My problem is that the when I code for white I get red and

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My problem is that the when I code for white I get red and I haven’t been able to get any other color. When I try to light up led[0] I get the 2nd led in the chain.

Here is my set up. A string of WS2812B. I’ve got a 330 Ohm resistor protecting the data line and 2 470 uF Caps in parallel in between 5v and ground as recommend by Adafruit. Since I’m not trying to push any brightness levels right now the string of 30 is power from the 5v from the Arduino uno board.

Any suggestions on how I should change the setup or a recommendation of code to test if the led string is working properly?

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Can you post your code so we can double check that also? Pastebin or gist is good.

Is anything better if you make your NUM_LEDS just a few pixels, like 3 instead of 30?

Running 30 pixels directly off the Arduino is not a good idea since 30 pixels @ 60mA = 1.8A, which is definitely more then the Arduino pins are rated for. Even if being really conservative and only using 20mA gives .6A which is still above Arduino pin ratings.

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http://pastebin.com/vgKcHMag THere it is.

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Also, did you run the RGB Calibration code to check that your color order is correct?

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Just rain it and only 1 led lit up and the color was red.

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Hummm. Even if your color order isn’t correct you should still get the first 6 pixels lighting up.

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It sounds like the strip is most likely broken. I’m going to send to back to amazon and hope I can find another supplier. Do you know a place where I could get a m of 30 LED without spending an arm and a leg?

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This APA102 strip only costs one small arm for 30 pixels.

If you’re willing to buy from Aliexpress, I and others here can recommend Ray Wu’s store.
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/701799/

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$20 is steep for only 1 m. but I guess paying out the ass is the only way to be sure it will work.

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Hey @Keyth_Rodgers , your code only lights up the first LED.

Have you tried changing the line from RGB…

   FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, DATA_PIN, RGB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);

to GRB like this…

   FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, DATA_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);
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It skips the first led and goes to the second I’ve despite using led[0]. If that matters

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Ooops just noticed that you got the link to RGB Calibrate and that also failed.

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Did you try a sketch that tries to light up all 30 LEDs ? How many light up ?

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ALL of them can light up but not by trying to call them individually, @JP_Roy

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I just wanted to check that you have your data line connected to DI (data In) and not DO (data Out). I don’t believe anything will light up if it’s incorrect, but I’m just trying to think of what else this might be (if the strip isn’t bad).

Also, just for kicks maybe might try specifying your strip type as WS2812 (non-B version) and WS2811. Who knows, maybe the vendor mislabeled it.

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@marmil the wire protocol is the same for both variations, and ws2811 is the chip that is used in both LED setups. It shouldn’t make a difference.

@Keyth_Rodgers try keeping the DI line unconnected, and while your code is running try touching the DI line to the DI pad on your strip, starting at pixel 1 and then skipping it to pixel 2, and so-on. This can help you eliminate a single malfunctioning pixel, although I have before had to actually cut the first pixel off before the rest of the strip would work.

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@marmil , I’ll consider that supplier when I need more but right now I only need 2 1m 30leds. Any other suggestions for reliable suppliers that could get it to me in less than 5 days? And as far as the wiring this was the first thing I checked as I have made this mistake before.

@Gabriel_Schine , I hear what your saying about the malfunctioning pixel but in my mind I paid for 30 working ones. It hard for me to accept 1 that isn’t working. How often have you found this to be the issue? Also which code do you recommend doing this with?

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Any code that lights up enough LEDs. It really doesn’t matter.

I know it’s annoying. I have bought ~32m of strips and 3 of them have needed pixels replaced. The one I diagnosed as above I damaged myself, probably through static electricity discharge. It’s possible you did this, too :).

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Hmm, I hope not the cause of the problem. I tried to take every precaution. I’m going to try this again tonight before I return it to Amazon. Any suggestions on us based suppliers for just a meter or 2?

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Adafruit is who I use in the US