So, this is my first time trying to do anything with WLED, and my first time really diving in to anything with LED strips, so I’m not sure what I did wrong, or whether I can recover from it.
I flashed WLED on an ESP32-DevkitC, and attempted to get it working.
Initially, no matter what setting I used in WLED, the string would only do multi-color
Also, the first 10-15 LEDs we intermittent at wanting to light up.
After doing some troubleshooting and trying different things, I decided to try connecting my grounds together since the ESP was being powered through my PC USB, and the strip was powered 12V through a bench power supply.
When I did this, the strip went dark.
Now, with or without WLED connected, applying 12V to the strip results in no lights turned on, but the strip is still pulling ~600mA of current.
I’m really not sure of the next steps. Any ideas what to try next? Does it sound like my strip is ruined?
LED resource:…WS2815 led(5050 SMD RGB LED with built-in improved version of ws2811 ic)
LED: …Each LED is separately controlled
IC Type: …Improved Version WS2815 IC(built inside the 5050 smd rgb led)
of IC: …(1 IC drives 1 led chip);
Pixels: …30/60/144/meter;
Pitch: …16.6mm(1000/64);
Grey scale: …256;
Bits/color: …8-bits/color;
FPC Width: …60leds/m----10mm
FPC color: …White/Black PCB
Protection rate …IP67
Colors: …Full color RGB, dream color changing;
Cuttable:…every LED is cuttable;
Working temperature…-40 ~ 70 °C
Storage temperature…-50 ~ 80 °C
Source life …50,000 hours
What’s your total LED count, I’m guessing at least 300 (5m) or perhaps 600?
That’s about bang on for the standby supply current of ~1mA/LED (when fully dark).
Do you have a levelshifter on your data line?
12V LEDs are commonly finicky about the minimum level of their data supply.
The ESP32 only puts out 3.3V at best, while all addressable LEDs need a 5V data line (regardless of their supply voltage 5V, 12V, 24V).
The data line for addressable LEDs is a 0-5V stream of pulses with a very particular timing. It must match the manufacturer’s specs for your type of LEDs (WS281x) in this case. WLED handles the timings in software, and outputs the data on the GPIO you choose (16 currently).
The pulses are much too fast for a typical multimeter to read as a voltage. I have a been able to read something on the GPIO output with a frequency setting on a few meters. You can at least see the frequency change when you turn a solid colour display on and off in WLED. As mentioned, scope is the real way to see the output.
You could try a different GPIO, but the more likely (and basic) issue is that the ESP32 can only output a signal up to it’s internal supply voltage of 3.3V. The LEDs need at least 3.5V to reliably recognize a Hi level on their input. The level shifter is a small IC you put in series with the data line to raise the GPIO output up to the 5V range you need.
There’s a number of examples with wiring diagrams in the KB: Other hardware and levelshifters. Don’t worry about the output resistor in those diagrams, it’s not an issue for very short data runs and you’ll get good results without one.
The reason you were getting “something” originally, was that the ESP supply ground was not connected to the LED’s supply ground. That means the data input to the LED’s was floating at some level above LED ground. From the LED’s POV that signal was “noise”, enough to trigger some kind of display but not reliable for actual control.
The scope will at least prove the ESP32 is actually outputting data, but you’re going to need a levelshifter for proper operation in the end. This is a very common issue with addressable LEDs and ESP type MCU’s.
It my level shifters in and was able to verify that 5V was being sent. Hooked it up to a scope and verified the signal looked correct as well
no lights.
I can only guess that somehow my string of lights got messed up, but I never got around to ordering a new one.
I was able to get other WS2812B strings working using all the same level shifters and test equipment, but that 2815 string still sits in the same state.
Damm Question First you did Bridge the GROUND from 12V Source LED toLED stripe and to the ESP
Main Ground there are 2 Individuall GND on the Chip DATA port Related
What levelshifter do you use some are way to slow for the transmission to the Strip Ws2815
the WS2812 and 11 arem ore Timetolerandt as the WS2815 is Failsafe and do other timings
REDUCE the WLED LED Count to 50 or so and see if there are lightning
IMPORTENT the WS2815 are RGB nit GRB so change this
