Question issue with pin connectors for RGB strip lighting, I think?

Tepid Mess

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May 13, 2021
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Hello,

My daughter has a set of strip lighting that has worked well for about six months.

The controller unit has four cables coming out of it. One is where the A/C adapter plugs in. A second is simply the receiver for an IR remote control. The remaining two are identical 4 pin connectors, into each of which plugs in about 15 ft of strip lighting, in her case, each going in opposite directions from the controller.

This is the problem we see now. Independently, each of the strip lights variously don't light at all, lights up in the wrong color, or flickers. Sometimes everything works perfectly.

To "mess it up," all it takes is the slightest touch of the controller, the strip(s) itself near the controller, the desk on which the whole thing sits, etc. It is extremely sensitive.

I tried to tape down all the different parts of the assembly separately to localize which was really the part that couldn't be breathed on too hard.

It was the 4 pin connectors, both of them, that are vulnerable.

The connecting ends are molded plastic, rectangular in shape, housing 4 pins (or 4 pin receptacles). The controller's "rectangle" fits into the larger rectangle of the strip lights ("male"), though the 4 actual connectors in each of the two cables within the rectangle are female (pin receptacles). The strip lights, obviously, have 4 male pins within the larger female plastic housing rectangle.

Markings and a small raised release tab ensure the 4 pin connectors are inserted in the proper direction. I have double-checked that.

None of the pins are loose, damaged, or missing. Nothing looks unusual in any of the connectors.

When plugged together, the connections are quite snug. They are not loose and actually require some effort to separate. But they have some give and if I bend, twist, or push them gently when they are fully connected, I can effect different (usually bad) results with the strip light operation.

I was about to try using some electrical grease to make a better connection for the pins, but then I thought that despite the jiggling observations, it was not likely that both connectors would become somehow internally loose at the same time, so I'm pausing that idea for now. I'm now wondering if there's something wrong with the controller.

One last thing I should mention. Prior to seeing this problem, I cut each of the strip lights and reattached the cut off portions with plastic, snap-on L-connectors.

I assumed there is nothing wrong with those connections because, even when the color is wrong, the wrong color is carried identically all the way down the strip, including past the L-connection. So the connections seem sound. Nothing changes color, intensity, or fails completely at the L-connection point.

Sorry for the long explanation, but I wanted to be clear and complete. When searching, all I found were hits related to using (or buying) the plastic connectors, or soldering the connections, or just making sure the pin connections are good and tight (they are).

Any ideas what/where the problem is, or what I can do to fix it?

Thanks!
 
Brand (make, model, etc.,) for the RGB lights and controller. Source: where purchased? Any warranty left?

= = = =

The connectors may be fitting well as you describe.

However, what may be astray are any soldered connections joining a port to the host PCB.

If those solder joints are loose, cracked, or even corroded in some manner (I.e., the manufacturer used low quality metals) then conductivity will be intermittent and much as you describe.

Or, per "But they have some give and if I bend, twist, or push them gently when they are fully connected, I can effect different (usually bad) results with the strip light operation" the plug molding holding the wires may not be secure.

Is it possible for you to take a couple of photographs and post the photographs here using imgur (www.imgur.com)?

Or provide the applicable website link(s)?
 
Thanks for the reply. Here are some pics. They mostly show the basic setup, not fine detail. Note in pic d that both connectors enter the controller through one place--maybe something loose there?

View: https://imgur.com/MeZzk9f
(a)
View: https://imgur.com/ud8RQRl
(b)
View: https://imgur.com/NMPZHc9
(c)
View: https://imgur.com/wsdP596
(d)

The brand is NEXillumi. The item is called APP+IR 44Keys RGB LED Strip. The set was relatively inexpensive.

They might send a replacement controller, if I knew for sure it was the controller.

But I am a tinkerer, and I'd like to fix this myself if I can. Within reason, of course.

Is this info helpful?
 
Info/photographs are helpful.

All in all I suspect that the quality of the controller, connector, wires/cables, and light strings is very low. Possibly even the materials used are cheap and easily degraded.

And much the same for the manufacturing and assembly of the controller. Little no QA anywhere during production.

This:

"To "mess it up," all it takes is the slightest touch of the controller, the strip(s) itself near the controller, the desk on which the whole thing sits, etc. It is extremely sensitive. "

If wiggling, twisting, movement etc. causes problems then, to me, the controller and connector innards are moving about, shorting, disconnecting, and otherwise not physically stable.

Stronger, thicker (AWG) wires and appropriately thick insulation help prevent movement and contact. As I view the images the controller, plugs, and connectors appear flimsy and cheap. (And you did note "inexpensive".....)

Any repair likely includes getting through the plastic moldings which will probably destroy more than fix.

I am a DIY fan but most things are no longer made to be fixed in such a manner and sometimes designed to prevent DIY. Attempts can void warranties.

Try returning the controllers for replacement or refund. I would not expect much better from a replacement controller and/or set of RGB lights.

There may be other suggestions and comments. I have no problem with that.
 
Thank you. I agree with a lot of what you have surmised. This set is cheap. Cheap price/cheap quality. I don't doubt it at all. These things are ubiquitous now, each more inexpensive (and with likely poorer quality) than the next.

I think you are pointing the finger at the controller, and not the pin connectors. Am I reading you correctly?

I am starting to think so anyway, for the following reasons. If it was just the pin connectors not making a good connection, it would not likely have happened to both at the same time. Also, the connections seem very snug, and you can pretty much see anything that might be broken. I don't see anything suspicious.

The controller, on the other hand, is literally a black box, has relatively delicate components inside, and could easily have something loose that could be causing this problem and would be impossible to see.

Also, I think it is possible that the controller could be damaged with very little movement. (It shouldn't of course, but it is possible.) Something much more violent would need to happen to the pin connector(s) to cause a failure like this.

Agreed?

Last question. Are these controllers universal/interchangable? Even if it could be replaced under warranty with an identical model, can new ones be purchased without the accompanying lights, for more effects or color combinations, for example?

Thank you!
 
Yes - the controller as prime suspect but I would consider the pin connectors probably substandard one way or another. Might come apart after a few more plug-ins/unplugs.

The way so many things are being made these days - many products will break with just normal use.....

The actual conductor in the wires is likely a very small gauge. I.e., very thin, may not even be pure copper. Breaks easily, pulls loose, comes in contact with other wires - might even happen during assembly when, afterwards, it is, indeed, impossible to see. Internal components likely flimsy and weak.

For the most part, as I understand it, RGB is still very much an unregulated/no standards world. Even with standards there are manufacturers who still create their own proprietary plugs, ports, light strings, and so forth.

As with any fad, all sorts of products with many variations quickly hit the market.

Those products and variations may or may not be compatible. And "compatible" is often misused: for example a 4 pin plug is compatible in that the plug will fit into a 4 pin socket.

Not that the respective pins and sockets match as far as voltage and polarity.

(RGB uses combinations of 3, 4, and 5 pins. Motherboards, controllers, lights - all making even more mismatches possible.)

A new controller may be possible but you must take a very careful look at the pin outs.

Here is a link from within this forum that will provide a sense of "pin outs":

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...rgb-connector-to-a-5-pin-mobo-header.3710470/

Note Post #2.
 
Thank you once again. Your "can break with normal use" comment is apt.

The small upside to this being a trending standard is that many (most?) companies know it's the case and thus have adopted a fairly liberal exchange/warranty policy.

I have emailed the company and described the issue and requested a replacement controller. I doubt they will be grilling me for a lot of details as to precisely what went wrong or what my role in any of it was.

More likely the CSR has a giant box of new controllers on her desk, will grab one, print a mailing label, and send it out without drama, all the while muttering to herself why her company is selling such crappy merchandise.

Well, maybe not literally.......

Anyway, I will post when I get a response.

And thanks for the compatibility info. Yes, it seems like the Wild West era for strip lights.
 
Ha! I was probably on the mark after all. Barely six hours after sending my email to their customer support email id, I received this reply, pasted almost in its entirety:

We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.
We will send the new controller ASAP. Could you please leave your shipping address....

As I suspected, they don't need any convincing. They already know....

And their abundant willingness to replace the controller probably also indicates how cheap those controllers really are.