CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

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daniellejstephen
 
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CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by daniellejstephen »

ok, so it's for my art project and I'm pretty new to all of this. Basically the aim is for me to SPLIT the strip light in two so that I can put two lots of strip lights against the suspended components in my project.
I need the leds to be white and run up and down slowly.
Thats the goal.

The problem is-
I ordered;
-3m worth of 60 led neopixel strip lighting
- 2x 5v power suppies
- 2x female adapters
- An arduino
- 2x solderless analog strip clips
(because i was afraid of soldering haha) https://www.adafruit.com/products/1004

But it turns out those strip clips dont go with neopixels.
So the problem arises with- can I pull apart the clips and use those wires to connect everything?? (to the power and arduino) Or are they the wrong wires altogether. What wires do I need?

PLUS another thing thats confusing me- the strip light already came with wires attached at the data out end which im still confused as to their purpose.

And I need a female and male in line connector dont I...?
Thank you !!! sorry if i'm a pain...

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

can I pull apart the clips and use those wires to connect everything?? (to the power and arduino) Or are they the wrong wires altogether. What wires do I need?
Yes. You will need 3 of the 4 wires. You can use the red and black for +5v and GND. Use the green one to connect to "DI". You should be able to just peel off the unused blue wire.
the strip light already came with wires attached at the data out end which im still confused as to their purpose.
The strips come in 5 meter reels that can be connected end-to-end. Your 3 meters came from the end of a reel, so you got the output connectors. You can just cut them off if you don't need them.
And I need a female and male in line connector dont I...?
Not sure. If you can draw a diagram of how you plan to connect the various parts of your project we can help with any connectors you might need.

daniellejstephen
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by daniellejstephen »

And I need a female and male in line connector dont I...?
Not sure. If you can draw a diagram of how you plan to connect the various parts of your project we can help with any connectors you might need.[/quote]

Thank you for your help Bill!!!! Do you mean a diagram of my art project? Heres a quick sketch diagram for my art project +I highlighted where my strip lights will go, which will be against two suspended pieces of timber that will just touch the bottom, and run all the way up through a piece of persplex and up through clear acrylic tube.
BY THE WAY! I hope its safe to be painting generic hot candle wax onto the strip lights which are covered by the water proof sheathing .....

I'm not sure how i plan to connect it all up yet - My project will be on top of a timber white box stand, so I will probably drill through the persplex and timber and hide the cords/wires in there.

And how do I go about splitting the strip lights into two...?
Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Thanks for the diagram. You will probably need a couple of these to connect your power supplies: https://www.adafruit.com/products/368
Was there any other place you wanted to use connectors?

daniellejstephen
 
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Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 3:35 am

Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by daniellejstephen »

adafruit_support_bill wrote:Thanks for the diagram. You will probably need a couple of these to connect your power supplies: https://www.adafruit.com/products/368
Was there any other place you wanted to use connectors?
ok great, I already have 2. :) no, theres no other place I need connectors. So I have everything I need? How do I go about splitting up the strip lighting?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Between each pixel will be a double row of copper connection pads. Use a strong pair of scissors and cut between the rows.

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daniellejstephen
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by daniellejstephen »

adafruit_support_bill wrote:Between each pixel will be a double row of copper connection pads. Use a strong pair of scissors and cut between the rows.
Ok thanks :) And do I just solder on the wires and connect it to the arduino- can two separated strips share the same arduino..?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Yes. If you connect both signal wires to the same pin, both strips will run the same patterns. If you connect the signal wires to 2 different pins, you can define 2 strips and control them separately.

daniellejstephen
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by daniellejstephen »

adafruit_support_bill wrote:Yes. If you connect both signal wires to the same pin, both strips will run the same patterns. If you connect the signal wires to 2 different pins, you can define 2 strips and control them separately.
Awesome! Thanks :) Ok so do I just solder the wires onto the copper connection pads? Sorry if I'm being a real amateur..!

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: CONFUSED IN SETTING UP 60 LED NEOPIXEL STRIP LIGHT

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Yes, you can just solder the wires. If you are new to soldering, take a look at our soldering guide before you start: http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-guid ... -soldering

You should also take a look at our Neopixel "best practices" guide: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neo ... -practices

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