diychristmas.org wiki - Recent changes [en]

Making/Wiring Mono-Pixels

Dirknerkle — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:49:34 GMT

Understanding

Wiring a Pixel to an external SSR

Dirknerkle — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:40:49 GMT

Power Injection

ESP Basics

Dirknerkle — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:34:35 GMT

Terminology/Definitions

Dirknerkle — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:21:16 GMT

Where to get more info

Dirknerkle — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:17:44 GMT

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 [[File:1-understanding.png | 400px | center]]
-::* The four holes along the top of the board are for the four pins of a common-anode RGB led; the RGB LED is soldered directly into these holes.
+::* The four holes along the top of the board are for the four pins of a common-anode RGB led; the RGB LED is soldered directly into these holes on a regular RGB pixel. Monopixels use only a white LED, which connect to either the R, G, or B and +V holes.
 ::* Because the board uses RGB leds of the a common-anode type, switching is done by taking the output control pins to ground, thereby completing the circuit and allowing each respective color to light up.
 ::* Except for the data in and data out pads, the top and bottom sides of the driver board share the same connections.

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 == Power Injection ==
-::It's a good idea to consider injecting power to the WS2811 chip as well because of the potential distance between the chip and the external SSR and the resulting resistance of the wire. Your mileage may vary, but if you find the external SSR doesn't fire on cue, it's probably because power injection is needed.
+::It's a good idea to consider injecting power to the WS2811 chip as well because of the potential distance between the chip and the external SSR and the resulting resistance of the wire. Your mileage may vary, but if you find the external SSR doesn't fire on cue, it's probably because power injection is needed. When a string of pixels is lit for full white (all pixels at 100%), if the resulting color is slightly pink, then power injection is a must; the pink color results from low current. Usually, injecting power at both ends of the string solves the problem.
 == Cat5 Wire Length ==

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	:* The modules use an external flash memory chip which is key to the operation of the ESP8266 chip. Users have experienced problems with modules manufactured with the PUYA memory chip. The symptoms are that either one can't connect to the chip or that the chip's SPIFFS memory cannot be used, which may be a requirement for some versions of custom ESP firmware (such as the ESPixelStick firmware). Modules known to be suitable for use have the BGMicro, cFEON or WinBond memory chips (there may also be other types that are acceptable).		:* The modules use an external flash memory chip which is key to the operation of the ESP8266 chip. Users have experienced problems with modules manufactured with the PUYA memory chip. The symptoms are that either one can't connect to the chip or that the chip's SPIFFS memory cannot be used, which may be a requirement for some versions of custom ESP firmware (such as the ESPixelStick firmware). Modules known to be suitable for use have the BGMicro, cFEON or WinBond memory chips (there may also be other types that are acceptable).

−	:* The blue modules generally have 512k memory; black modules usually have 1m or greater memory. (The ESPixelStick firmware requires ~~the larger~~ memory).	+	:* The blue modules generally have 512k memory; black modules usually have 1m or greater memory. The black ESP-01S modules have larger memory and can accommodate the version 4 ESPixelStick firmware. (The ESPixelStick firmware requires 1mb or greater memory).

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 '''DirkCheap.''' A concept and philosopy that Dirknerkle used to help lower the cost of participating in this hobby. It applies to several products the DIGWDF engineers created, such as the DirkCheapSSR, a no-frills 4-channel unit that is "dirt cheap" to make... In most cases, "DirkCheap" products used minimal parts due to their extra-sparse designs, such as no protective fusing or terminal blocks for convenience. It was the end-user's responsibility to address these issues on his/her own. The first product to carry this moniker was indeed the DirkCheapSSR, which lowered the DIYer's cost per A/C control channel by almost 70%, down to less than $1/channel.
-'''Dirknerkle.''' The patron saint of this site. Dirk runs not only the forums and wiki, but also was the proprietor of The DIGWDF Store [http://digwdf.org/ Dirknerkle’s Inventorium and Generally Worthless Device Factory], an online store that provided items of greater or lesser interest to holiday lighting enthusiasts. (based on sales totals, mostly lesser...)
+'''Dirknerkle.''' The original patron saint of this site, which started in November 2011. Dirk also was the proprietor of The DIGWDF Store [http://digwdf.org/ Dirknerkle’s Inventorium and Generally Worthless Device Factory], an online store that provided items of greater or lesser interest to holiday lighting enthusiasts. (based on sales totals, mostly lesser...)
 '''DIYC.''' Can refer to either [http://www.DoitYourselfChristmas.com DoitYourselfChristmas.com] or [http://www.DIYChristmas.org DIYChristmas.org].

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 As you visit other sites, look for links or topics that are related to "Getting Started", "For Beginners" or "How do I get started?" And resist the urge to go out and just buy something "because it looks good." Learn about the hobby first, do some planning, and leave the spending of money for later. You'll be much happier (and so will your credit card balance!)
-* [http://diychristmas.org '''diychristmas.org'''] hosts this Wiki, registration is free, and there are no fees attached to using the forum in any way. The site does accept voluntary contributions to help defray operating expenses, and profits from the [http://digwdf.com/store '''DIGWDF Store'''] are all directed toward supporting the diychristmas.org forum to keep it free.
+* [http://diychristmas.org '''diychristmas.org'''] hosts this Wiki, registration is free, and there are no fees attached to using the forum in any way. The site does accept voluntary contributions to help defray operating expenses. Contact jon@chuchla.com for more support info!
 * [http://doityourselfchristmas.com '''DoItYourselfChristmas.com'''] is another very popular and broad source of information for the animated lighting hobby.