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[Tim Weaver]

I have some WS2811 pixel tape (100 LED's, 300 channels). I also have an Enttec Pixie driver which does 2 universes of pixel control and supplies 130 watts of 12V to the tape.

I need about 80 feet of twinkling lights for a Christmas set. What I can't figure out is how to get two or more lengths of tape to display the same thing, whether they are daisy chained or paralleled. Basically like if I took two LED par cans and put them at the same address. They would do the same thing all the time. I want to do that with pixel tape.

I understand that I'll need to supply power to any extra lengths of tape, and that's no problem. What I can't get happening right now is two tapes doing the same thing, whether they are powered seperately or not.

Do I really need to have a controller for each and every length of tape?

[Jano Svitok]

Search the net for WS2811 parallel.

This guy https://grindskills.com/how-many-leds-can-be-driven-with-one-ws2811/ says in the last paragraph that he has driven 4 parallel tapes.
This guy suggests using some resistors and capacitors https://forum.arduino.cc/t/duplicating-data-across-multiple-ws2811-led-strips/629899/8
Here is some discussion when it didn't work (contains schematics) https://www.reddit.com/r/WLED/comments/katbi8/ws2811_parallel_data_line/

Not knowing much about this, it seems like it might work (Y the data output from enttec, and connect power supplies as needed).

Jano

[Tim Weaver]

Search the net for WS2811 parallel.

This guy https://grindskills.com/how-many-leds-can-be-driven-with-one-ws2811/ says in the last paragraph that he has driven 4 parallel tapes.
This guy suggests using some resistors and capacitors https://forum.arduino.cc/t/duplicating-data-across-multiple-ws2811-led-strips/629899/8
Here is some discussion when it didn't work (contains schematics) https://www.reddit.com/r/WLED/comments/katbi8/ws2811_parallel_data_line/

Not knowing much about this, it seems like it might work (Y the data output from enttec, and connect power supplies as needed).

Jano

Thanks. At least I've got plenty of time to figure this out before Christmas!

[Jeff Lelko]

Hey Tim, the answer is "kind of".  I can't speak specifically to your WS2811 pixel tape but have a fair bit of Chauvet Epix Flex pixel tape in use for various applications.  It's the same story though - each driver unit happens to have two output circuits which would allow for two strings to mirror each other very easily, but aside from that each LED is an individual entity. 

One option is to pixel map your way into getting the strings to match each other.  It's probably the "right" way to do that but will be complicated and time consuming.  The other option would be along the lines of what Jano is suggesting.  Since the data stream to the tape isn't bidirectional you only need to build up a repeater circuit - much like how a DMX splitter works.  I'd throw an optoisolator in there just to be safe, but otherwise a few MOSFETs/diodes/resistors/capacitors along with a power supply would theoretically work.  Hope this helps and good luck!

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