Led lighting -electrical help needed -pics

[Berwick12]

I'm looking to get some advice or help in wiring. I bought the solar led lights pictured above. Stripped the silicone tube off because I'm going to be putting it into a silicone diffuser. I wanted to higher LED density but I was hoping to use the controller that is built into the backside of the solar panel. The output is 24 volt. I picked up WS2812B and Ws 2813 lights with a higher LED density pictured below. 2812B has three pins the 2813 has four. If the previous draw was 24 volts the 5 volt draw on the higher density lines shouldn't be a problem.? On the original LED line there is no ground. Only power r, b, g. Four pins. On the new ones there's power some sort of data line and the ground line. Without buying a dedicated solar panel, controller, battery, How can I hook up the original LED line to the new LEDs?

My soldering skills are rudimentary but sufficient, assembly skill good, Electrical knowledge poor. I might be misunderstanding but I thought that as long as the draw is less than the voltage output it would work.

 

[Old Hippie]

I'm looking to get some advice or help in wiring. I bought the solar led lights pictured above. Stripped the silicone tube off because I'm going to be putting it into a silicone diffuser. I wanted to higher LED density but I was hoping to use the controller that is built into the backside of the solar panel. The output is 24 volt. I picked up WS2812B and Ws 2813 lights with a higher LED density pictured below. 2812B has three pins the 2813 has four. If the previous draw was 24 volts the 5 volt draw on the higher density lines shouldn't be a problem.? On the original LED line there is no ground. Only power r, b, g. Four pins. On the new ones there's power some sort of data line and the ground line. Without buying a dedicated solar panel, controller, battery, How can I hook up the original LED line to the new LEDs?

My soldering skills are rudimentary but sufficient, assembly skill good, Electrical knowledge poor. I might be misunderstanding but I thought that as long as the draw is less than the voltage output it would work.

You need to match output voltage of your solar system to input voltage of the LED strip or you'll let all the magic smoke out of it. The usual line of parts is: solar panel-charge controller-battery and then you may need a separate box to go between the battery (I assume 12V) and the LED strip. Basically here you're using the battery to both store power for later use and to smooth out the power delivery from the solar panel.

I see the box says "3.7V" so you may need to look at the manufacturer's site for some ideas. It'd be dead simple if you were using AC wall current: buy a wall-wart that puts out the right voltage; plug it in. In fact, consulting with the company about how you want to use their product might bring some insights.

O.H.

 

[Berwick12]

I yeah the 3.7 is for the output of the solar panel to the internal battery. I was really hoping to keep the price down and do everything simple but that appears not to be the case. I bought lots of stuff.Pictures to follow in a month

 

[StillShaving]

The current draw of the LED strip could be less than what the power supply/battery is capable of providing, but the input voltage should be close to the rated value. For example you could power a light strip at 5V that drew a maximum of 1200 mA of current (6 watts) with a power supply capable of supplying up to 4 amps at 5 volts (20 watts). But not with a 24 volt input voltage.

Also I would think that data line needs the proper controller. Isn't that necessary to control which individual LEDs are switched on and at what color.

 

[blethenstrom]

It seems like the two led strips that you show require different controllers. One is a 3pin and the other 4pin. I assume that these are color led strips. If so you have to see which strip is compatible with which controller. Single color strips are much easier.

As mentioned above the voltage has to be matched for it to work right and also ensure that the current draw does not exceed the capability of the power source. You can get power supplies that will convert one DC voltage to another, but yes it would be an extra cost.

 

[Berwick12]

There are three LED strips there. One is a dumb RGB all-in-one solar panel, controller, battery. That is the one that's labeled 24 v r,g,b. There's no way to go from this LED strip to the 2812B or the 2813 unfortunately. That would have saved lots of money and time

The other two are smart RGB 5 volt. 2812B and 2813 three and four pin respectively. Those you need a controller for, separate item. I bought that and a bunch of other stuff. When I'm done with the project I'll have pictures

 

[Berwick12]

Update
It appears the first two rolls of LED lights from China where duds. More info tomorrow. Now I need to decide whether I upgrade to a MPPT or stay with the PWM controller that came with the solar panel

 

[Berwick12]

I had to wait for the second batch of LED controllers to come in to make sure it was not the controllers that were duds. It is the lights. Unless I'm doing something horribly wrong. I missed the return window for the lights. I will buy the next round from BTF since they come with a 1-year warranty.

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

 

[Columbo]

You speak of quality. I know they're relatively quite expensive compared to the generic Chinese junk. And these are not solar powered. But Philips Hue products are fairly good quality, have excellent durability, and have a powerful and mature smart ecosystem to support them. They run on a Zigbee mesh, so don't put any added load on wireless network resources.

We don't use their strips. But we've had one of their tall floor lamps in a basement corner for several years now. And the thing can illuminate that end of the room in any color or intensity you want. A real workhorse that continues to impress.

Tonight, we'll have some Halloween colors going for the costumed wee ones.

Like everything else, you usually get what you pay for.

 

[Berwick12]

btf lights, my proof of concept works. The controller works. Proves the first two LED strips were junk.

waiting on 5 volt strips ws2813, they will use less energy to last through the night. The lights pictured are 12 volt WS2815. Now the big question is whether I'm going to run a buck converter off of the load PWM controller to a fuse box relay or use a high amp, high watt cigarette lighter style 12 volt DC to 5 volt DC adapter