Twinkly Light Repair 

Ok, let's see if I can be of any help. I've only worked on the strands but the tree should act the same way I think. Solid blue and green light usually means the device is ready to set up but is not connected to anything network wise. If you go to the Twinkly app on your phone you can check to make sure your tree is connected. If the app is showing not connected then try and reconnect by searching for an available device. I had a similar issue for awhile where a strand would disconnect and flash as well. So I had to use my phone app to reconnect the strand but sometimes it wouldn't. So I would have to reset the strand by holding down the controller button for a little over a minute and while still holding down button unplug the strand for about 30 seconds then plug back in and let go of the button. The strand will then reset. Remove the strand from your Twinkly app and then do the setup procedure. You can also connect the phone directly to your phone's Wifi by searching for the trees wifi internal network. I would have to go this route until they changed the firmware to allow better wifi setup. Another thing to check is your home's wifi router setup. Sometimes for no apparent reason the router may decide to not allow wifi access to the Twinkly lights. Check your router settings or unplug your router/modem from wall for a couple minutes then plug back in. Then check lights again. You might even try this step first. Also make sure that the tree is somewhere that it gets a good wifi signal. If it's weak the lights might keep popping off the network on their own at random times. I've experienced this one first hand and took a long time for me to narrow it down and find problem. If you've tried all these then it's possible that the controller is bad but usually when that happens the LED light doesn't work at all. Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

Hi, Thanks for watching my video. Let's see if I can be of any help. Twinkly lights are awesome but they're kinda like the Ferrari of light strings. They are really capable but require a bit of care in handling. The only thing that can be easily swapped out is the power adapter at the end. The controller is pretty robust and sealed up from the weather to a degree. The wires from each end go through thick rubber plugs which are also attached into the controller with sealant. The problem I found on two of three strands was that the wires on the string side had broken inside the insulation right as they exited the rubber plug. This point took all the flexing of the string on one side and weight of the controller on the other. The lights would then work intermittently or not at all. The fix I did in the video worked very well. Both strands were outside through two storms we had here in Ohio in December that turned from hard rain to freezing rain, ice, snow and bitter cold. Not quite like you have up there in Canada. Toronto is a beautiful city by the way. Officially, as for cutting the wires, I don't recommend doing that because of the way these lights work. Cutting also voids any warranty. That being said, it could be done if you're careful. The more places you cut the more possible failure points you introduce into the system, however. To the best of my knowledge, here is how the thing works. The wiring on Twinkly lights work different than a conventional strand. The wiring works more like a network cable with each led controlled by a chip at its base. Each light on the string is actually 3 leds (RGB) in one white cap. The controller sends out the data for the entire single frame to the whole strand on the two wires (+5V, Ground) . The fluctuations in the voltage determine the data being sent. Without a separate timing clock line being used, the timing of the pulses from the controller to each of the lights is critical. The first led strips off its particular instruction set for that frame (first 24 bits of data, 8 bits Red, 8 bits Green, 8 bits Blue, I believe) and sends the rest of the data to the next led. Each led does the same and repeats down the entire string. Then the process keeps repeating itself and is all timing based. The process is slow in computer terms but fast enough to give a frame rate that is enough for our eyes to see comfortably. Changing the circuit much may alter the way it functions since frame rate is what you're going for here. You could cut the two wires between the controller and the first led and put in a weather proof connector that would allow you to take the controller inside when not needed. Just make sure to have a good connection and keep plug end dry and rust free. Another option is to wrap the controller in weatherproof tape or use the bag method. Take two heavy duty zip lock freezer bags. Put one inside the other. Cut a small hole in the bottom of the bags and carefully feed the light string through the hole from inside until controller is inside bag. Cut another hole on side of bag. Feed the power wire side of controller without power supply through hole. Silicone the holes in bags to make them waterproof around wires then zip lock both bags closed. Should keep the controller from direct contact with elements. I have not tried to break all three wires at the same point like you said for the tree but theoretically it could be possible. You would need to have your wires clearly marked and use good connectors. Because of the way these lights work as a whole, extra resistance in the circuit may cause visible timing changes and the lights use voltage changes to determine color changes. I have repaired breaks in the wires coming from individual leds and had no problems so I would think you could break the strand at all three wires with a three wire disconnect but I can't guarantee it. I would try to keep breaks to a minimum if possible. I hope all this helps. I'd be interested in how you come out. Good luck.

@@hall-o-gramcreations4988 thanks for your most informative response. i made 2 christmas tree cutouts using coroplast, the tree being in 3 sections and mounting 1200 lihgts and 1000 lights respectively. in order to bridge the sections, i had to cut the twinkly wires and rejoin with a waterproof plug. no problems with this; the lights worked fine. these trees get stored in the garage out of season. as for my lights which are permanently mounted on my tree, i did cut the wire just after the controller and plan to rejoin the controller next dec with a connector. i dont know the result of this one yet. by the way, i use in addiction to the regular twinkly lights, the twinkly pro lights. these are larger lights and the wiring much thicker and robust. control of these is by a 6 channel controller one purchases separately. i have dragged the pros around the roof, put them on tension vertically with a criss cross roof/ground pattern and all ok. i dont think i could do this with the regular twinklys thanks again

@@hall-o-gramcreations4988 I have used Twinkly Dots 60 USB version (the shortest string available) to light up a star on the top of 8 meters Twinkly tree (here is a video of final result: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v1M_AZMngTc.html ) Dots 60 has power supply with USB connector, meant to be used only indoors. The last Christmas I have sealed the controller in waterproof housing since it was exposed to the weather up there at the top of the 8m pole, but I have soon realized there is almost no WiFi signal up there. For this season I have decided I will open the original controller and extend the wires, so I can have controller at the ground. The dilemma is that I have to extend the cable for +7 meters. Do you think it will work or there will be too much impedance violation?

I have done the extension with 9m UTP 5E cable on Twinkly Dots 60 and it works! I have opened the controller, cut 3 pin wires and rejoin with extension cable between. UTP cable has 8 wires (4 pairs), so I have used 3 pairs (1 pair for each Twinkly contact).

It was very hard for me to open but it can be done. I used a small flathead screwdriver to pry it open.

5 pieces, that's a pain, huh, sorry to hear about that. Let's see, well if it was just the wires between the bulbs that was cut you may be ok. If the bulbs themselves were damaged might be an issue. What I'm not sure of is how each led is addressed meaning that each RGB led in the string is told in sequence what color it is supposed to display by reading the next frame of data that is being sent from the controller and the next led does the same and so forth down the string until the end of the frame is reached which should equal the total amount of leds in the string and then the controller sends out the next frame and on and on. The system is in balance when length of frame sent equals total amount of leds in the string. The system is voltage based it appears and resistance introduced into the string needs to be as minimal as possible. If you have 5 pieces of the strand cut between the leds and you know which piece went where on the string then it should be just a matter of carefully reconnecting the wires to the correct wires from the strand and soldering them and sealing them up. The wires on the broken part have to match the correct wire from the strand or it won't work. If you're not sure then temporarily connect them, test it and if it works solder and move to the next piece then on down the strand. What I'm not sure about exactly is how the leds are addressed on the string meaning if the address of the leds is hard coded into them or not. If they are then each cut section will need to be on the strand in a specific order. If not then the leds would be flashing in wrong order on the strand. My guess is that the system is not that smart. By that I mean that most likely each led doesn't have a specific address hard coded on it. This way the leds just pickup their color information from the frame sequentially as it comes down from the controller. This way no matter what order the 5 pieces went back together they would work because their order on the string is determined by placement as they are attached to the string. This brings me to my last point which is that I'm not quite sure how the controller determines the end of the frame. Normally a frame consists of the color data for all the leds on the string. The controller knows that there are 600 leds on the string and it sends out a frame of data for 600 leds. By the time the frame has reached the end of the string and the last led lights the controller sends out the next frame. Basically the controller waits a certain amount of time for the frame to reach the end then sends out the next frame. This is done in a fast enough way so you don't really notice the delay. If say half the strand were missing the frame would get to the end and then there might be a noticeable delay before the next frame is sent out. If all 5 pieces are put back but defective leds were cut out and bypassed as long as wiring was right I don't think the delay would be long enough to notice. I don't think the system is smart enough to wrap around meaning that if there were extra data for missing leds in the string that that data would wrap around to the beginning of the string. I think the string is just a one way street starting out from the controller and then progressing down the string. Uf there is extra data at the end it is just ignored. Well good luck. I'd be interested to find out how it goes. Sorry if my answer is too long. I tend to be long winded sometimes.

@@hall-o-gramcreations4988 damm, i know that there is atleast 4 leds i Cut… but i Think i Will try and Cut them out, and see if i have flickering when choosing a solid colour

@@GeekNetworkDKwhat ended up happening with this problem? At the end of last years season a rabbit chewed through my strand. All 3 wires were affected. The chew mark was so close to the bulb I don’t think I can splice, connect, and seal. Was wondering if it would still work if I cut out one led.

@@reyesmontemayor6998have not looked at it yet... its a big project, and i havent had the time :)

It theoretically should work with one led cut out depending on where it is. LEDs appear to be addressed by their physical location on the strand. I don't think they're hard coded in on each bulb. The controller sends the data down the strand with each led stripping off the last instruction and then passing it on to the next led. There should be just enough data to reach the end of the complete strand. What I'm not sure about is what would happen if there were fewer leds present than the original strand had. The last instruction might just be ignored and cause a slight delay or overlap. I don't think it wraps around in a bidirectional way so it most likely gets ignored then the controller sends out the next string of commands and it repeats. I don't think the controller is smart enough to realize less leds as long as the strand is wired up properly. I'm interested in how it goes. Good luck.

Hi, Yes, I've had to solder several sets with broken wires. As long as the correct wires are soldered together and then weatherproofed against the elements with silicone or tape they seem to be fine. If the wires are cross connected or shorted in some way you will get some crazy results. But if the wires are connected correctly it should be fine. Now if the controller got zapped when the wires broke it could require replacing controller but I haven't had any controllers be bad.

@@hall-o-gramcreations4988 How do you know which wire is which for soldering together?

Not sure if I can be of much help but I'll try. I had a strand that wouldn't connect to wifi or phone. I first unplugged my home router for a few minutes then plugged it back in. Sometimes the router will drop a device if signal is weak for awhile. It won't allow it internet access or respond to that devices IP address. I think that was issue with mine. I finally brought the stand into the room next to router, reset the strand and I was then able to connect to the strand. I moved it back where it was and moved router a little closer to it and that worked. Before that I was resetting it every couple of days. It could be that firmware may need to be updated on your Flex too. Could also be that transmitter/receiver in that controller may be weak or be going bad. Also if the signal is weak it can be overpowered by a more powerful wifi device nearby. Try moving strand. There is really nothing with the light end of the device that should be making it reset. Most likely something to do with controller. One other thing to check is that the controller button is moving freely. Not jammed in some way by dirt etc. If the button is being held down with debris that could also make the strand reset. Controller might think you might be holding button down all the time. Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

​@@hall-o-gramcreations4988 hello, thank you for you time and i actually turned off my router 2 days ago let it sit off for 5 minutes, and then turning it on (not for my twinkly originaly) but that's one thing done. Other than that after contacting the assistance of twinkly they told me it was a hardware problem and that they couldn't do anything to help me and that they will send a replacement. I don't know if that's true but i will still try to check things within the app and the light. I will still investigate to see if anything is blocking the buttons even if it seems like there is nothing. And again thank you for your help (i don't know if you can maybe add some information to what you said before with the new ones i gave you now. 😉)