Searching for the 'best' outdoor LED strip/string. UPDATE: Got HD107

[x_marx]

So, I'm in search of an outdoor LED strip/string light which can be controlled with an Arduino or Pi. The use case is outdoor decorations (house and the fence) for Christmas and the feast of St. George (which is a huge festival in my part of the world).
I already have the SK9822 which I'm finding very easy to work with. But that's 5V. I'm guessing I need a minimum of 50 metres of the strip and thinking a 12V strip would be more manageable (less power injections).

I have identified strips based on the GS8208 as a potential option.

The GS8208 is a 3-channel constant current LED drive with
resumable data transfers and internal display patterns. There are
three open-drain constant current outputs, with a build-in PWM of
grayscale. The range of input power is from +9V to +15V, and
voltage-endurance of LED port is +12V. There is a built-in 12bits
GAMMA correction module. PWM maximum refresh frequency is
8kHz. The GS8208 use the e-RZ (extended return to zero code)
as the signal transmission mode, which can control the output
current channel by channel and cascade infinitely. GS8208
provides two-signal data input as redundant control, which
ensures the transmission of the signal if any single chip damages.
In the absence of signal input, GS8208 displays the built-in
display patterns that is suitable for those applications without a
controller. There is the built-in power-on and power-off protection
in the drive, which can enhance the service life of the chip. It also
has the automatic test function while power on, which is
convenient for the customer to test. The GS8208 provides SOP8
packaging, working environment is from -40 ° C to + 85 ° C.

http://www.normandled.com/upload/201805/GS8208%20LED%20Datasheet.pdf

Have anyone worked with this chip?
Or do you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

[liaifat85]

Here are some choices. You can take a look: https://www.flexfireleds.com/outdoor-led-strip-lights/

[x_marx]

Thanks for the link but they are a bit costly, don't you think?

My limited research suggests I should be going with led strips with the "GS8208" chip and they are fairly cheap at AliExpress.

[artag]

The downside of 12V strips is that the LEDs run at the usual current and the extra power is wasted in resistors or current-sources. So 30 led/m strip uses maximum 1.8A/m - 9W at 5V but 21W at 12V or 43 W at 24V. If you're running from mains power that may not matter, it's up to you, but you'll need big power supplies and thick wire.

A nicer way to do it is to supply 12 or 24V everywhere and use small DC-DC converters to change to 5V at the point of use. This only uses approximately the same power as the 5V leds, so at 24V you use about 1/4 of the 5V current. But it costs more to build.

[x_marx]

Well, I thought it was expensive and involved more effort on my part for like 6 days of use.

I guess, I need to explore this option more.

Edit:
I think redundant data lines would be nice as they could be really long (50M!).

[x_marx]

Well, I was doing a lot of 'research' and it seems like DMX protocol would be the best option for my application as I might try to get some lasers and disco lights and control it using just one system.

EDIT:

Have anyone worked with DMX led strips (there are lots of 24V led strips).
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001708445118.html

[themadhippy]

Have anyone worked with DMX led strips

yep,and they eat up the universes.A single rgb led is  a minimum of  3 channels  or a  maximum of 170 leds per universe.

[x_marx]

Have anyone worked with DMX led strips

yep,and they eat up the universes.A single rgb led is  a minimum of  3 channels  or a  maximum of 170 leds per universe.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. If I add the dedicated white led, there would be 4 channels and even less space for addressing them, right?

So, I have to wire them in parallel or more universes.
I plan to use a Raspberry Pi 4 or a cheap Intel NUC to control them. Gonna dig more.

BTW, please feel free to chime in with your experience and how did you control your rig.

[themadhippy]

how did you control your rig.

chamsys lighting desk for the control  and entec pixie drivers to convert the dmx into ws2812.The chamsys built in media server makes life very easy.

[x_marx]

Sorry to bring this thread back. But, I have been digging and it seems like long lines of LED strips are bad for data integrity.
I was looking at some of the projects (APA 102 and SK9822) and people have had trouble going past the 9-metre mark (even with power injection and data line smoothing with series resistors). Are there any workarounds for ones with VERY LONG strips (I'm talking 50 metres of LED strips here)?

I also looked at the DMX converters for LED strips (for those other than the 'native' DMX512 strips) but it seems like I need a lot of such things if I were to wire everything up (as there is a limit even if I parallel the connections to LED strips of 170 LED per strip).

Any cost-effective solutions?

[x_marx]

how did you control your rig.

chamsys lighting desk for the control  and entec pixie drivers to convert the dmx into ws2812.The chamsys built in media server makes life very easy.

Did you encounter any data corruption (flickering, wrong colour shown etc) due to wire length/transmission loss?

[themadhippy]

Did you encounter any data corruption (flickering, wrong colour shown etc) due to wire length/transmission loss?

None that i know of,but i was only there for the fit up and rip out.In the years of playing with dmx the only time ive had problems with data corruption its nearly  always been down to dodgy cabling not the control or fixtures .

[x_marx]

Finally, I got the HD107 strip and a bunch of 24v to 5v buck converters. Got some ESP32 too for use with WLED.

But, there is a problem.

I bought a 24V power supply from Amazon to test everything. While there is a power LED on the device illuminating when turning it on, after connecting the 24 to 5v buck converter, there is a strange buzzing sound. It's really loud! Also, the power LED blinks like I guess 50hz (the mains supply frequency).
Then I connected the LED strip to the power supply and there should be a test LED program which should run but while it runs (very slowly), the whole strip blinks at the  same 50hz ish frequency.

I'm guessing the power supply is faulty?
What do you guys think?

[x_marx]

Sorry to bump this topic.

I soldered everything when I was connecting the above setup to minimise any chance of a loose connection. But I tried connecting again without soldering everything and now it's fine! Weird!

But the WLED is not working. The HD107 self-test program runs but that's it. I guess there is something wrong with the data clock signal or both (I selected the APA102 protocol which should be compatible with the HD107).
I'll create an account at their forums and get their responses but if you guys have any idea, please let me know.

[x_marx]

I tried my Raspberry Pi 4 and had no luck (used apa102 python library).

I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong! I mean the APA102 and HD107S have very similar protocols and it should have worked!

https://www.ledlightinghut.com/files/HD107S.pdf
https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-files/2477/APA102C-iPixelLED.pdf

[tooki]

As a sanity test, do you have an Arduino (or anything compatible, like ESP32) that you can test with the FastLED library, with which people have reported success with the HD107? That should at least help you rule out hardware problems with the strip itself.

[x_marx]

I tried the ESP32 wroom D with Wled already without any luck. But one of the Wled people asked me to try level shifting to 5v. I can try to get an Arduino but it's gonna be 3.3V, right?

[Psi]

Avoid 5V addressable strip. It causes so many problems once you want to go more than 3 meters.

Get 24V addressable for long run outdoor stuff if at all possible, much better choice.

Watch Intermit.Tech videos on LED strips.


Just be aware of the zones per meter.
Normally with 5V strip you can address a single LED, not so with 12/24v strip.
Higher voltage gets worse with more 'pixilation'

[x_marx]

I have a bunch of 24V to 5V buck converters and 24V power supplies. So, I guess it is OK, right?

BTW, Arduino is 5V, right? But it's costly for its computing power (compared to ESP32).
@tooki
Which Arduino should I get? Arduino Uno R3? Do I have to get specific 'shields' or 'hats'?

Thx

Edit: I bought a bunch of 3.3V to 5V level shifters (74AHCT125) and will receive them shortly. Will make a circuit out of a prototype board and see if it would work.

[tooki]

I have a bunch of 24V to 5V buck converters and 24V power supplies. So, I guess it is OK, right?

BTW, Arduino is 5V, right? But it's costly for its computing power (compared to ESP32).
@tooki
Which Arduino should I get? Arduino Uno R3? Do I have to get specific 'shields' or 'hats'?

Thx

Edit: I bought a bunch of 3.3V to 5V level shifters (74AHCT125) and will receive them shortly. Will make a circuit out of a prototype board and see if it would work.

I think everyone should have an Arduino Uno or Mega around, since they’re so well supported. (Yeah, the computing power per $ is miserable in them, compared to newer stuff. But it’s good to have an extremely battle-tested, natively 5V board handy.)

Did you get your level shifter working?