Flex String Frustration

[Rainlover]

I recently received 3 flex strings from Ray. 2 of them work fine. The other one is baffling me. I can get it to work with a SSC flashed with the test program. It cycled through all of the colors for a couple hours. When I connect it to a SSC that is programmed for 120 node flex strips, nothing happens. The other 2 strips work fine with this SSC.
I built another SSC and subbed a 180 ohm resistor for the 330. Programmed it with the test program and it works fine. Reflashed it for 120 node flex strips and nothing. Hooked up the other 2 strips and they work fine. Hooked up the bad strip to the 2010 controller from Ray and it worked fine. I tried my pixelnet usb dongle and my etherdongle and got nothing out of this string.
I have been battling this for 2 evenings. I finally decided to put everything away and ask for help.
Any ideas?

John

[mykroft]

make sure you are using the input side of the strip?

Myk

[taybrynn]

I had a similar experience with one of my flex strips.

It turned out that at the other end of the flex strip, there are two wires that were touching and that basically crippled the flex string.

Once I snipped the ends and insulated them from each other ... it worked perfectly. 

I felt so stupid, because I went through days of testing like your describing.

So in the off chance its the same thing ... please make sure the wires on the (non SSC) end of the flex string are cut off and insulated, so wires can not touch each other.

[Rainlover]

Thanks for the replies.

make sure you are using the input side of the strip?

Myk

I am definitely powering up the correct end. It works with the test firmware on the SSC.

I had a similar experience with one of my flex strips.

It turned out that at the other end of the flex strip, there are two wires that were touching and that basically crippled the flex string.

Once I snipped the ends and insulated them from each other ... it worked perfectly. 

I felt so stupid, because I went through days of testing like your describing.

So in the off chance its the same thing ... please make sure the wires on the (non SSC) end of the flex string are cut off and insulated, so wires can not touch each other.

I had cut the bare wire off the end. I will double check tonite to make sure there is nothing touching.

John

[taybrynn]

Yes, just in case.   I stagger cut the end wires to different lengths and dipped them in liquid elect. Tape

[Rainlover]

Hooked up everything again tonite. Double checked to make sure none of the wires on the end were touching, Hooked up the SSC with the test firmware and it works. All of the colors blink. I hooked up a programmed SSC and still have nothing. I have 11.8 volts at the end of the string. Should I have voltage on the data line as well? Should I have voltage on the input data line?
I noticed that when the test firmware was running on the flex strips, the colors blinked green, red, blue, white. On the nodes, it blinks red, green, blue, white.
I can't understand why this 1 strip will work on the test SSC but not on the programmed ones.
I am still frustrated and baffled.

John

[Steve Gase]

Hooked up everything again tonite. Double checked to make sure none of the wires on the end were touching, Hooked up the SSC with the test firmware and it works. All of the colors blink. I hooked up a programmed SSC and still have nothing. I have 11.8 volts at the end of the string. Should I have voltage on the data line as well? Should I have voltage on the input data line?
I noticed that when the test firmware was running on the flex strips, the colors blinked green, red, blue, white. On the nodes, it blinks red, green, blue, white.
I can't understand why this 1 strip will work on the test SSC but not on the programmed ones.
I am still frustrated and baffled.

John

are you ready to start cutting it apart in an attempt to find where the fault might be introduced?

[chrisatpsu]

have you tried just putting the reg firmware on the ssc that was turning on the strip?

[Rainlover]

Steve,
I will do that as a last resort.

Chris,
I originally flashed this controller with the test firmware and tested the string. Then I flashed it with the reg firmware. I have tried 3 different SSC that worked during Christmas.

John