OctoWS2811 Adapter + Teensy4.1 + 12V LED Tap = No Blinky :(

s4l4x

Member
Hi! I bought a some LED strips from GREE and after hooking things up I'm not seeing any of the LEDs light up. Any help or experience with these LEDs would be greatly appreciated!

Hardware
- 12V LED Tape: GREE GE60RGB8808B (based on the GE8808 which is supposedly compatible with WS2811, WS2813, GS8208. GE8808 Datasheet)
- OctoWS2811 Adapter Board
- Teensy 4.1

Wiring
- 12V Power Supply > 12V LED Tape
- OctoWS2811 Ethernet:
-- Orange > DI
-- Orange White > GND
- Teensy4.1 powered by USB from MacBook Air

IMG_4484.jpg
Click for higher resolution image

Program
HTML:
#include <OctoWS2811.h>

const int ledsPerStrip = 20;

DMAMEM int displayMemory[ledsPerStrip*6];
int drawingMemory[ledsPerStrip*6];

const int config = WS2811_GRB | WS2811_800kHz;

OctoWS2811 leds(ledsPerStrip, displayMemory, drawingMemory, config);

int count = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(38400);
  
  leds.begin();
  leds.show();
}

#define RED    0xFF0000
#define GREEN  0x00FF00
#define BLUE   0x0000FF
#define YELLOW 0xFFFF00
#define PINK   0xFF1088
#define ORANGE 0xE05800
#define WHITE  0xFFFFFF

void colorWipe(int color, int wait)
{
  for (int i=0; i < leds.numPixels(); i++) {
    leds.setPixel(i, color);
    leds.show();
    delayMicroseconds(wait);
  }
}

void loop() {
  int microsec = 2000000 / leds.numPixels();  // change them all in 2 seconds
  colorWipe(RED, microsec);

  Serial.println(count++);
  delay(800);   
}
 
Makes sense. I thought the tape needed a data signal of 5v and power at 12v. Maybe I’m mistaken, but will double check. Thank you!
 
As a very quick electrical check, try running the File > Examples > 01.Basics > Blink, but edit the pin to 2, since pin 2 is the first output pin for OctoWS2811.

Then use a voltmeter to check the input signal voltage. It should be changing from 0 to 5 volts. If your voltmeter responds slowly, just edit the delays to longer.

Sometimes ethernet cables have the wrong colors (eg, brown or green instead of orange) or the signals are flipped (white is actually the signal and color is ground). A simple voltmeter check with the slow LED blink example can tell you if the LED strip really is getting the signal from Teensy pin 2, buffered up to 5 volt level by the Octo28 shield.
 
Thanks for your help! After poking around with the multimeter a bit using the blink program I couldn't find any wires that were providing any signal coming out of the OctoWS2811. Then I tried poking directly on the Teensy and "discovered" that indeed, pin 2 was going between 3.2v and 0v. What I then realized was that I'd soldered and connected my Teensy backwards!
IMG_4536.jpg

Probably obvious to most, but not to me! I didn't connect the dots between which pins were being used in some of the programs and docs I read and the actual board. I also looked at the photo of the mount a few times and didn't notice the difference.
octo28_adaptor_8.jpg
Maybe to save others from the same that photo could be updated to include a Pin 2 arrow or USB cable plugged in?
octo28_adaptor_8_pin_2b.png
Off to solder and thanks for the help all!
 
We have Blinky! Thanks everyone :D
It's so comforting knowing there's such an active and supportive community out there willing to help!

blinky.jpg
 
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