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By IMFoolishTim
#200616
Is there a maximum distance between the Arduino and the last LED? And is there a way to boost the signal?

I set up a string of 30 yard lights. The lights are spaced about two feet a part and the first LED is about 20 feet away from the controller. The first several LED's respond to color changes but the last 10 or so don't hold a steady color. If I want them to be a white light they will flicker and change colors slightly.
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By darrellg
#200618
Each of the LEDs retransmits the signal, so distance from first to last isn't necessarily the problem for the signal. It sounds like your issue is voltage drop in the cabling. Check the voltage at the far end. Insufficient voltage will cause color problems.
By IMFoolishTim
#200619
That is good to know. The DC voltage is not as difficult to fix. I'm currently using a 5v power supply. I'm sure by the time it gets to the end of the line I'm less then the minimum voltage. Since these LED's will operate from 4.5v to 6v I'll up the voltage to 6 volts. I have a variable voltage supply I can test with. I was really worried it was the serial signal which I could not figure how to boost.

More testing tonight...

Thanks for your help!