I've been running HDPE arches since timon started the thread about them in 2013.
I initially used his recommendation for non-waterproof, then went to waterproof. Tried 5 or 6 different brands of strips. I always had arches go out every couple of days and need servicing. Pixels go out. Partial strands go out, or the entire arch starts flickering at low temps. Tried ferrite core's around the wire - different voltage, different ways of sealing it - all trying to get those arches to work at both low temp and high humidity. In any given 30 day period I would service every single arch at least once - mostly just replacing the entire strip, so in the beginning of the season I would make dozens of extra strips and have standby arches to swap in while the show is running. Some arches would need servicing 4 or 5 times a season.
So I was bent on using pixels this year instead of strips, but couldn't get the pixels shape right in time without it casting bad shadows, so gave up and went with strips again and just picked up these from Amazon at the last moment:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FVPN3PH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
"ALITOVE 16.4ft WS2812B Addressable Programmable Digital RGB LED Strip Light 30 LED/M 5m 150 Pixels Dream Color LED Flexible Strip Waterproof IP65 5VDC for Home Bedroom Bar Decor Lighting"
It has a glued-on waterproofing sleeve rather than the open ones.
Low and behold, they have been absolutely perfect. Zero failures. No out pixels. No flickering. No issues down to 2 degrees F. The arches have been standing covered in a foot of snow right for the last few days, haven't missed a beat. No ferrite cores on them. I simply cut them to size and soldered Ray Wu connectors on them with heat shrinking around the beginning and end of the strips and it seems that has been good enough.
Yay!
I initially used his recommendation for non-waterproof, then went to waterproof. Tried 5 or 6 different brands of strips. I always had arches go out every couple of days and need servicing. Pixels go out. Partial strands go out, or the entire arch starts flickering at low temps. Tried ferrite core's around the wire - different voltage, different ways of sealing it - all trying to get those arches to work at both low temp and high humidity. In any given 30 day period I would service every single arch at least once - mostly just replacing the entire strip, so in the beginning of the season I would make dozens of extra strips and have standby arches to swap in while the show is running. Some arches would need servicing 4 or 5 times a season.
So I was bent on using pixels this year instead of strips, but couldn't get the pixels shape right in time without it casting bad shadows, so gave up and went with strips again and just picked up these from Amazon at the last moment:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FVPN3PH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
"ALITOVE 16.4ft WS2812B Addressable Programmable Digital RGB LED Strip Light 30 LED/M 5m 150 Pixels Dream Color LED Flexible Strip Waterproof IP65 5VDC for Home Bedroom Bar Decor Lighting"
It has a glued-on waterproofing sleeve rather than the open ones.
Low and behold, they have been absolutely perfect. Zero failures. No out pixels. No flickering. No issues down to 2 degrees F. The arches have been standing covered in a foot of snow right for the last few days, haven't missed a beat. No ferrite cores on them. I simply cut them to size and soldered Ray Wu connectors on them with heat shrinking around the beginning and end of the strips and it seems that has been good enough.
Yay!
