m trying to get a Radio Shack Tricolor LED strip working on an UNO. The packaging says this is a TM1803 strip. I am using FastLED 3.1.0 and ARduino 1.6.8 I have the strip powered through the UNO and it’s getting 11.4 V at the beginning of the strip. I’ve tried running several of the example sketches from the library and I can’t get any LEDs to light. I have had this LED strip working in the past but it’s been awhile and I just don’t remember what I did or which versions of software I was using. IT’s quite possible I was using older versions of Arduino as I recently had to wipe all versions of Arduino from this machine and reinstall it. I’m not sure I reinstalled all older versions that I once had. Is there a particular example to start with as I try to troubleshoot this? Also is there a quick and dirty way to determine whether I might have somehow blown the first LED?
I think that strip is a 5V strip, not 12V. You may have blown more than just the first LED. Try powering it with 5V.
this guy says it’s 12V
Check whether the first LED is blown: Attach power lines and take a long jumper wire and poke it to the input of the second, third, etc. LED.
I guess you would not blow the first LED in your case but the first TM1803 chip driving the first 3 LEDs.
Always connect and disconnect your strips when power is off to avoid any risks of damaging that first device.