Review of Technicolor Strings

[tbone321]

The SSC doesn't have a fuse.  It is depending on the fuse in the hub.  The fuses are sized to protect the weakest link and in the hub, they are set to protect the CAT 5 cable which due to the gauge of the wire, is the weakest link there.  If you are talking about power injection, then you would base the fuse size on what you need for the added injection to supply while taking into account the max that both the supply can deliver and the gauge of the wire that you will be using can deal with.  I would suspect that it would be less than 4A so a 4A fuse would work well there.

[Steve Gase]

Just to make this clear for me.

Is the problem that the Technicolor needs more 5 amps to run them and the SSC system only handles 4 amps? Or is it a voltage thing?

Then can we just go around the SSC with the power line and use a inline fuse?

If you use 50-count strings, no power injection is needed.


If you use 100-count, or longer -- yes, you need power injection.  You can inject at the middle of the string, or at the end.  The 12V+ wire used to provide injection should be fused.

So does that make it a volt problem or a amp problem?

Its an amp problem.  You could exceed the draw allowed by the fuse and the rating of the board.  The voltage would also diminish at the end of the string so that the lights are dimmer... but the concern is over the amps and its impact on the wiring and traces.

So the reason you can't hook the power line up around the SSC at the beginning is the extra amps will fry the wring and chips?

it is possible to supply more power at the START of the string using heavier-gauge wire, bigger fuse, etc.  You'd just drop the 12v+ and ground that comes from the hub while retaining the data line.  If you do this, then introduce the new power AFTER the SSC and not before.... there is no reason to allow more current through the SSC and reduce the benefit of the 4A fuse that is found on the hub. 


I personally wouldn't do this... because you will still have fallout over the length of the string as the voltage decreases due to the power withdrawn by the LEDs and the resistance of the wire.  Also the wires connecting each pixel to the next are not heavy gauge, and therefore you risk some damage there if your strings were too long.  But, assuming that someone took that into account for the 100-count strings, then a larger fuse and heavier wire from the supply will allow you to use one connection without further injection.

[sittinguphigh]

So the problem is wire is not heavy enough to supple the amps for a 100 Technicolor strings from the beginning.

[zach stoltenberg]

Wire size, at least in the case of 100 count string, is irrelevant.  The drop is due to loss at each pixel from the resistors.  In the 12V strings we are actually wasting more power than we are using for the LED itself, that's why you see the 5V strings.  Now, the 12V gives us something more people are familiar working with and allows for longer runs than the 5V with less wasted power.  It's a trade off.  The strings are being made now with 20 gauge high strand, which is supposed to compare to an 18 gauge.  It was important to get the UV rated wire and the UV rated 18 gauge is too large to fit the solder pads on the PCB and the molds would have to be again modified to accept it.  In the overall design, we decided it was easier to limit them to 50 count and 100 count with injection at both ends.  The V2 strings will most likely be 85 count strings.  There is also an easier injection solution being developed that should make injection along the line much simpler and more plug and play.

[sittinguphigh]

Why then does the 128 node LED pixel string ;DC12V input;new model,IP68;TM1804IC 
work with 128 nodes then? What is the difference between the two?

[txag2008]

Why then does the 128 node LED pixel string ;DC12V input;new model,IP68;TM1804IC 
work with 128 nodes then? What is the difference between the two?

The technicolor pixels from Ray pull more amperage than your normal SS pixels.

[sittinguphigh]

Is it the WS2811 chip?

[txag2008]

Is it the WS2811 chip?

You can get the Technicolor pixels in 1804 or 2811.  The standard SS pixels are 1804 and are officially 'supported' by the SS system. (even though 2811 now works with v4)  To my knowledge the chipset mazes zero difference on power consumption.

[sittinguphigh]

Then that is the question. What is the difference?

[tbone321]

Wire size, at least in the case of 100 count string, is irrelevant.  The drop is due to loss at each pixel from the resistors.  In the 12V strings we are actually wasting more power than we are using for the LED itself, that's why you see the 5V strings.  Now, the 12V gives us something more people are familiar working with and allows for longer runs than the 5V with less wasted power.  It's a trade off.  The strings are being made now with 20 gauge high strand, which is supposed to compare to an 18 gauge.  It was important to get the UV rated wire and the UV rated 18 gauge is too large to fit the solder pads on the PCB and the molds would have to be again modified to accept it.  In the overall design, we decided it was easier to limit them to 50 count and 100 count with injection at both ends.  The V2 strings will most likely be 85 count strings.  There is also an easier injection solution being developed that should make injection along the line much simpler and more plug and play.

This is incorrect.  The issue with Lynks limiting the current to 4A is that we are using CAT5 cable between the hub and the SSC and this can be a significant length and CAT5 uses THIN wires.  So it is NOT the voltage drop that is causingthe issue, it is the total added current draw of these new nodes exceeding the assumptions made during the design of the hub and the fuses it is using.  These were based on the current draw of the original set of nodes available when it was designed and these new nodes draw more current.

While it is true that the 5V is SLIGHTLY more efficient, the other side is that they REQUIRE power injection in longer strings due to voltage drop dropping the voltage below what the LED requires to light at all on long lengths.  This is not the case with RJ's 12V strings.  Lets remember that this is a PARALLEL circuit as far as power goes so the resistors in each node have little to do with it.  The only resistance that can cause voltage drop it is the resistance in the wire itself which when combined with the current draw of each node causes the voltage drop along the length of the string. 

[tbone321]

Then that is the question. What is the difference?

The difference in most cases are the LED's being used.  Even with LED's, brighter usually means more power needed.

[sittinguphigh]

So the difference is the LED bulb being used.
Is what you are saying then is Technicolor string bulbs use more amps then the RJ's 12V strings. Can we verify that?

[keitha43]

Yes. The different node types pull different amps. This info is usually on Ray's order page. Even the newer ip68 version of the original ip66 nodes draw more power.

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[zwiller]

Are the technicolor nodes "noticeably" brighter than Ray's? 

[sittinguphigh]

So are you saying the RJs 12V strings now coming out will draw more amps?