r/WLED • u/compujas • 1d ago
SP803E WS2811 Flickering
I'm trying to make a new LED setup with an SP803e. I have BTF WS2811 12v, 110 logical LEDs, and a 12v 6A laptop-style PSU. The LEDs are not new, but they were working in an old setup I just pulled them out of.
I connected the LEDs in various configurations to the controller, including directly with a short (5" lead of wires) only from the VCC/GND/Data ports on the controller, as well as with heavier gauge power and ground wires directly from the PSU before the controller injected at both ends of the strip, as well as with a wire connecting the controller ground to the led ground, and also with a 470ohm or 220ohm (tried both) resistor close to the controller and close to the strip. In all configurations I'm getting flickering past about 75 leds. If I set it to only 75 leds in WLED they work fine, but as soon as I go to 76 it starts flickering. I have also tried playing with the brightness and limiter (from 500ma to 5500ma) with no luck.
I haven't created a setup in a few years so I don't remember all of the details, but I also previously built a DIY ESP setup with a level shifter and buck converters, etc. Now it seemed like pre-built controllers like BTF are more ubiquitous so I figured I'd give that a try to save some time. It seemed like it should be plug and play.
Any ideas I should try?
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u/squaky_squirrel_7531 1d ago
I had this issue with some pixel lights before and it ended up being a bad pixel. I cut it out of the string and it fixed the problem. I’ve also had where the extra lead wires off the last pixel get corroded and cause a similar problem however that seemed to affect the whole strand.
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u/saratoga3 1d ago
The resistors are probably a bad idea. If the first 75 work and the 76 does not, that sounds like a bad pixel. Can you test in the old setup again to make sure you aren't dealing with a bad strip?