Ready to buy 1600 Smart String nodes from Ray - Concerns

[dpitts]

Ok I did purchase 1600 nodes from Ray. 16 - 100 cnt strings. he created me a link with nodes plus tester. I click the link and went through the order process. Does this mean I am under the Ali escrow transaction rules that i have seen mentioned. When I receive the nodes i will take pictures of them. Maybe RJ can verify as to if they are sealed liked his test nodes. I have never seen a node before so i will not know what to look for.

[dpitts]

It sounds like I will be removing and replacing at least some nodes. What tools and materials are needed to splice nodes in and out?

[rrowan]

It sounds like I will be removing and replacing at least some nodes. What tools and materials are needed to splice nodes in and out?

Just the basics. Wire cutters/strippers, solder iron, solder, electric tape or heat shrink tubing or liquid tape

Cheers

Rick R.

[dpitts]

OK. Here is the update. My order for 1600 string nodes went in on Aug. 19th. I received my strings and $17.00 controller on the Friday the 26th. Great shipping. I was surprised to see it only took a couple of days via UPS to get from China to Colorado. 

I have used the controller to brief test all strings. I only had one string that seemed to have problems. All other string had no problems and all LEDS lit up with Red,Green and Blue. The string that had problems I wiggled the wire where the trouble node seemed to be and the whole string started working. it could be a loose connection. Although I cannot get the error to reproduce. I marked the string and suspect node. I am in the process of burning in a string overnight. Although I cannot burn in all strings because I have yet to get my 3-wire pigtails.

Do the failures in most strings happen during a longer burn-in or were they noticed right away? I'm trying to get a feel for where i am at.

Also AliExpress keeps wanting me to confirm receipt of order. But I do have three more days to accept.

 

[bwhite505]

How is the quality of the build on the strings?

Most problems show up in the burn in within 24 hours.

Brian

[bcstuff]

Most of the problems on mine either showed up right away, or after moving them around a bunch. I would find problems after running for 5-6 hours, but i think it was more from me moving the lights around and trying to see if any node movement banging around would cause issues. I would take them while they were running and pick them up and drop them about  6 inches off of the floor and repeat. (windy mega tree simulation)
Every time I found a problem I would cut out the offending node, and burn them in longer. I think they all got about minimum of 12 hours each.

[MrChristmas2000]

After burning in my strings for a few hours each is when the failures begin to show up. Also I started to see the failures more when connected to SSCs in test mode.

It may be just one pixel in the string missing one color typically. I left mine in bundles so I could look at all the pixels at once.

You will need to get the para cord for supporting the string in a mega tree. The wire is not strong enough to support large lengths of pixels.

I found that your are going to need to do some micro soldering to keep from creating large gaps between the pixels. Look at the examples that can be found on most strings. Also be careful you can melt the insulation easily if you apply the solder too long or use the heat gun for too long.