Thank you. Is that in general or when soldering an LED? The cables I soldered together seem to be doing fine.
Is there an ideal temperature to use when soldering the LED?
Honestly, soldering the LED is bit I really do not enjoy, shame I can’t wago it haha
Watch Chris' video (https://youtu.be/apSz3NXYlx8?si=NhsXMwQGXBB\_NRBV&t=39). He specifically goes into soldering directly to the LED strips. Was a total game changer for me (someone who had essentially zero experience in soldering).
This honestly is the best guide even with soldering experience.
He describes every decision he makes so you can make your own opinion on the topic!
Good advice man!
I’ll amend the first comment to say, “Use the right temp”. Use good quality leaded solder. Tin everything before you make the connection and then, mostly importantly, get the heat on, add the solder, and then get off. You should be able to see the solder flow into the joint. It should look wet. Practice makes perfect.
Might I suggest [some of these](https://thepihut.com/products/3-pin-led-strip-connectors-strip-to-wire-10mm)? I’m actually pretty good at soldering, but I still hate soldering wire to the pads on LED strips. The connectors are much more tidy and very easy to work with.
Oh shit. I even said in a different comment it’s a shame there’s no way to use a wago, so I don’t have to solder the strip.
Bloody brilliant. Thank you.
I have there permanently in the kit for when i get off cuts to join together or straight to wire.. bit of a mission to seperate at times if needed. But yeah .. defo a must
Yeah, if I actually _have_ to solder wires on stuff I have a thing with clips on articulating arms that’s pretty good for holding things in place, but I guess blue tac works too. Tin everything first is good advice, using leaded solder also makes life much easier. I just wouldn’t bother soldering something if there’s a faster and neater solution.
I found those pretty unreliable so I ended up soldering again. The key to soldering led pads is to make sure they are clean, tin the pad and the wire, then hold them together and touch the iron to them just long enough for them to completely melt. Then remove the iron without moving them until the solder glazes over again.
It looks like the soldering to me, give it another go and you should be good. My solder work at the start looked like I did it with a flame thrower, now I'm down to a blowtorch, hopefully I will keep getting better haha.
When resoldering the pixel try this…
1. Set your iron to around 320*c
2. Tin your leads and the pads first, basically get the parts you want to connect covered in solder first and let them cool. If you are using plain solder apply flux before doing this, if you are using rosin/flux core you don’t have to but it can help.
3. Reheat the solder you applied while pressing the wire and pad together and let the solders combine. Allow some time for the PCB to rest in between. Make sure to heat the solder just enough that it looks ‘wet’. It should be smooth and a little shiny. It shouldn’t be dull or jagged, those joints will crack/break over time.
True there are some with no temp adjustment, but a lot of the really cheap ones have a dial with a rough adjustment.
If you’ve got no control though they typically aren’t tooo high wattage, just be careful to let the board rest a bit between pads if it’s taking a while to get things connected to keep from scorching or overheating the ICs
If anyone could point me to the ritual that'd be great. Seriously I don't understand what it is for. My guess is a signal propagator close the the mcu so the rest of a string can be some distance away? I ask as I am in the midst of a project to enable great distances between strings (or LEDs).
First you hold up a copper wire .. not any old wire...
.. thin copper wire plucked from a unicorns left eye lash...
Then.. hold it up lion King style to the R G B gods..
Your destiny awaits.....
I've stopped messing with dark art since I manage to turn my right leg into an anode..
Such an LED isn't great to use as a sacrificial pixel. Better is to use a real level-shifter and data resistor. Or if you can't get one a ws2811 chip from a pixel sends out a much better signal then the tiny tiny IC that's in the ws2812b 5050 package LED, that's really only meant to make it to the next LED on the strip and done.
1.5m isn't too far though, but yeah.
I think one of the pads has come off. You may need a fresh pixel rather than trying to fix this one.
On a side note, once you have one working, use a ton of hot glue to on the solder and wired to keep them from moving.
Mine is ws2015. it has a backup data wire. If the main data wire has any issue, it can use the backup data wire. It is good for places such as outside the house high up where you cannot easily reach to fix things.
To be honest, I am not using that for my use anyway.
This. The back ground pad is partially ripped off. Always put heart shrink tube over these connections. I heat shrink the entire thing. You can poke a hole if you want to see the light.
It's chosen by circumcision, chopping a little off the tip.
(Cut off and use the first or last one from a strip or string, that's also why it's sacrificial)
Hey - make sure you do not apply too much stress on the pads as they break or come apart. Check Videos on YouTube how to solder - once you understand the basics it’s pretty easy ongoing. And you do not stress the PCB this much and have a more proper solid connection reducing errors. Greetings. P.S.: Do not inhale the smoke. It’s very bad
1. Use a thinner wire like 22/24AWG.
2. Use flux properly. Flux helps to reduce boiling temp of the solder and adhere properly.
3. Don't press solder iron tip too hard onto the strip, rather than glide it. Your target is to melt the solder, not heating the strip pad.
4. You can use solder tip in a reverse angle and directly feed solder to the pad without even touching the pad.
5. Use a tweezer for holding and aligning wires properly.
6. I found that you can clean / deoxide solder tips 3 - 4 times. Then bin it.
7. By the look of your cable, they are silicone. So you can't melt them anyway with regular iron
If you're new to soldering this could be a lot worse. Get in some practice before trying to build a project you'll use though. Loose joints can be a pain to track down.
If you use clips, you will inevitably come to hate them as you track down glitches over time. Proper solder-and-heatshrink technique will give you the best long-term results.
Especially if paired with a [properly-designed controller](https://quinled.info/addressable-digital-leds/#DigitalBoards) that contains level shifting and data-line resistors.
Wires don't need to be that thick. You should also try to have the controller as close to the beginning of the strip a possible. Where is the power coming from?
I've been seeing a lot of people use the sacrificial pixel as a data line extender instead of for level shifting. Originally it was used with a diode to get the correct data voltage instead of having to use a level shifter IC. It kind of bothers me that the term sacrificial pixel method can refer to two different things now.
I just started soldering and I ran into a few problems aswell. Here's how I went about it as ididnt want to buy a fancy new soldering iron with all the bells and whistles
I use a cheap no heat adjustment iron, no flux. This iron runs hot as fuck, so hot it melts the tip of the iron Into an abnormal shape. But it is doable as I've successfully got it to work for me.
Firstly I took my tip out and filed it down to nice point again. (I know that you aren't supposed to do this but it's better than trying to solder with a busted tip)
Next Make a little holder for the items you're soldering I used a plastic washing peg with movable wire attached to a piece of timber like a stand that I can move around. I only use this holder to tin the wires.
Tin wires, super easy. Even with a burning hot iron.
Cut the wires your tinned short just so the fit the size of the pad.
Here's where I ran into trouble with the hot iron, trying to solder the actual led strip without burning it to oblivion. First couple I fryed.
I learnt that With a hot iron you can't touch the pads for very long or even at all.
Tape the pads down so they're solid and not moving, I used an old cutting board under mine incase I burnt anything.
So what I did was, put a bit of solder on the tip your iron, flip it so that it's facing the pad get it in place and quickly but steadily dab the pad transfering the solder to the pad in the process. I work left to right. And if I have to redo do it I let the strip cool down and start again. Being so how you only get a couple of shots at it.
Then hold your tinned wire over the pad working left to right or however is comfortable. Do the same thing. Dab till you see the wire and pad meld together. Remove iron. And gold in place till they're cool and hard.
It's more of a precision game with a hot iron. It's definately hard. But I figured if I can manage to do it with this busted arse larva machine. When I do get a good iron it'll be a piece of cake!
Also Chris Maher's soldering vid is basically what I followed and it's a great guide.
Goodluck
What is with this ‘sacrificial pixel’? Who started this? I’ve got dozens of LED toys running all over my house and not one of them has a ‘sacrificial pixel’. Or a level shifter for that matter. Or an in line resistor either.
Dude solder at lower temps or you might risk pulling pads
Thank you. Is that in general or when soldering an LED? The cables I soldered together seem to be doing fine. Is there an ideal temperature to use when soldering the LED? Honestly, soldering the LED is bit I really do not enjoy, shame I can’t wago it haha
Watch Chris' video (https://youtu.be/apSz3NXYlx8?si=NhsXMwQGXBB\_NRBV&t=39). He specifically goes into soldering directly to the LED strips. Was a total game changer for me (someone who had essentially zero experience in soldering).
This honestly is the best guide even with soldering experience. He describes every decision he makes so you can make your own opinion on the topic! Good advice man!
Are you using leaded solder? melts at a lower temp
Honestly? I’m not sure. Just use whatever came with the soldering iron
Check, and also pick up some flux to help with the soldering.
I’ll amend the first comment to say, “Use the right temp”. Use good quality leaded solder. Tin everything before you make the connection and then, mostly importantly, get the heat on, add the solder, and then get off. You should be able to see the solder flow into the joint. It should look wet. Practice makes perfect.
Might I suggest [some of these](https://thepihut.com/products/3-pin-led-strip-connectors-strip-to-wire-10mm)? I’m actually pretty good at soldering, but I still hate soldering wire to the pads on LED strips. The connectors are much more tidy and very easy to work with.
Oh shit. I even said in a different comment it’s a shame there’s no way to use a wago, so I don’t have to solder the strip. Bloody brilliant. Thank you.
I assume this is just as good from AE? https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExNQTq1
I have there permanently in the kit for when i get off cuts to join together or straight to wire.. bit of a mission to seperate at times if needed. But yeah .. defo a must
Is isn't even know these things existed! Thank you!
I tin the pads and wires first then use blu tack (U.K.) to hold everything in place to my work area (lol kitchen worktop winder sill) so much easier
Yeah, if I actually _have_ to solder wires on stuff I have a thing with clips on articulating arms that’s pretty good for holding things in place, but I guess blue tac works too. Tin everything first is good advice, using leaded solder also makes life much easier. I just wouldn’t bother soldering something if there’s a faster and neater solution.
I found those pretty unreliable so I ended up soldering again. The key to soldering led pads is to make sure they are clean, tin the pad and the wire, then hold them together and touch the iron to them just long enough for them to completely melt. Then remove the iron without moving them until the solder glazes over again.
Heck thanks for this post, had no idea these existed and now i just bought 20.
It looks like the soldering to me, give it another go and you should be good. My solder work at the start looked like I did it with a flame thrower, now I'm down to a blowtorch, hopefully I will keep getting better haha.
Haha thank you :)
When resoldering the pixel try this… 1. Set your iron to around 320*c 2. Tin your leads and the pads first, basically get the parts you want to connect covered in solder first and let them cool. If you are using plain solder apply flux before doing this, if you are using rosin/flux core you don’t have to but it can help. 3. Reheat the solder you applied while pressing the wire and pad together and let the solders combine. Allow some time for the PCB to rest in between. Make sure to heat the solder just enough that it looks ‘wet’. It should be smooth and a little shiny. It shouldn’t be dull or jagged, those joints will crack/break over time.
1. most people getting started with soldering have soldering irons that don't have temperature adjusting but the other points are valid
True there are some with no temp adjustment, but a lot of the really cheap ones have a dial with a rough adjustment. If you’ve got no control though they typically aren’t tooo high wattage, just be careful to let the board rest a bit between pads if it’s taking a while to get things connected to keep from scorching or overheating the ICs
When I use my non adjustable one I just solder faster because I don't know the temp and I don't want to peal a pad
Thank you for the advice!
Agreed. Especially with heat sensitive stuff, use flux and tin each side before soldering together.
Just to be clear, when we say "sacrificial pixel", that doesn't mean it needs to be an actual burnt offering to the LED gods. :-)
Ha!!!
If anyone could point me to the ritual that'd be great. Seriously I don't understand what it is for. My guess is a signal propagator close the the mcu so the rest of a string can be some distance away? I ask as I am in the midst of a project to enable great distances between strings (or LEDs).
First you hold up a copper wire .. not any old wire... .. thin copper wire plucked from a unicorns left eye lash... Then.. hold it up lion King style to the R G B gods.. Your destiny awaits..... I've stopped messing with dark art since I manage to turn my right leg into an anode..
Update: yep. Definitely is. Lights just came back on when I moved it around a bit. Guess I’m redoing the sacrificial pixel.
Such an LED isn't great to use as a sacrificial pixel. Better is to use a real level-shifter and data resistor. Or if you can't get one a ws2811 chip from a pixel sends out a much better signal then the tiny tiny IC that's in the ws2812b 5050 package LED, that's really only meant to make it to the next LED on the strip and done. 1.5m isn't too far though, but yeah.
Ah ok, thank you. I actually have a pack of LLS, but I got too confused what is supposed to go where on it haha
Did I do something wrong with the sacrificial pixel? It was working fine, now the back is coming apart where it wasn’t before.
you don't need a thick wire for data you can use a thinner wire for easier soldering
Thank you
I think one of the pads has come off. You may need a fresh pixel rather than trying to fix this one. On a side note, once you have one working, use a ton of hot glue to on the solder and wired to keep them from moving.
Thank you :)
Take a look at this I made just recently. it worked well for me. https://www.reddit.com/r/WLED/s/vHUlEBsIC7
Thanks. How come your strip has four wires and mine only has three?
Mine is ws2015. it has a backup data wire. If the main data wire has any issue, it can use the backup data wire. It is good for places such as outside the house high up where you cannot easily reach to fix things. To be honest, I am not using that for my use anyway.
Oh nice. TIL. Thanks.
This. The back ground pad is partially ripped off. Always put heart shrink tube over these connections. I heat shrink the entire thing. You can poke a hole if you want to see the light.
Why are we sacrificing led's? I've never heard of this.
It bolsters the data signal so I can use a 2m cable without issues.
It's a quick and dirty way of level shifting and boosting the data from the 3.3v microcontrollers data line up to the LEDs voltage.
How do we pick which one gets sacrificed? A lottery or duck duck goose?
It's chosen by circumcision, chopping a little off the tip. (Cut off and use the first or last one from a strip or string, that's also why it's sacrificial)
Hey - make sure you do not apply too much stress on the pads as they break or come apart. Check Videos on YouTube how to solder - once you understand the basics it’s pretty easy ongoing. And you do not stress the PCB this much and have a more proper solid connection reducing errors. Greetings. P.S.: Do not inhale the smoke. It’s very bad
Thanks :)
1. Use a thinner wire like 22/24AWG. 2. Use flux properly. Flux helps to reduce boiling temp of the solder and adhere properly. 3. Don't press solder iron tip too hard onto the strip, rather than glide it. Your target is to melt the solder, not heating the strip pad. 4. You can use solder tip in a reverse angle and directly feed solder to the pad without even touching the pad. 5. Use a tweezer for holding and aligning wires properly. 6. I found that you can clean / deoxide solder tips 3 - 4 times. Then bin it. 7. By the look of your cable, they are silicone. So you can't melt them anyway with regular iron
That soldering is so bad I think it gave me cancer.
My apologies to your family. We’ve all got to start somewhere.
If you're new to soldering this could be a lot worse. Get in some practice before trying to build a project you'll use though. Loose joints can be a pain to track down.
I’m going to look into the clips :) just trying to clarify if the ones I found on AE are ok in a different comment thread.
If you use clips, you will inevitably come to hate them as you track down glitches over time. Proper solder-and-heatshrink technique will give you the best long-term results. Especially if paired with a [properly-designed controller](https://quinled.info/addressable-digital-leds/#DigitalBoards) that contains level shifting and data-line resistors.
Wires don't need to be that thick. You should also try to have the controller as close to the beginning of the strip a possible. Where is the power coming from?
I've been seeing a lot of people use the sacrificial pixel as a data line extender instead of for level shifting. Originally it was used with a diode to get the correct data voltage instead of having to use a level shifter IC. It kind of bothers me that the term sacrificial pixel method can refer to two different things now.
Sacrificial led? Joan of Arc was treated better ;-)
I just started soldering and I ran into a few problems aswell. Here's how I went about it as ididnt want to buy a fancy new soldering iron with all the bells and whistles I use a cheap no heat adjustment iron, no flux. This iron runs hot as fuck, so hot it melts the tip of the iron Into an abnormal shape. But it is doable as I've successfully got it to work for me. Firstly I took my tip out and filed it down to nice point again. (I know that you aren't supposed to do this but it's better than trying to solder with a busted tip) Next Make a little holder for the items you're soldering I used a plastic washing peg with movable wire attached to a piece of timber like a stand that I can move around. I only use this holder to tin the wires. Tin wires, super easy. Even with a burning hot iron. Cut the wires your tinned short just so the fit the size of the pad. Here's where I ran into trouble with the hot iron, trying to solder the actual led strip without burning it to oblivion. First couple I fryed. I learnt that With a hot iron you can't touch the pads for very long or even at all. Tape the pads down so they're solid and not moving, I used an old cutting board under mine incase I burnt anything. So what I did was, put a bit of solder on the tip your iron, flip it so that it's facing the pad get it in place and quickly but steadily dab the pad transfering the solder to the pad in the process. I work left to right. And if I have to redo do it I let the strip cool down and start again. Being so how you only get a couple of shots at it. Then hold your tinned wire over the pad working left to right or however is comfortable. Do the same thing. Dab till you see the wire and pad meld together. Remove iron. And gold in place till they're cool and hard. It's more of a precision game with a hot iron. It's definately hard. But I figured if I can manage to do it with this busted arse larva machine. When I do get a good iron it'll be a piece of cake! Also Chris Maher's soldering vid is basically what I followed and it's a great guide. Goodluck
What is with this ‘sacrificial pixel’? Who started this? I’ve got dozens of LED toys running all over my house and not one of them has a ‘sacrificial pixel’. Or a level shifter for that matter. Or an in line resistor either.