Hello,
I have purchased a 144 LEDs/meter neopixel strip and one by one, the LEDs appear to stop functioning. I am constantly having to shuffle dead pixels out of the middle of the strip to allow the data signal to pass through to the rest of the pixels. The page for these LEDs mentions nothing about heatsinking. Have you guys noticed the same behavior? Is it possible to have a replacement strip sent to me?
-Matt
Neopixels overheating and stop working.
Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
Let me say they worked great until these problems began happening.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
I do not experience this problem with the lesser dense neopixel strips.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
This is quite a time sensitive project, a response would be greatly appreciated.
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:22 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
Hi
I think I've had about all the problems you could imagine with these leds. Using 144led/m as well.
Could you please explain some more HOW the led dies and how you try to fix the problem?
I've had it once, because sometimes to try a few things i'd plug the data (from arduino) directly in between 2 pixels (right after a burnt one), you should never do this. That will either fry the next led, do nothing, or light the next led up. Kind of magic, but that's why you shouldn't do that.
There is (to me) nothing about overheating, however if you could explain how you use the leds (color, time being lit etc) that could be useful. Mine were on for 100 ms every 300ms, during 10 hours straight with a color varying from red to blue, and that on 2 days. There haven't been any problems. There was no cooling system, it was in a closed box with white plastic on top. Everything in the sun, when I opened it at the end of the second day it was probably about 40 to 50 °C in there.
You could try having them vented, but I don't think that would be useful.
I think I've had about all the problems you could imagine with these leds. Using 144led/m as well.
Could you please explain some more HOW the led dies and how you try to fix the problem?
I've had it once, because sometimes to try a few things i'd plug the data (from arduino) directly in between 2 pixels (right after a burnt one), you should never do this. That will either fry the next led, do nothing, or light the next led up. Kind of magic, but that's why you shouldn't do that.
There is (to me) nothing about overheating, however if you could explain how you use the leds (color, time being lit etc) that could be useful. Mine were on for 100 ms every 300ms, during 10 hours straight with a color varying from red to blue, and that on 2 days. There haven't been any problems. There was no cooling system, it was in a closed box with white plastic on top. Everything in the sun, when I opened it at the end of the second day it was probably about 40 to 50 °C in there.
You could try having them vented, but I don't think that would be useful.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
"Could you please explain some more HOW the led dies and how you try to fix the problem?"
(Using a Teensy)
The led will turn off and subsequent leds after that one will stay their last commanded color. I would fix the problem by cutting out the bad led, solder the strip back together at that point, and resume using the strip til it inevitably happened again.
This problem happened twice before I started investigating it. I would let the leds run with the basic Octows2811 library test and let the problem happen again with another led somewhere in the strip. It does not seem to keep happen to the same led in the sequence.
(Using a Teensy)
The led will turn off and subsequent leds after that one will stay their last commanded color. I would fix the problem by cutting out the bad led, solder the strip back together at that point, and resume using the strip til it inevitably happened again.
This problem happened twice before I started investigating it. I would let the leds run with the basic Octows2811 library test and let the problem happen again with another led somewhere in the strip. It does not seem to keep happen to the same led in the sequence.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
The entire strip would be too hot to touch even through the weather proof covering.
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:22 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
This may sound like "I want you to ruin everything and pay again", but I've spent over 700 $ to get a project to work.
If you can, can you run a test without the covering? If you happen to have enough leds (this only requires a few), that could already be a good start.
If they are in the covering, you will not be able to do anything about heatsinking, polymers don't let heat flow well enough.
What colors and color scheme do you use? (got no idea what the tests do, I've only hardly used the one of Adafruit once)
If you can, can you run a test without the covering? If you happen to have enough leds (this only requires a few), that could already be a good start.
If they are in the covering, you will not be able to do anything about heatsinking, polymers don't let heat flow well enough.
What colors and color scheme do you use? (got no idea what the tests do, I've only hardly used the one of Adafruit once)
- pburgess
- Posts: 4161
- Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:29 am
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
The "too hot to touch" concerns me. What are you using as a power supply?
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:22 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
You're being quite short on your answers... Not sounding very friendly, just saying.
As long as you have 5V output on load, i don't care about your power supply. The worst that could happen is that it wouldn't deliver enough amps.
As long as you have 5V output on load, i don't care about your power supply. The worst that could happen is that it wouldn't deliver enough amps.
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
Sorry about that, can we start over? (sounds like a date...) I seem to have missed one of your earlier posts about a test I should run.
Here is what the "plasmatest", part of the OctoWS2811 library should look like. This test is running a 2 meter, 30led/meter strip as well as a 60leds/meter strip. I did not have a suitable camera to capture the bright colors.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9CXa7 ... sp=sharing
Here might be a better video explaining the test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDtXGXOWQgc
The murata regulator is driven by a desktop power supply rated for 30 amps. The desktop power supply is simulating, as close as I could get, LiPo Batteries.
What would you like me test next?
Here is what the "plasmatest", part of the OctoWS2811 library should look like. This test is running a 2 meter, 30led/meter strip as well as a 60leds/meter strip. I did not have a suitable camera to capture the bright colors.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9CXa7 ... sp=sharing
Here might be a better video explaining the test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDtXGXOWQgc
The murata regulator is driven by a desktop power supply rated for 30 amps. The desktop power supply is simulating, as close as I could get, LiPo Batteries.
What would you like me test next?
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:22 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
Doesn't really matter, I was just saying that as a possible explanation as to why you might not be getting answered to.
I see, so there are no white leds hold on for a long time (these are the ones that produce most heat). They are running in open space, so there's no need to vent...
What do you call a desktop power supply ? A computer power supply? If so, why aren't you simply using the 5V of it?
I see, so there are no white leds hold on for a long time (these are the ones that produce most heat). They are running in open space, so there's no need to vent...
What do you call a desktop power supply ? A computer power supply? If so, why aren't you simply using the 5V of it?
- d mage59663
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:48 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
One of these guys.
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Regulat ... B00D7CWSCG
The reason I am not using a straight 5V power supply is I wanted to get as close as I could to the real setup, which will be using 3 cell LiPo batteries; which run at ~11.5-12.5 Volts. So I wanted to put my regulator in there to see if was noisy.
Also, I did not have a power supply that regulated to 5Volts until just recently.
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Regulat ... B00D7CWSCG
The reason I am not using a straight 5V power supply is I wanted to get as close as I could to the real setup, which will be using 3 cell LiPo batteries; which run at ~11.5-12.5 Volts. So I wanted to put my regulator in there to see if was noisy.
Also, I did not have a power supply that regulated to 5Volts until just recently.
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:22 pm
Re: Neopixels overheating and stop working.
That is not the way I'd have done it. I think it's best to figure out the electronics on a stable power supply and then trying to modify that.
Could you confirm that your regulator actually outputs 5V ? (measuring it)
Could you confirm that your regulator actually outputs 5V ? (measuring it)
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.