I had a power hit and blew out the regulators on 2 of my V2 ESPixelSticks, The PCB is fine but I need to replace the regulator, what part do I need to get to repair them? I’m unable to read the top due to a small hole that was created when they released the magic smoke.
i found one silly spot on your “ESPSFlashTool.jar”
when ssid & password’s value return values in string type make sure all characters are convert in string.
Ex:- i have 2 ssid in my Lab
esp is trying to join “Kmlu0027s_Lab” rather then
SSID 1:- Kml’s_lab
SSID 2:- Kml’s_Guest
Hello Shelby,
My name is Henrique, I am from Brazil and I have little experience in use the ESP- Module.
But I would like very much to do my own ESPixelStick and so I did the board using the schema of the Assembly and Usage.
I did the first step and I did the upload how is wrote and until here nothing problem.
But I have some doubt how can I use the web browse for to configure the IP and other information for that I can to use together with Xlight 4 and see my mini tree works.
Please can you help me
Hi Shelby,
I am using the Flash tool,
when I upload the information the Serial Output show me symbols and number that not have nothing how number the IP.
Because this I don’t know what is number of IP that is in my Module.
Configuration is stored in config.json in SPIFFS and if you’re compiling your own firmware, you can define a default SSID and Passphrase at the top of the sketch for fallback if there’s an issue connecting to your AP. If you’re compiling yourself, you have to “upload sketch data” to overwrite config.json in SPIFFS. If you’re using the pre-compiled version, there’s no hard-coded fallback config so you’ll have to re-flash using ESPS Flash Tool to reset it.
I’m getting an error when I run the ESPSFlashTool.jar file from the zip file. In version 2.0 I get three errors
“Bad mode configuration: Firmware not found for mode Pixel (WS2811 / GECE)”
“Bad mode configuration: Firmware not found form mode Serial (DMX/Renard)”
“Failed deserialize: Unable to find ESPixelStick Configuration file”
When I run the any of the 3.0 firmware I only get one error
“Failed deserialize: Unable to find firmware configuration file”
Can you please tell me what I need to do so I do not get these errors?
Thanks for the quick response. However I’ve already extracted the zip folder.
I extracted it into a folder “ESPixelStick_Firmware-3.0rc2” in my home directory. Here is what is currently in the folder.
~/ESPixelStick_Firmware-3.0rc2$ ls
bin espixelstick-3.0rc2-pixel.efu firmware README.md
Changelog.html espixelstick-3.0rc2-serial.efu lib spiffs
Changelog.md ESPSFlashTool.jar README.html
Yes I’m running Ubuntu 17.04. Good question about instantiating it. Led me into getting it to work. So the errors come when I double click the .jar file in the folder. I was able to get it to work by running
$ java -jar ESPSFlashTool.jar
in the terminal from the directory.
I’ve tried this in the 3.0 rc2 and rc3 and that worked in both of them.
Recently crossed the lines on a t connector while doing some power injection . I blew the fuse on the power distribution board but not on the espixelstick , now the espixelstick won’t start up. I swapped out the esp module to a different board and it still works, but I can’t get it power. Any ideas on where to start to fix the espixelstick?
You probably blew out the switching IC, U1. Schematic is in the manual if you want to try replacing it, however its VERY difficult to do by hand. The SMD parts are all machine assembled. You can test the voltages using this diagram – https://flic.kr/p/W7gdoy
Yep the voltages aren’t coming up. You’re right, I don’t think I can change out the u1, I have big fingers that won’t be able to get in that tight. I was hoping that it was U2, I thought I might be able to handle that replacement
Hi Shelbly…I bought an ESPixelstick, hoping I could make it do what I saw in your videos when you were raising funds. Now that I have it, not knowing code, is there a dummies version of how to use/program it? I am familiar with ws2811 and other LED’s…Currently use LEDedit and T1000-s controllers. I am 67 years old and was hoping I could catchup with technology and impress my friends. Thankyou Shelby and good luck with your endeavors. I can be reached at …or on Facebook…Rob Orizino
Have you been able to flash it yet? Once flashed, it’s a wireless sACN (E1.31 / DMX over Ethernet) controller. There are numerous programs to feed it data, however the controller grew out of the holiday lighting community where we typically use xLights or Vixen to program lighting sequences to music. There are other applications for live usage such as Jinx. These are all free as well. There are many more applications once you start delving into commercial DJ / stage apps. I’ll shoot you an email.
Shelby….I bought your ESPixel stick so I could program it like the videos you posted. I am not a “coder” and was hoping you could send me to a link that would show me how a layman like myself can make it do anything at all. I am pretty good with the LEDedit software and the T-1000S SD hardware, but I liked what on saw on your videos. Can you help me get started? I appreciate this. Thankyou, ~~RoB~~
I would recommend either xLights or Vixen 3 for sequencing software. The xLights site has a wealth of tutorials and videos to get you started – https://xlights.org/
I just upgraded to RC3 so I could change the color order to aone of the new sequences added but I couldn’t locate it in the UI. Can you tell me where to find it?
So not worried about the power for my pixels but just trying to figure out what kind of power I need to use one as a dedicated programmer at my desk. Will any wall wart work as long is it is at least 5V 500mA? Again this isn’t driving any pixels it is just so I can program a bunch of them when I need to.
I want to use it with QLCPlus and / or MagicQ.
Thus i checked ESPixelstick with both programs.
First i tried the newest version (3.0) with both programs:
– QLC works
– MagicQ forces ESPixelStick to reboot permanently.
Thats why i tried an older version, actually version 1.3.
Version 1.3 works with both programs.
I had more tests with the lastest version and so I included some logging:
==========================================================================
void loop()
{
e131_packet_t packet;
I’ve never used MagicQ before, will have to look into it after the holidays. Can you create an issue in the github issue tracker for it?
Here’s the link – https://github.com/forkineye/ESPixelStick/issues. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
thanks,
-shelby
Hello,
I just received 5 ESPixelStick V2 from Amazon.
Are they already flashed with firmware ?
Because I can connect to the wifi network but impossible to browse his address
I ordered one of the ESPixelsticks last year, It was awesome for what I needed it for. Been checking off and on through out the year, but its always out of stock when I look on Amazon. I would like to get a couple more them for the house. If you can let me know when there are in stock or how to buy it in parts I can put them togeather.
It sounds like the module is not entering programming mode. Do you see anything in the serial output window? Are you using ESPixelStick hardware as well or trying to load it on something else?
Will there be another batch available on Amazon anytime soon? I have a couple of last-minute props I wanted to add to this year’s Xmas show and was hoping to pick up a couple more ESPixelSticks.
Amazon is saying they will be available on 11/29. Not sure if that’s the same batch you sent or not tho. I bought 4 and am now sitting on my hands waiting 😉
63 thoughts on “ESPixelStick V2 Assembly and Usage Manual”
I have several strings of 100 ws2811 pixels. I have nodemcu boards that have 4 available I/O pins. Is it possible to use multiple pins to run pixels?
Due to the way the ws2811 stream is generated (using the UART), you can only have one pixel output.
Not with how the pixel generation code works. It requires the UART pins.
I had a power hit and blew out the regulators on 2 of my V2 ESPixelSticks, The PCB is fine but I need to replace the regulator, what part do I need to get to repair them? I’m unable to read the top due to a small hole that was created when they released the magic smoke.
Schematic is at the bottom of the Usage and Repair manual. It’ll have the part numbers on it.
hey Merrick,
i found one silly spot on your “ESPSFlashTool.jar”
when ssid & password’s value return values in string type make sure all characters are convert in string.
Ex:- i have 2 ssid in my Lab
esp is trying to join “Kmlu0027s_Lab” rather then
SSID 1:- Kml’s_lab
SSID 2:- Kml’s_Guest
& “u0027s” >> is UNICODE value of ( ‘ )
https://chars.suikawiki.org/string?s=%5Cu0027
All n all Thanks for share your idea.
I’ll add this to the bug list, thanks!
Hello Shelby,
My name is Henrique, I am from Brazil and I have little experience in use the ESP- Module.
But I would like very much to do my own ESPixelStick and so I did the board using the schema of the Assembly and Usage.
I did the first step and I did the upload how is wrote and until here nothing problem.
But I have some doubt how can I use the web browse for to configure the IP and other information for that I can to use together with Xlight 4 and see my mini tree works.
Please can you help me
Not exactly sure what the issue is. Are you building from source or using the flash tool?
Hi Shelby,
I am using the Flash tool,
when I upload the information the Serial Output show me symbols and number that not have nothing how number the IP.
Because this I don’t know what is number of IP that is in my Module.
Do you know what can be happening ?
Please help me.
Thanks.
HENRIQUE
Will there ever be a version that supports RGBW tapes SK6812?
It’s not planned right now, but should be easy enough to add. I put it on the “todo” list.
How do I reset the board back to default?
Configuration is stored in config.json in SPIFFS and if you’re compiling your own firmware, you can define a default SSID and Passphrase at the top of the sketch for fallback if there’s an issue connecting to your AP. If you’re compiling yourself, you have to “upload sketch data” to overwrite config.json in SPIFFS. If you’re using the pre-compiled version, there’s no hard-coded fallback config so you’ll have to re-flash using ESPS Flash Tool to reset it.
I’m getting an error when I run the ESPSFlashTool.jar file from the zip file. In version 2.0 I get three errors
“Bad mode configuration: Firmware not found for mode Pixel (WS2811 / GECE)”
“Bad mode configuration: Firmware not found form mode Serial (DMX/Renard)”
“Failed deserialize: Unable to find ESPixelStick Configuration file”
When I run the any of the 3.0 firmware I only get one error
“Failed deserialize: Unable to find firmware configuration file”
Can you please tell me what I need to do so I do not get these errors?
Sounds like you’re trying to launch it from within the zip file. You need to extract the zip first.
Thanks for the quick response. However I’ve already extracted the zip folder.
I extracted it into a folder “ESPixelStick_Firmware-3.0rc2” in my home directory. Here is what is currently in the folder.
~/ESPixelStick_Firmware-3.0rc2$ ls
bin espixelstick-3.0rc2-pixel.efu firmware README.md
Changelog.html espixelstick-3.0rc2-serial.efu lib spiffs
Changelog.md ESPSFlashTool.jar README.html
Am I missing any files?
The firmware configuration files should be in “firmware/firmware.json” after you extract it. RC3 is available as well.
Looks like the configuration file is there. I guess the .jar file is just not reading it?
~/ESPixelStick_Firmware-3.0rc2/firmware$ ls
firmware.json pixel-3.0rc2-1m_128k.bin README.md serial-3.0rc2-1m_128k.bin
Also I’m not sure exactly what you mean by RC3…
Yeah, not sure what is going on. You on Linux? How are you instantiating ESPSFlashTool.jar? 3.0-rc3 is the latest release –
https://github.com/forkineye/ESPixelStick/releases/tag/v3.0rc3
Yes I’m running Ubuntu 17.04. Good question about instantiating it. Led me into getting it to work. So the errors come when I double click the .jar file in the folder. I was able to get it to work by running
$ java -jar ESPSFlashTool.jar
in the terminal from the directory.
I’ve tried this in the 3.0 rc2 and rc3 and that worked in both of them.
Thanks for your help!
Where can i buy the ESPixelStick?
I can order him at amazone but they dont deliver to europe.
greetz, Mark
Sent you an email with a link for international orders. Thanks!
Could you let me have a link for international orders? I am in the UK and would like to order several.
thanks
Nick.
Sorry, I am currently out of stock locally.
How do I order the ESPixelStick?
Thanks,
Todd
They’re available via Amazon, however are out of stock at the moment. Should be more available in about two weeks – http://amzn.to/2h1F4bc
Recently crossed the lines on a t connector while doing some power injection . I blew the fuse on the power distribution board but not on the espixelstick , now the espixelstick won’t start up. I swapped out the esp module to a different board and it still works, but I can’t get it power. Any ideas on where to start to fix the espixelstick?
You probably blew out the switching IC, U1. Schematic is in the manual if you want to try replacing it, however its VERY difficult to do by hand. The SMD parts are all machine assembled. You can test the voltages using this diagram – https://flic.kr/p/W7gdoy
Thanks !
Yep the voltages aren’t coming up. You’re right, I don’t think I can change out the u1, I have big fingers that won’t be able to get in that tight. I was hoping that it was U2, I thought I might be able to handle that replacement
Marc
Hi Shelbly…I bought an ESPixelstick, hoping I could make it do what I saw in your videos when you were raising funds. Now that I have it, not knowing code, is there a dummies version of how to use/program it? I am familiar with ws2811 and other LED’s…Currently use LEDedit and T1000-s controllers. I am 67 years old and was hoping I could catchup with technology and impress my friends. Thankyou Shelby and good luck with your endeavors. I can be reached at …or on Facebook…Rob Orizino
Have you been able to flash it yet? Once flashed, it’s a wireless sACN (E1.31 / DMX over Ethernet) controller. There are numerous programs to feed it data, however the controller grew out of the holiday lighting community where we typically use xLights or Vixen to program lighting sequences to music. There are other applications for live usage such as Jinx. These are all free as well. There are many more applications once you start delving into commercial DJ / stage apps. I’ll shoot you an email.
For learning purposes, I have made a matrix that is 10 X 30….They are WS2811 I.C. pixels. That is where I will be starting. Thankyou Shelby.
Shelby….I bought your ESPixel stick so I could program it like the videos you posted. I am not a “coder” and was hoping you could send me to a link that would show me how a layman like myself can make it do anything at all. I am pretty good with the LEDedit software and the T-1000S SD hardware, but I liked what on saw on your videos. Can you help me get started? I appreciate this. Thankyou, ~~RoB~~
I would recommend either xLights or Vixen 3 for sequencing software. The xLights site has a wealth of tutorials and videos to get you started – https://xlights.org/
I got one on Amazon yesterday, and they’re out of stock again. When will more be available?
Another shipment is on the way and they should be showing up again early next week.
I just upgraded to RC3 so I could change the color order to aone of the new sequences added but I couldn’t locate it in the UI. Can you tell me where to find it?
So not worried about the power for my pixels but just trying to figure out what kind of power I need to use one as a dedicated programmer at my desk. Will any wall wart work as long is it is at least 5V 500mA? Again this isn’t driving any pixels it is just so I can program a bunch of them when I need to.
That’ll work fine for programming. Thanks!
Hello Shelby,
the last days i tried ESPixelStick.
I want to use it with QLCPlus and / or MagicQ.
Thus i checked ESPixelstick with both programs.
First i tried the newest version (3.0) with both programs:
– QLC works
– MagicQ forces ESPixelStick to reboot permanently.
Thats why i tried an older version, actually version 1.3.
Version 1.3 works with both programs.
I had more tests with the lastest version and so I included some logging:
==========================================================================
void loop()
{
e131_packet_t packet;
#if LOG_LH
LOG_PORT.println(F(“loop”)) ;
#endif
// Reboot handler
if (reboot)
{
#if LOG_LH
LOG_PORT.println(F(“REBOOT”)) ;
#endif
delay(REBOOT_DELAY);
ESP.restart();
}
if (config.testmode == TestMode::DISABLED || config.testmode ==
TestMode::VIEW_STREAM)
{
// Parse a packet and update pixels
if (!e131.isEmpty())
{
#if LOG_LH
LOG_PORT.println(F(“!e131.isEmpty()”)) ;
#endif
==========================================================================
The result is
=========================================================================
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
loop
l
ets Jan 8 2013,rst cause:4, boot mode:(3,7)
wdt reset
load 0x4010f000, len 1384, room 16
tail 8
chksum 0x2d
csum 0x2d
v00000000
~ld
e
ESPixelStick v3.1-dev (gece uart) (Dec 26 2017)
– Configuration loaded.
=========================================================================
Although MagicQ is configured to send permanently, there seems to be no
data received, but – as mentioned above – it works with version 1.3
Do you have any idea what might cause that problem ?
Regards, merry christmas and a happy new year
I’ve never used MagicQ before, will have to look into it after the holidays. Can you create an issue in the github issue tracker for it?
Here’s the link – https://github.com/forkineye/ESPixelStick/issues. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
thanks,
-shelby
Where can I buy this ? It’s out of stock in Amazon. Thanks.
Back in stock now, thanks! https://amzn.to/2NBRqFq
Hello,
I just received 5 ESPixelStick V2 from Amazon.
Are they already flashed with firmware ?
Because I can connect to the wifi network but impossible to browse his address
They are not, you need to flash them. Thanks!
Hello,
I ordered one of the ESPixelsticks last year, It was awesome for what I needed it for. Been checking off and on through out the year, but its always out of stock when I look on Amazon. I would like to get a couple more them for the house. If you can let me know when there are in stock or how to buy it in parts I can put them togeather.
Thanks,
Should have more in stock there next week, been selling out quickly.
thanks,
-shelby
Hello,
I keep getting a programing failed msg when trying to do the SSID upload, using a FTDI usb – serial cable, I have reversed my TX RX with no luck.
When I am monitoring the rs232 activity it does do a read time out.
Thoughts?
It sounds like the module is not entering programming mode. Do you see anything in the serial output window? Are you using ESPixelStick hardware as well or trying to load it on something else?
Its the ESpiel stick v 2 from amazon… yes I do see some communication in my serial output box sometimes….
Holding down the prog button, then press and release the reset followed by releasing the prog button 2 seconds later…
Just tried a prolific usb- serial and same issue…
Ive tried this with two different computers now as well, and same issue…
Hi Shelby,
Will there be another batch available on Amazon anytime soon? I have a couple of last-minute props I wanted to add to this year’s Xmas show and was hoping to pick up a couple more ESPixelSticks.
Thanks for your time.
I just sent more stock in to Amazon yesterday. They should show as available in the next day or so. Thanks!
Do you plan on selling more at some point in 2019?
I just sent more stock in to Amazon yesterday. They should show as available in the next day or so. Thanks!
Amazon is saying they will be available on 11/29. Not sure if that’s the same batch you sent or not tho. I bought 4 and am now sitting on my hands waiting 😉
It is, it just takes a while for Amazon to process and distribute them to their warehouses. They were checked in last night. Thanks!
Are you planning another kit buy coming up? and/or do you have gerber files and a BOM available so I can roll my own?
All sold out now, will have more available in the spring. Thanks!
ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ANYMORE OF THESE
At this time, I will not be making anymore V2 boards. I have something else in the works, but its ways off.