Teensy is suddenly not updating my LEDs anymore

[harald25]

I've just recently run into a strange problem that I'm not able to solve :/

In my basement I have 7x 5m Neopixel strips from Adafruit in my ceiling.
They are controlled with a Teensy 3.2 with an Octows adapter, and receives messages from an ESP8266.

Suddenly, about a week ago, I noticed something was wrong. The program/cycle that was running had stopped. The LEDs had not turned off, they just didnt update any more.
I pulled the power and put it back, and now the LEDs didn't turn on at all.

So I took the teensy+esp down from the ceiling to do some debugging. I've inserted a Serial.println("Hello world") all over my code, and everything seems fine. The teensy seemingly runs through the code exactly like it should.
It also reacts to the WIFI-messages I send, but it's not updating the LEDs.

I've also measured the voltage in several places, and I'm reading 5.1V-5.2V everywhere.


What the hell could be wrong? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gibbedy]

Broken data wire going to your first led.

 

[PaulStoffregen]

Maybe try running the BasicTest example on your board? Running the simplest possible code is always the best first step for troubleshooting.

If still no response on the LEDs, start looking at possible hardware failures. Even with a DC voltmeter, you should be able to see some change in signal voltage as the BasicTest changes between the different colors. Check at the Teensy pins, (very carefully) at the RJ-45 connectors, then at the LED strips. Of course also check that the LEDs are still getting 5V power.

 

[harald25]

Broken data wire going to your first led.

I'm having a hard time believing that, because then the data wires for all 7 LED strips would've had to be broken. And it happened at the same time.

Maybe try running the BasicTest example on your board? Running the simplest possible code is always the best first step for troubleshooting.

If still no response on the LEDs, start looking at possible hardware failures. Even with a DC voltmeter, you should be able to see some change in signal voltage as the BasicTest changes between the different colors. Check at the Teensy pins, (very carefully) at the RJ-45 connectors, then at the LED strips. Of course also check that the LEDs are still getting 5V power.

I haven't tested out any simple code yet. I can try that.
I haven't tried measuring the data pins with a volt meter either, but I can do that too.

I have double checked that all the LEDs are getting 5V power, so that's not the problem at least.

 

[KurtE]

I don't have an OctoWS and largest Neopixel strip I have played with is maybe half meter...

But I would try doing the simplest tests I could do to help localize what the issues are.

Things like:
a) Can you upload a new program... Sounds like you have already done this
b) Try Neopixel strandtest (Examples: Adafruit_neopixel) on each of the IO pins associated with Octows to see if any of them work.
c) If b) fails, can you disconnect your long strips and do test with small simple strand on one pin at a time?
d) if b) and c) fail: Maybe try simple program that tests the IO Pins. Something like:

#define PIN 2  // 2, 14, 7, 8, 6, 20, 21, 5
void setup() 
{
    pinMode(PIN, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(13, INPUT);   // optional. 
}
void loop()
    digitalWrite(PIN, HIGH);
    delay(500);
    digitalWrite(PIN, LOW);
    delay(500);
}

i.e a simple blink test. If you have a volt meter, can you then check the appropriate output pins going to your strands and is that pin going to +5v down and then 0? If so your IO pins are working and the buffer chip is probably working. The optional set pin 14 to input, I have used in past, to then be able to simply jumper the pin I am testing for to pin 13, and use the LED as a way to see if the pin is going high and low...