Stringing WS2811 on 4x4 posts

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byrnet13

New member
Hello,
I bought 600 ws2811 pixels to wire up some singing decorations but health and budget took that off the list for this year.
I was looking at my archway which has 4 - 4x4 posts and lattice in the middle. I was thinking of running a strip of lights down each side of each posts. My question is to be able to sequence each post to be identical do I have to run an extra data line to the start of the next strand of LEDs? Can I start at the bottom of say post 1 (back side), run up to the top, cross over and down the inside of the post, cross over and run up the face of the post and then down the outside portion of this post. Then make a jumper to get over to the next post and repeat.
All YouTube videos I can find basically deal with adding LEDs to the eves of the house and such.
I think the closes I can find is the method to wire up a mega tree.
I found someone's drawing of how they were doing a mega tree and I was thinking that's how I was thinking about the posts.
As for what program I was going to use to sequence I was playing around with Vixen and x-lights.
I was planning on x-lights for the singing decorations.
Any thoughts or assistance is greatly appreciated.

Tim
 

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In a nutshell all that matters:

- your data is in a 'chain' up to the number of pixels your controller supports on the output. For example if you have outputs which support 200 pixels (600 channels) you would need to split into three. There will be limit on how far you can go between the controller and the first pixel, and each pixel to the next (like your 'links')

- Then you need to have power injected every 50 pixels ideally if they are 5V. Then beyond that it's just the usual considerations about cable distances and associated voltage drop etc.

Your program your software (vixen, xlights) with the pixel order. So as long as the software knows which pixel is which the wiring order isn't important relative to the physical layout. Hope that makes sense.

What do the red, black and yellow lines represent in your diagram? you want to inject both +5V and 0V, you'll notice the pixels have additional cables for this. Oh and I'm a Vixen bunny out of preference, but both applications have much the same functionality for your purposes. The software will do whatever you want provided it 'understands' how your pixels are wired, and for certain effects, where they sit on physical space (an x,y position). That's the whole point of 'addressable' pixels, each one is controlled individually.
 
Last edited:
RichieNorthcott said:
In a nutshell all that matter....Hope that makes sense.

What do the red, black and yellow lines represent in your diagram? you want to inject both +5V and 0V, you'll notice the pixels have additional cables for this. Oh and I'm a Vixen bunny out of preference, but both applications have much the same functionality for your purposes. The software will do whatever you want provided it 'understands' how your pixels are wired, and for certain effects, where they sit on physical space (an x,y position). That's the whole point of 'addressable' pixels, each one is controlled individually.
Click to expand...

Thanks and it makes sense.
The diagram is not mine but it seemed to be exactly what I was planning to do as related to stringing the lines.

I'll have to play around some more to get it down , thanks for your input...I greatly appreciate it.
I toyed with Vixen for a few years on the computer, never doing much more than that.

Tim
 
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