Climate: Northern (Montreal,Canada) Strip Type: WS2812B Months installed: 14 Repairs needed: Updated to WLED on my node MCU this October. No cold weather related issues as of yet
I installed ~1000 WS2815 LEDs a few months ago, it gets extremely cold in Regina, Saskatchewan for extended periods. People have them installed here for Christmas light displays and they handle the cold just fine.
Climate: Northern (Madison, WI, US) Strip Type: WS2812B Months installed: 11 Repairs needed: 0, just some "finishing up" of various shortcuts I took during initial install.
Thanks for the comment, I live in Milwaukee and have been wandering about this. I got all the supplies and parts, just have to mount it up. This gives me some certainty 👍
Thank God no major changes because I already have all of this stuff ordered and delivered LOL. Just haven’t had a chance to get started. I am doing a test run in my man cave first
Oh wow thnx for including the links to the QuinLED-Dig-Uno and QuinLED-Dig-Quad, that's really appreciated! :D Awesome to see you sneaked a Dig-Quad in there to run some of the LEDs over multiple channels. :D
Climate: Northern (Eastern Idaho) Strip Type: WS2812B Months Installed: 4 Repairs: none Notes: Using two DigUno boards with sync feature, 18ga thermostat wire for power injection, noticed diffusers yellowed after three month inspection despite spraying with UV resistant Acrylic prior to install. Colors still look great
I really would like to see like a beginner setup. I want to put on lights on my new house but instead of the traditional ones, i've been looking at these LED's that are programmable. But after watching a few videos the difficulty curve ramps up VERY quickly.
ive seen someone else do it they get a slightly larger pvc pipe cut it in half so the smaller one snaps into it. you screw on those halves where ever u want and you have the smaller sections made with the lights in them so when the time comes you just snap everything on and pull everything off as one whole unit its a awesome idea but at the same time more junk to pile up in the attic lol
Man I just finished my install. Climate: Northern (Quebec City) Strip Type: WS2812B (1123 LEDs with WLED on a Node MCU) Months : 2 ( will update after first winter)
How long do you expect this to last before you have to replace the strips? Also do you think this could be done with RGBWW strips and use warm white year round as accent lighting at night, or is it not recommended to have them on that much?
I just installed mine over the summer - August 2020 and I live in Alberta, Canada. We just started to experience our first week of negative temperature and they are still holding up fine. I didn't use aluminum channels. I have them facing downwards under my roof unlike yours which is on the outer side of your roof. No repairs yet. Will see if it holds up to christmas
How did they work out for you? Actually going to be setting mine up in the spring. I’m in NE PA so I won’t be as cold as you, but still curious! Thanks!
Also curious how they went, and what your final costs looked like. I’m in Edmonton and just got a quote for a third party to do it to compare, but if it’s not a huge amount of trouble to wire this up here then I’ll be considering the DIY way. Thanks!
@@foolsgoldenrod the front section of my house is still holding up fine. However, the rear has one section that the adhesive came loose which then got exposed and has started to have display issue in that section. I will replace that section this summer and hold it down with extra adhesive. We get a severe amount of wind gust in my city - Lethbridge Alberta.
@@Noonelson Yup. Although the ones on the back side of my house have fallen off. That was on me though - we get severe wind gusts here in Southern Alberta and when it popped loose slightly I just ignored until it got worse and then I just pulled what's left. The ones at the front are holding up fine still. Some of the LEDs are dead though. Govee has some new outdoor strips but It is not available in Canada yet just the US. I am waiting for those to be available then I will swap with those ones.
Climate: Colorado Springs; String type: WS2812B strips in aluminum channel with diffuser; Months installed: 33; Repairs: none; I ran them daily for accent lights plus all holidays. Replaced them this season due to painting the house. Installed ws2811 square strings under the eaves to wash house with color. I started this because of Rob's videos and have never turned back, and it is the hit of the neighborhood.
A note to the public here, this video is an amazing summary of the options that are available; 5v, 12v, strings, pixels, strips, power supplies, power injection, QuinLED, Dr Zzs, WLED. etc. It's all here and this should be your starting place if you are interested in permanent LEDs. Thank you to the Hookup for putting this together and mentioning the different climates and how they could potentially affect strips. I too am in Florida (Sarasota/Bradenton) and I'm planning on putting up the same strips in the coming month. Still waiting on some parts...
@@TheCowboysdude what did you choose? 5v? 12v? Pixels? Strips? I installed 5v strips in aluminum channels. Can't see them during the day. Also, watch TheHookUps's latest video on permanent LEDs. And then when you watched all of the other videos watch them 5 more times. The videos are so dense, too much information for a single viewing. Also watch Quindor's and Dr Zzz's videos. All great content.
Climate: UK weather, lots of rain. Rarely much below freezing. Strip type: WS2811 IP65, not in a weatherproof channel. Two 5m strips with power at both ends. Months installed: 20 Repairs needed: Multiple partial failures resulting in having to replace one strip entirely and also had to splice and replace a short section. Some failed within days of installation so weathering wasn't the cause. I would do it again but would want much more reliable strips.
2:03, with one sentence you saved me a strip of LEDs, thanks! I was going to throw them away but I kept them just in case. I cut the first LED like you said you did and re-soldered the rest and I have a working strip! Unfortunately this fix didn't work for another set of LEDs I have which are not working, but I'm still happy I could save one of them! Thanks Rob!
Climate: HOT Phoenix Arizona US. All equipment is mounted in the attic. Led strip: WS2812b from btf Installed: 15 month on the front of my facia boards. Power Supply: cheap 5v power supply Controller: Hand build Dig Uno's. I had to run 5 controllers. I had too many leds for the processor for e131 functions. Air cookie suggested around 300 leds per controller, if you are going to use e131. Otherwise it's fine with wled to have more. Repairs needed: two leds had a single color die. I had to resolder a new one in. They are on year round, on white at 20% if it's not a holiday.
@@jaykuptake I used the the channels and noted on this video. Put the channel up, and drilled thru it and the facia next to the closet rafter so you can't see the wire. Then drilled a hole to route the 18ga into the attic. I routed all the wires next to the attic access, and have an outlet there. That way I can stand on the ladder to wire and diagnose. The controller is a dig uno by quinled. They are fused, and have temp sensors if you want to use them.
I'm in Phoenix and interested in doing something like this. How have your plastic diffusers held up against the sun? I'm just worried that I would have to replace the plastic constantly.
@@jaykuptake This video worked well for me to get started with the eve lights. I used 5v for my install but would do 12v if I did it again. Much less power injection. For the eve light controller, I used intermitech's diguno. Another great led channel. Don't put more then 300 leds on a 8266 based controller if you plan on running e131 for your display. For Christmas light shows, Canispater Christmas has a great channel for using show controllers, and scheduling with xlights also.
@@deity5555 The plastic diffuser is holding up so far. They have yellowed pretty good, but that matched my tan eves okay, lol. I think they are good to use here. But mine are also a bit shaded, as my house faces north. You only take them off for repairs, if you're careful I have no cracking yet. I lost one color in two pixels so far. Easy fix though, I used ip65 strip. So cut, pull back silicone from the strip, solder in the new one. Stick electrical tape to the channel under splice, to make sure it stays insulated from the strip.
Hey Rob, thanks so much for this video series. It's inspired me to not only get into this project, but so many other home automation project I never would have dreamed of beforehand. I do have one question though, when it comes to power injection, do you just run the one single wire from your power supply and splice it at each junction to inject power, or do you have multiple wires running from the power supply to each injection point? I can't really seem to find much on this topic, and I've never dealt with anything like this. Thanks!
I ran a wire small gauge wire with the strip, and power injected at every splice. I then power injected every 100 leds with another 18ga back to the controller. I used 5v, I would use 12v if I did it again. I think you can get away without the small gauge follower power injection that way. Also run the power injection thru the controller power feeds too. That way they are fused as well, assuming you're using something like intermit Tech's dig uno.
Climate: UK Strip Type: WS2811 Months installed: 36 Repairs needed: 0 Been through multiple iterations of controllers (Dr Zzzs, Hookups Holiday LED's 2.0 and now WLED)
Can you provide a schematic and/or parts list of the house lights like how you do your new videos? (I used this and this is where everything is) I’m looking to install a permanent solution and while I’ve seen Dr Zzz, your system seems more similar to my idea. It help tremendous with a parts list and schematic design, if possible. Maybe a new video?
Climate: Eastern Mountains of Arizona (6200ft ASL) Strip Type: WS2811 C9 Bulbs and 12mm Bullets Months installed: 24 Repairs needed: Re-attached a couple diffusers that have fallen off from Ice.
Great video - two questions: 1. Do you have a link to the high amp smart plug you mention in the video that also measures power usage? 2. You say you use 18 gauge wire for power injection. My house is very long - I'll have a 90 foot run or two. Am thinking 12V to only have to power inject every 10 meters-ish, but still not sure how to tell what gauge I need to use to be safe.
Great video thanks! Cudos for sure on telling everyone your code is no longer the best option. WLED has become an extremely good piece of software and I've donated to Aircookie several times. Note about 12v (2815) vs 5v (2812). I would love to see more on how often and what wires you use and how you hide them all work for 5v. I chose 12v because for 20m of LEDs I only had to inject power 2, and 2 source so 4 wires (I used two controllers and two power supplies to come from either end to reduce cable length). I used 16Awg outdoor rated speaker wire for power injection. Initial cost of strips may have cost more, but I saved on wire and lots of time not having to splice into LED strips ever 1-2m. I just injected at each end/connection between 5m rolls. I am using the IP67 strips mounted directly to eaves. I'm in Ontario Canada, so get from -20 to +40 C (-4F to 104F). Only issue due to poor heat dissipation i believe, is I've lost a couple pixels (2 out of my 1200Leds have lost a single color pixel). Only time this is noticeable is when I have a solid color selected. even then at 60/m its really minor.
Thanks for a great summary and all the links - it does make life a ton easier. One thing you did not include in your parts list is the weatherproof box you used to put the power supply and the controller. Those power supplies are really exposed and I would love to upgrade from the plastic container in which I have put it now. I have searched on Amazon but there is nothing obvious coming up as "weatherproof box". Also would love to know how you mounted the power supply in it. Thanks!
Power injection is one area I struggle with. I want to run an LED channel under my fence with addressable LED's which will be roughly a 250 Feet line of LED's How do I calculate the power injection requirements for a 250' run?
@@hockeytrainingvideos371 If you're talking about Year Round Holiday LEDs Part 1: Hardware then no. It talks about the need for power injection but not how to size the wire. Can I run a 5v 22guage Power Injection wire for 250'? If not how do I figure out the wire necessary?
First you calculate your power requirements (how many LEDs, how bright, what colors). Then convert to amps. With amps you can plug that into an online amp + voltage calculator which will give you the minimum size for the wire. Usually you want to bump up a size or two to allow for a safety factor. Sadly this does appear to be one area where it isn’t really talked about. Low voltage has different amp/size requirements than high voltage. For instance I’m running 3 different 15-20 amp 5volt runs for my backyard. At 110 that would mean 12 or 14 gauge wire. At 5volt it’s around 22 gauge so I’m running 18 for a safety factor and to avoid voltage drop on my injection wires.
I want to ask If It's Possible to make a video about How to control Pins on the Raspberry Pi home assistant, and thank you so much for your good videos, it's very helpful.
Nice video! Im about to start the project but have one question regarding current and wire gage. Im to install 65 ft of stirps in series; to feed them ill be running the 3 conductor 18 AWG wire that u used. My strips are 30 led/m so im estimating 36Amps max. Question is... according to the AWG standard 18 gage can handle .92 Amps so im concerned ill burn the conductors. Is there something wrong with my math? Are the power injection wires carrying some of that current? Thanks for your help!!
Starting to set mine up this year, I've got both 5 and 12 volt lights in Alberta climate, I'm using old computer power supplies as they are durable and supply both voltages in my case.
Question - I am looking on some feedback or logic that would help me chose between strips or strings? Ive watched Dr Zzs video which recommended 12v WS2811, whereas you suggest the 5v on strings. I never considered strips as my assumption is that once you put them in a sleeve, the light would look diffused or blended with the colors next to it... instead of the crisp single point of strings. Thoughts, links? Thanks again for your great videos
Do you know of any channels with diffusers that are made out of UV-resistant plastic? From your description of yours, would it be fair to say the lifetime will be ~5 years? It seems like someone should have a product specifically made for outdoor use.
Yes, i have the same question. I have seen someone suggest creating your own vents and using Bud Air Vent IPV-1116 for circulation. But, I cant find the one shown in the video.
in Australia, Melbourne, I used 5v led strip and it's been going okay, but the strips are under the roof protected form the elements. My only issue was with power injection that I didn't plan properly or at all. I had way to much voltage drop over 30 meters of cables that even a normal cable wasn't able to carry the 5v alone. My solution, get 12 Volts on a cable and have a 12v to 5 volts converters on the power injection points on the strips. If I have to do it again, I would definitely go with individually addressed 12v strip to have less issues with voltage drop. It costs more, but with way less hassle on install. In regards to using ESP with WLED to run light strips on E131 protocol, keep in mind the limitations in the max number of leds it can drive (1200 @ 30fps I think). The ESP hardware used is not super powerful so it can't compute a lot of long strips as fast as a F16V3 Pixel Controller for example. From a cost point of view, if you have lots of strips, it might end of being cheaper investing on a nice pixel controller instead of using multiple ESPs. It's a case by case scenario kinda thing.
With 12v strips, they no longer become "individually addressable" and instead are in groups of 3. 24v are groups of 6 (so they can just share the voltage evenly to get to the 3.3-5v range instead of requiring voltage transformers at every single LED. For a house though, groups of 3 is probably good enough, but some effects might look a little strange. Certainly a tradeoff, and one I didn't realize until trying to find 12V individually addressable LEDs.
@@MrKing0fTown they have new strips now with ws2815 chips that are truly individually addressable on 12v, so not a cluster of 3. See a.aliexpress.com/_m0lRQOp They also have RGBW all in one ship, so no need to have separate leds for the white channel. Things have evolved for the better in the LED world.
If only the dig-uno or dig-quad was in stock. I keep checking my email for the notification of a restock. On behalf of all of the tech community, please, this chip shortage must end. I just want be able to harness the power of being a nerd without society and production lines holding me back
I wanted to do some "under the cabinet" LED lighting and some accent lighting in the 3 large half-moon windows we have in our home. We are getting ready to completely gut/renovate our condo and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to wire everything up. I would like to control the kitchen cabinet lighting with a switch but the half-moon windows with an app. My idea was to install cat6 wiring from a "PoE switch" to each of the locations I wanted power but I don't know where to go from there. It looks like it's best to do what you do and just use a power supply? I can't find any PoE light switches. Do I just have to do all the controlling with an Arduino?
I live in Colorado where we have really harsh sun and UV in the summer and lots of freeze/thaw cycles in the winter. I put up IP65 strips in aluminum channels and where I had problems was at the solder joints between the connected 1ft strips. I installed them for Halloween and by Christmas I already had one factory solder joint failing. Had to repair a number of them this Halloween to get everything working again. Planning a permatrack buildout with string pixels and DigiUnos some time between now and next Halloween, possibly by Christmas.
Thank you for these videos! You've saved me from some big buying mistakes! Maybe you can save me from a few more? I have a handrail on my deck that is roughly 120 linear feet and a squared-"W" shape. Around every 50"-78" of glass panel is a 4x4 that holding it and is either a 90 degree turn or just continues straight on. Based on your videos, I was looking at the 5V SK6812's to have the option of a pure white. For a run this long, does it make sense to use 12V instead? Or is it enough to use a 5V power supply with power injection? (How many feet per injection?) The idea is to have the lights bright enough to give some light to the deck, but also have the color for music and/or holiday decorating. I plan on attaching the aluminum channels to the underside of the handrail, pointing down. Did you attach yours using the clips? Or directly glue/screw them to your house? Also, the controller would be outside under the deck as there really isn't an option to have it inside. Do you have a recommendation for a waterproof (or water resistant) case (like what you used in the videos) to store the power supply and controller? Do you have a video showing the assembly of the case, controller, and power supply? Am I on the right track here with the equipment above and from your links?
I'm building a new house and I'm an strongly considering doing this. My main reservation is the programing and controllers. Recently I managed to figure out adding a raspberry pi to a 3d printer with a camera and remote monitoring. This doesn't seem that much more complicated and with all the community support I think I'm going to give it a go when the house is complete. Thanks for all your Vids!
Great timing Rob - As I sit here water testing my Pixel controller box for this year - I feel a lot more confident that i'm "still" on the right setup and haven't made any major errors along the way! New year - more strings, more controllers, more power supplies, MORE LIGHTS! Ho ho ho!
I love these videos, thanks for all of the info! Do you have a link to the kind of project box that you housed everything inside? Yours fits the PSUs so perfectly that I'd love to find something similar.
I have been waiting for this video and you did not disappoint. Buy I have to say I disagree on the WS2812b vs WS2815b strips. I feel like with the 12v strips you don't need to power inject as often or at all in the case of 2 or 3 strips per section or you can get by with just injecting power at the end of a run. Compared to a professional install, the WS2815b strips are still super reasonable. I picked them up on AliExpress for around $25 a strip. To me, the additional cost of 12v strips is worth less hassle of wiring power injection every 5 meters.
I'm just hesitant to give that recommendation because I've never deployed a WS2815 permanent install and because I've seen lots more reports of failure with the WS2815 than I have with the WS2812B (again, this could just be selection bias), and I wonder if it has anything to do with the different circuitry required to regulate voltage (they are doing some crazy MOSFET inside those strips).
Its quite funny that I found this video. I will be retiring to Florida soon and I had contemplated doing accent lighting on my house and wondered if I could also make them do holiday lighting too..
RGBW IS supported yes by falcon controllers. You just need to set the pixel count higher in the falcon configuration to account for 4 channels per pixel instead of 3. So 150 pixel 5m strip of RGBW would be set as 200 pixels in Falcon and 150 pixels of RGBW in xlights.
Could someone please post how they connected their nodeMCU to a logic level shifter and to their PSU? I'm having a hell of a time. I'm currently doing the sacrificial pixel to boost the data, but it's messy and a bit dangerous.
Thanks for these videos! I'm planning to install about 25m of WS2815 strips outside, and I'm really confused about what wire gauge to use. In your previous video you mentioned that you used 22 gauge solid core wire for your power injection. How many LEDs were powered via a single circuit? I'd really like to run all 5 of my strips as a single series if possible, since that would greatly simplify the wiring, but I'm unsure how much power I can safely run along the power injection wires.
Also one other piece of advice. Share a common ground for the whole thing and just run 1 wire fornpower injection. In my track I ran one 18 guage wire along with the led. Works perfectly.
Are you still using 20 or 22 gauge wire for power injection? How far are the power injection runs? I have purchased some 16 gauge wire for power injection because of the length of runs that I have going on (probably not too far off from your house). My thought was lower gauge, thicker wire, less resistance, over long runs, less voltage drop for 5v.
I use the thin wire inside the channels alongside the strips. I’ve got a single 16awg injection point about 70% thorough the downstairs run (where the roofline jogs over the front door), and in the second floor by the small window.
I've watched your original LED videos many many times and I don't recall you mentioning that. But then again I could have totally missed it. Thank you for the update. I appreciate your time!
I just bought 9 ws2812b led strips 150 to put along my roof lining. What power supply do you recommend and what other pieces do I need as far as signal. Or is there a ready to go plug and play.
It appears that your hours has 2 may be 3 "runs", on your intro. Where did you choose to start your electrical input to the lights? Did you stat from the left, right, or middle of your strings? I'm guessing you prob started on the right side as I think you mentioned your box is in your garage? Or does this even matter?
Hey, watched your video.. great! What was the overall cost when you got started? I'm interested to do a light show this year 2020 however, might have to be on a smaller budget. ( Covid times) thanks for your input. Don
Can you let me know what you think of the following set up? Cold climate, down to -40 in winter so opting for 5V WS2811 Strings. 5V 40A power supply feeding DigQuad in heated garage with 20 AWG wire (basically beside each other) then will penetrate exterior wall for 3 different channels of Strings. Channel 1: 3 strings (150 pixels) in 30’ of j trim - 10’ of 3 pin 22 AWG extension wire from Digquad to first string. 40’ of 20 AWG 2 pin wire from Digquad to power inject each strip including the end using T clips Channel 2: 3 strings (150 pixels) in 30’ of j trim - 30’ of 3 pin 22 AWG extension wire from Digquad to first string. 60’ of 20 AWG 2 pin wire from Digquad to power inject each strip including the end using T clips Channel 3: 6 strings (300 pixels) in 60’ of j trim - 10’ of 3 pin 22 AWG extension wire from Digquad to first string. 70’ of 20 AWG 2 pin wire from Digquad to power inject each strip including the end using T clips I think based on the info on all your videos and what I’ve seen on Dr. Zzs this should work? Thank you so much for your videos btw!
I have a flag pole I want to put led lights on for all year round, to change colors for all holidays like 4th of July ie. red white and blue flashing or rolling. What do you recommend
I installed Novostellas new RGB Rainbow Strip Lights to my soffit last Saturday. I rented a lift for $250. I placed the strip in an aluminum enclosure with a diffuser top. It looked great. We even had neighbors give us comments about how the lights looked Saturday night. But Sunday night the strip started malfunctioning! Part of the light strip stopped working? Do you have an idea what the issue is? Do you have an email address where I can show you what is going on?
Easiest way to get help is to join the facebook group. You can post your videos there and get help from me and thousands of others: facebook.com/groups/473812443269387
Climate: Mild California coastal hills Strip Type: Analog RGB 12V bus Months Installed: 98 Months (no really) Repairs Needed: None I ran the bare outdoor rated strips under my eaves and held them in place with big staples. Large dedicated bus cable in the larger runs but otherwise injected in the middle of most runs. 6 PWM channels on an Arduino Mega board with a FET based power switching board of my own design. Strips have yellowed a bit but they never see direct sunshine so it's not bad and you have to go looking for them to see them. No failures except for the time I accidentally hit one with a hammer trying to drive a nail. BTW: I used those 45 degree aluminum channels to light up my garage, hall closet, and pantry with white LEDs and I couldn't be happier with them
Which wire to use to power injection, we are installing LED in aluminum channel(normal one not the plus size one) . we wish to hide wire and so that it will not block LED as well
Climate: Sub Tropic (QLD Australia) Setup 20m x WS2812 , in channels with diffuser, 5v supply isolated by Sonoff Basic (controlled by HA) to cut power when not in use, D1mini running WLED Installed 12mths Repairs: Well, no repairs actually done, but I do have multiple failed pixels at random points, seems mostly the blue pixel that goes? I think possibly cooked them? They do get direct sun for a couple hours each morning.
Quindor suggests to use 24V strips if one is starting new installations, while you are suggesting to stick with 5V strips, I want to install LED strip wiring for holidays and ordered 24V strips to reduce power drop issues, can you cover a video covering what could be the best setup for 24 V strips (where cost is not a concern, ease of managing is)?
@@TheHookUp this is the one, while less injections for sure, wondering if this will be long lasting compared to 5v/12v version SK6812 RGBW 60LEDS/M DC24V 10MM-Wide Digital Intelligent Addressable LED Strip Lights - 5m/16.4ft per roll www.superlightingled.com/sk6812-rgbw-60ledsm-dc24v-10mmwide-digital-intelligent-addressable-led-strip-lights-5m164ft-per-roll-p-2403.html
You mentioned a smart outlet... could you give a reference to the one you're using? Climate: Wyoming Strip Type: WS2812B 5V Months Installed: 12 Repairs Needed: none
I see that some of these Aluminum Channels offer a clear channel cover instead of the typical Milky cover. Would you still use the milky cover for more diffusion given the chance or would you use the clear covers? I can see an argument to use the clear ones for more defined light, but I'm not sure if it would actually look better or not. Thank you so much for your wonderful content!
Thank you for your videos. I currently have 300' of Neon Flex Tubing that I bought from Viais LED (Alibaba). The IC Type is 8206. 24v. I wanted to see if you know of a good controller that I can use with it. I'd hate to have to throw them away and start over. Thank you for any help. The controller that they supplied is very poor and frustrating
I'm new to HA and have it running on a Zotac Zbox. Since it has no inputs like the Pi, I need an alternative. I want to hard wire an alarm contact directly to it. I have found a Z-Wave Multi-Input/Output Dry Contact Bridge; Cert ID: ZC08-16040002. Would that work?
Climate: Intermountain West (USA) Strip Type: WS2812B Hardware: ESP32 Node MCU w logic level shifter. Software: WLED Months installed: 5 Repairs needed: 1 (major) I had Ice/snow penetrate the aluminum channels that I had used for installation. It was at the location of my 1st solder joint/power injection point. Additionally, the power injection at that point was sloppily done and I couldn't fully get the plastic covers on (which lead to the moisture penetration). I had done the work in the air on a cherry picker as it was near the highest point of my roof (about 30'/9 m). I had previously been able to get it working by gently rapping the connection with an extension pole). Eventually that technique failed as well. But hey, they survived Christmas! :) As I was removing the aluminum channels to make the repair, the strip ripped in several places forcing me to solder in new groups of pixels in those locations. I also moved the power injection another couple of feet to the end of the pixel run on that pitch. That makes about 7 meters from one power injection point to the other, but I've found that between 30-50% brightness is more that adequate, so it shouldn't be a problem. I also only run every other pixel as I like that look better. My repairs were more a manifestation of my own mistakes during installation than problems with the components.
First off, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge regarding permanent LED Christmas lights. I have been watching yours and Dr Zzs videos and you two are the best on RU-vid bar none. I have decided I want to take your advise and gear my permanent LED setup on your recommendation of the (8 to 10) SK6812 RGBWW 5 meter 150 IP65 5 volt LED strips. I decided on these since I would like to light up the painted Hardy Plank eaves and soffit under my roof in a warm white most of the year and of course do the colors and effects for all the holidays through out the year. I have taken advantage of the Aliexpress 11/11 sale going on right now and I order the SK6812 5 meter LED strips but of course they will not probably be shipped to my until after mid December so I probably won't get them installed until after the holdays. My question to you is would it be possible to get some advise on the installation of the LED strips on the house ie. should I install them naked and with just a more permanent outdoor adhesive or clip or use the aluminum channels and if so which one flat or 45 degree angle? Also, what is your recommendations regarding the best way to install the LED strips onto the soffit/ eaves of my roof line? Should I install the LED strips facing directly out to the street or downwards or behind the soffit so the LED lights indirectly shine their white light and colors onto my white soffit and eaves? I also think I will power the LED strips with a Meanwell 300W 5V power supply but I am not sure how many volts the power supply will need to be in order to power (8 to 10) five meter SK6812 LED strips any recommendations? Finally, I want to control the LED strips with the WLED software and connected to a NodeMCU that Dr. Zzs and you have recommended. Sorry for the long winded question but I may have more after this if you don't mind. Thank you again for all your helpful content here on RU-vid.
Brian how did it turn out with your solution? I'm considering it as well (prefer to see the glow of the light off the soffit rather than the light itself)
@@erich8789 I am installing the strips either this weekend or next week when I'm off. Better late than never I guess. Ask me in a week and I'll send a picture of them to you. I'm hoping for the best and I think it will look good but it won't show all the details in the effects like with twinkling etc.
Hi - Great videos. Just wondering, do you have an instructable or tutorial about how you made the pvc tubes to go around your windows, specifically, did you drill through from one side to the other in order to be able to insert the pixels? I have pixel strings and am looking for some advice on the best way to mount them around windows. I live in Europe so the availability of pre made solutions is pretty low. Thanks
Climate: Coast VERY DAMP (Near Vancouver, Canada) Strip Type: WS2815 DC12V IP30 Months installed: 12 Repairs needed: In the process of complete removal.. Not sure if bad soldering or water in the connection points but had constant flickering, had to cut out one LED at the end.. Worked for maybe 3-4 months without issue. Not sure I would do it again without a complete redesign. I spent a lot of time making sure I sealed the ends during the initial install.
Hey, I’m surprised that they don’t have some “start kits” that have a box with a power supply, controller, and wired with a plug, ready for 5v or 12v, depending on the kit you buy. Do you know of any?
I'm going to be doing my own DIY lights on my home. However, I have over 300 feet and I'm confused about where my extra power insertion needs to go and also where data needs to go. I have multi-level eves and making the lights all move together well confuses me where the data inputs for the LEDs need to go. Any help would be appreciated.
I just bought nine 16ft govee led strip. I'm new to the led community these strips added up to 216 Watts is it possible to connect all 9 strip together with one 350 Watts power supply or do I need more than one power supply? I have a 144ft of ceiling to run these led lights Thanks.
Sure. On my patio I’ve actually spliced strips together by lapping the solder joints like they do at the factory. Only issue is it’s harder to power inject if you do it that way.
I just rewatched this and was reminded that youtube is preferable to email. So I apologize for the duplicate question and feel free to ignore the email. Are there any canned outdoor RGBIC light strip systems that you would recommend? I would love to be able to set up whole house, outdoor "holiday" lights the right way, but I know that I'll never be able to justify the time needed for it. The most realistic option for me would be to bite the bullet and get a system like Hue's, Govee's, Novostella's, etc., put it in some diffuse tracks, and call it done. No complex wiring outside of perhaps wiring to an outlet or junction box in the attic, and no programming involved. I can easily see Hue being a very functional option, but I'll probably never be able to swallow that price tag for a whole house setup. Govee is attractive since it is more cost effective and still has other outdoor lights to stick with one app for all things outdoor lighting since I haven't invested in anything for outside yet.
man i did 5v leds around the ceiling in my game room with that 45 degree channel and power injecting was a NIGHTMARE because that channel doesn't have enough room to pass thick enough wire. it would have been better to inject power from different outlets but i didnt want a wire coming down the wall or the extra work to pass the wire through the wall. i couldnt inject power through the ceiling easily since its a two story and this was on the first floor. that being said you would need really thick wire or multiple points of injection to do your whole roof line on 5v led's if i could do my gameroom project again i would pay double for the 12v leds or even a more commercial 24v
I may have short circuited my RGB IC LED strip. Is there a way to fix it? I thought one of the LEDs burned, so I cut the first LED from the strip and resoldered it. It didn't fix the problem. Could you guide me how to salvage the strip?
Thanks for this update! I'm in the process of planning my permanent lights right now. I'm hoping for some clarification on how to inject power. Let's say I have 4 strips running along a ridge line that need power injected at each end. I'll inject power at the end of the first strip, and then run my injection from the end of 1 to the end of 2, end of 2 to end of 3, and so on, correct? So I'm only running 1 extra wire in each aluminum channel, right? If this is correct, is there a limit on how many strips can be put together like this?
Yes you’ll have one wire running from strip to strip. I wouldn’t do more than 4 strips off of one power injection run from the PSU (just add another wire to the PSU and do power injection #2)
This may be a dumb question so pardon my ignorance. I recently purchased the waterproof strips from Amazon. Can these be directly mounted with staples under the gutters with no channel? I will need to make several connections as the house is large. Can this be done or is it not advised?
OK this sounds crazy but I’m so serious since you live in Florida and I live in Florida is there anything in the world that you would consider coming to my house and just doing everything I swear I watched every video you posted and it still sounds like a foreign language
Do you sell 100% set up kits for year round led strips for the outside of the house that can also be used for Christmas? Or do you know of a company that does? Thank you love your video’s
Climate: northern PNW "moderate" (temps between 10-95* and high winds) LED Type: permanent lines are 5V IP67 WS2812B 30/M in 90* aluminum channels, props are 5v WS2811 strings Months Installed: ~10 months Repairs: permanent rooflines have needed no repairs. I do have 1 prop with strips that has needed 3 repairs - 1 was a bad joint I soldered at the connector and it had strain on the wire. This prop is 20ft long and heavy, getting moved around and hoisted onto the roof a bit. It has had 2 factory solder joints fail - simply cut back the IP67 coating, reflow solder over the joint, seal back up with hot glue. Less than 10 minute fix, on the roof, in the dark. With that said, generally strips have a bad reputation for failure and it seems not all strips are created equal. I use BTF strips. My strings tend to be much more likely to have a bad pixel out of the box but less likely to fail (or concern me of a failure) vs the strips. I started with NodeMCUs but they became too laggy for any worthwhile shows (via e131), even on a dedicated router. They have all been removed and Falcons are now controlling the lights.
Hi, very interesting… i am checking on Jellyfish and Gemstone but then i came across with your channel. Just want to learn more to see if i can do this project instead of hire one of those companies. What is your recommendation and how i can start from zero?
