Re: Received Smart Strings poor quality

[kylec]

I tried posting some pictures in the "Received Smart Strings poor quality" thread....I don't know what I did, but it didn't post them and now I can't see that thread  .

Here is a good node and a bad node side by side:


Here is the same bad node at a different angle:


There are a few nodes like this where the only part exposed is right where the wires connect:



Please ignore the dog hair on the couch 

Kyle

[dmoore]

You are not kidding - they are really that bad.  Thanks for posting.

[RJ]

That is bad! you need to make them replace it as something has gone wrong on the assembly line. None of mine are anything like that.

RJ

[Freebird]

Kyle are these from a 50 ct string?  I received my 50 ct strings and I had a few like that also.  I am going to just add silicon to them and not hassle with the return and replacement from Ray,  I am waiting on my tester to make sure all of them work properly.  Getting really scared that I released the money to Ray and the lights don't work.

Freebird

[kylec]

These were 128 node strings.  They all work fine.  I am also planning to use some silicone to seal these up.

Kyle

[akonkman]

I just received my nodes... 2 strings of 75 and 2 strings of 100.  I carefully examined each node, and I also am not pleased with the quality.  I have found many nodes where some part of the "guts" are exposed to the outside world.  In fact, overall I counted 38 problematic nodes (out of 350.. so over 10% are bad).  Some have the part where the wires attach to the circuit board exposed, while others have the part where the LED attaches to the circuit board exposed.  And some are really bad -- parts of the chip and/or resistors are exposed.  I've attached pictures of some of the worst ones.  In addition, a few have LEDs that are really crooked -- not a super big deal, but just goes to show the lack of quality control going on.

I'm going to contact Ray to see what he can do about this.  I have about 7 days left on the countdown clock, and I'm not going to release payment until I get a resolution.  Since these bad nodes are spread out all over the strands, I'm not sure what could be done other than sending complete replacements -- I don't want to have to splice in replacements all over the place.

Frankly, I would have rather been shorted a few nodes like some others have reported, than have all sorts of these bad nodes! 

[chrisatpsu]

after looking at this, i decided to look closer at my nodes...

out of 100 nodes, 12 have something exposed. I was planning on getting clear plasti dip for another project, so i might cover these as well.

my plastic rectangles, and metal squares look like the chip is either not covered, or the plastic dried in a way, that you cant tell it's on there.

all in all, the led part of each node is fine, so i'll just reinforce the rest with the plasti dip, and a small paint brush.

[rrowan]

There is definitely a problem with the assembly process. They are either doing a poor job or rushing it and not letting the materials hardened (both?)

I also went back and inspected my nodes. Around 15 nodes have a problem and will need to be sealed before using. I have parts sticking though the covering or the material is not fully covering the pcb. Half of my nodes the pcbs are on a angle and some are just all the way to one side instead of in the middle. A few are dirty/brown in color like the material was contaminated.

Rick R.

[akonkman]

Are you all planning on just using straight-from-the-bottle clear Plasti-Dip and applying it with a brush, or are you planning on thinning it and then just dipping the whole node in it?  Or perhaps using the technique RJ demonstrated of thinning it to the consistency of water and then dipping the whole string in it a few times?  Or maybe a combination of these (like patching the obvious spots with straight Plasti-Dip using a brush, and then dipping the whole string in thinned Plasti-Dip for good measure)?

Depending on what Ray comes back with, I may just settle for a partial refund for the bad nodes and then go the Plasti-Dip route.  I really don't want to have to hassle with returning a product...

By the way, the 3 flexible strips I ordered look great.

[chrisatpsu]

IMO, it depends, if's it's away from the led, then the thick should be ok, if it's the led, i'd thin it out, and just waterproof it.

I guess it depends on if alot's exposed, or a little, or even just a crack.

[RJ]

I think they should be replaced. You paid for them to be correct and they are not.

RJ

[tbone321]

Gee, I sure can't wait to get my nodes now.     I would suggest NOT thinning the Plasti-Dip down for this.  Remember, RJ was just trying to seal where the wires were entering the node (a small space) and wanted to do it in a bulk method.  The defects that are being found in these nodes requires a much heavier coating to be effective at both sealing and protecting the components.  If you intend on repairing these nodes yourself, then you need to take the time to do it right or you will simply be wasting your time.  I would dip one defective node as a test at full thickness and see how it works that way as that would be the easiest repair method.  If it doesn't work well that way then you may need to spot brush repair them but that would be a bit time consuming.  My nodes will be here tomorrow and it will probably take me two days to inspect them and light them up to see how bad it will be for me. 

[shaunkad]

I have a few questions. What is the veiwing angle on these nodes? I know that on my LE it is easy to tell a crooked led. Would this also be the same with the SS nodes that are bad? Lastly I know that we as hobbiest are perfectionest and cannot under stan why we would except substanderd product if Ray was stateside most of us would return it.

Shaun

[JimWright]

TBONE321: What are you using to test your lights? Can us mere mortals use the same approach? I have the feeling that we will probably see a whole new rash of problems when we can light them up. Jim

[Pete]

Well . . .
I just finished a volley of emails with Ray. . .  After telling him I have 213 defects out of 1980 nodes on 35 strings, in which every string had defects.  He asked for photos of the defects and said he would make things right.

Two strings have electrical defects - one 4 out of 50 light up and another has one node only lights up red.  It was a good thing to get the "TH2010 series LED pixel remote controller" to test the strings

I'll let U know how things progress with Ray. . . out to the garage to take pics.