no idea what that means, unless it’s drawn like I have above, trying to visualise what you said is impossible I’m sorry.

I forgot to answer a question in your initial reply, I’m from Queensland, Australia (240v)

Also, I took a picture of my mess:

20240126_160628
20240126_1606281920×1233 219 KB

The random wire coming off to the right, that is a ground going to nothing, i soldered by mistake. I also have a second data pin going to my logic level shifter for a second string, and the other end of that is the black stray wire in the middle obviously not going anywhere.

The far left is my plug to my PSU, honestly, its a 6pin plug I had laying around which is compatible with my PSU board. The bottom is a 3 core RayWu connector that goes to the lights.

I assume the suggested 74AHCT125 doesnt have pretty letters on it making it easy like the one I have does, I will have to find how to use that.

I dunno, I don’t want to give up like I have so many things in the past, but literally bashing my head at this point, buying this, buying that, everything takes a week to come in my country, so to find out i need yet another thing is >.< I started ordering stuff back in October lol.

6

I would connect a ground from your output side of the buck converter to the input side ground to be sure it for some reason is not blocking a common ground loop. You can either do this while you wait for the shifter, or just wait for the shifter and see if it fixes the problem first.

7

sooooooooo, I went and bought a multimeter. (I think you know where this is going).

I use a 6 pin breakout board that attaches to my PSU (The type you would use for computer peripherals), which are typically 2 positive and 2 negative wires. I was using 1 negative and 1 positive, thinking that was 12v because the output is 12 volts. Turns out, you need both positives and negatives in order to make 12v.

Once I had 12 volts, it worked flawlessly.

8

Never hurts to have the right tools for the job.

Glad you’re up and running, welcome to WLED!