I am mapping out using 3 or 4 AllPixels’s to run holiday lighting at the house… How far can I run the signal from the AllPixel to the LED strip before signal loss is an issue? I know voltage drop is real and 5v isn’t much to start with. Just looking at the Data vs. common as I’ll be handling power separately.
I’ll be driving strings of WS2813 LEDs .
Thanks
Josh
It really depends on the wires you are using. Using the thickest wires you can helps. I will often use Cat5e or Cat6 ethernet cable and use both wires of a twisted pair together for each signal line. That basically gives you ~20-24AWG (depending on the cable) times two. But even still, you’ll probably max out at 3 to 4 meters.
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Josh Handel jhandel@gmail.com wrote:
I am mapping out using 3 or 4 AllPixels’s to run holiday lighting at the house… How far can I run the signal from the AllPixel to the LED strip before signal loss is an issue? I know voltage drop is real and 5v isn’t much to start with. Just looking at the Data vs. common as I’ll be handling power separately.
I’ll be driving strings of WS2813 LEDs .
Thanks
Josh
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Hurm… My dreams of a single Pi running all this may be getting dashed… The math might not quite work out (and keep the pi accessable for reboots or lockups)… I guess I better read up on BiblioPixel’s network drivers/receivers…
Thanks
Josh
On Monday, November 13, 2017 at 8:30:07 AM UTC-6, Adam Haile wrote:
It really depends on the wires you are using. Using the thickest wires you can helps. I will often use Cat5e or Cat6 ethernet cable and use both wires of a twisted pair together for each signal line. That basically gives you ~20-24AWG (depending on the cable) times two. But even still, you’ll probably max out at 3 to 4 meters.
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Josh Handel jha...@gmail.com wrote:
I am mapping out using 3 or 4 AllPixels’s to run holiday lighting at the house… How far can I run the signal from the AllPixel to the LED strip before signal loss is an issue? I know voltage drop is real and 5v isn’t much to start with. Just looking at the Data vs. common as I’ll be handling power separately.
I’ll be driving strings of WS2813 LEDs .
Thanks
Josh
–
What voltage are you running the LEDs at?
There’s something you could do that’s probably not advisable but if you do it right you are fine.
Max logic voltage of most LEDs is VCC +/- 0.6V or something. So you could increase the output logic voltage with a level shifter.
Wait… how far you have to run?
This is a REALLY weird idea, but it works. Level shift the logic up to 12V using a level shifter at the output. Then at the receiving end, level shift it back to 5V (if the LEDs are 12V, get a cheap adjustable buck converter to create a 5V reference). This solution is fraught with ways of frying your LEDs so it’s offered without guarantee or acceptance of liability on my part.
Again, how far are you looking at running the data signal… then I can give a solution that might not fry your LEDs 
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:39 AM, Josh Handel jhandel@gmail.com wrote:
Hurm… My dreams of a single Pi running all this may be getting dashed… The math might not quite work out (and keep the pi accessable for reboots or lockups)… I guess I better read up on BiblioPixel’s network drivers/receivers…
Thanks
JoshOn Monday, November 13, 2017 at 8:30:07 AM UTC-6, Adam Haile wrote:
It really depends on the wires you are using. Using the thickest wires you can helps. I will often use Cat5e or Cat6 ethernet cable and use both wires of a twisted pair together for each signal line. That basically gives you ~20-24AWG (depending on the cable) times two. But even still, you’ll probably max out at 3 to 4 meters.
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Josh Handel jha...@gmail.com wrote:
I am mapping out using 3 or 4 AllPixels’s to run holiday lighting at the house… How far can I run the signal from the AllPixel to the LED strip before signal loss is an issue? I know voltage drop is real and 5v isn’t much to start with. Just looking at the Data vs. common as I’ll be handling power separately.
I’ll be driving strings of WS2813 LEDs .
Thanks
Josh
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Network drivers work fine. But I just as standard practice try to avoid network or using multiple drivers if I can avoid it.
As long as you can protect the remote Pis and manage them remotely, I do admit that is probably far less work.
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:56 AM, Josh Handel jhandel@ourtreehouse.org wrote:
House is about 23 meters wide, however, the first floor is tall (about 4 meters) and the second floor is another 3 (ish)… Assuming I don’t want cabling going up the dead center of my house I have to either put the pi(s) in the attic (which isn’t really an
attic) or run a pi from each side…. I am looking at about 2300 pixels (so its a 4 board project). I only have 5 meters I can spread them via USB standard then the 3 or 4 from the signal wire…. I am sure if I noodle my head I’ll work it out…
Level shifters is an interesting idea, I actually have some on order for another project… But time & money, an extra Pi (or 2) is probably a cheaper/easier (I have REALLY good wifi)… Unless the network drivers are fickle.
Josh
On Nov 13, 2017, at 8:44 AM, Adam Haile adammhaile@gmail.com wrote:
What voltage are you running the LEDs at?
There’s something you could do that’s probably not advisable but if you do it right you are fine.
Max logic voltage of most LEDs is VCC +/- 0.6V or something. So you could increase the output logic voltage with a level shifter.
Wait… how far you have to run?
This is a REALLY weird idea, but it works. Level shift the logic up to 12V using a level shifter at the output. Then at the receiving end, level shift it back to 5V (if the LEDs are 12V, get a cheap adjustable buck converter to create a 5V reference).
This solution is fraught with ways of frying your LEDs so it’s offered without guarantee or acceptance of liability on my part.
Again, how far are you looking at running the data signal… then I can give a solution that might not fry your LEDs
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:39 AM, Josh Handel
jhandel@gmail.com wrote:
Hurm… My dreams of a single Pi running all this may be getting dashed… The math might not quite work out (and keep the pi accessable for reboots or lockups)… I guess I better read up on BiblioPixel’s network drivers/receivers…
Thanks
Josh
On Monday, November 13, 2017 at 8:30:07 AM UTC-6, Adam Haile wrote:
It really depends on the wires you are using. Using the thickest wires you can helps. I will often use Cat5e or Cat6 ethernet cable and use both wires of a twisted pair together for each signal line. That basically gives you ~20-24AWG
(depending on the cable) times two. But even still, you’ll probably max out at 3 to 4 meters.
On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Josh Handel
jha...@gmail.com wrote:I am mapping out using 3 or 4 AllPixels’s to run holiday lighting at the house… How far can I run the signal from the AllPixel to the LED strip before signal loss is an issue? I know voltage drop is real and 5v isn’t much to start
with. Just looking at the Data vs. common as I’ll be handling power separately.
I’ll be driving strings of WS2813 LEDs .
Thanks
Josh
–
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