Hi,
I just soldered a Neopixel 8x5 shield and ran the test. It kinda works, but only 26 (out of the 40) pixels light up. The soldering was easy so I'm sure I did nothing wrong there and I also put the correct number of LEDS in the sketch. Anyone knows if I'm doing something wrong? Or is the kit broken?
Neopixel 8X5 shield
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Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
- adafruit_support_bill
- Posts: 88088
- Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am
Re: Neopixel 8X5 shield
Please post clear photos of both sides of the board and we'll take a look.
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:09 pm
Re: Neopixel 8X5 shield
Thanks a lot! Here are the pics
- adafruit_support_mike
- Posts: 67446
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm
Re: Neopixel 8X5 shield
It looks like the solder joints on the GND pins might be a bit iffy. Give those a dab of flux and reheat them until the solder covers the pad completely.
There are a few joints along the digital pins that could also use a quick reflow (9, GND, AREF, SDA), but only the GND pin would have any effect on the pixels.
Your joints look good overall, but 3/4-pad coverage is a symptom of moving a little too quickly. When the molten solder comes in contact with the pin and pad, it cools things down slightly. Keep the iron on the joint for 3-5 seconds after you pull the wire solder away and let the metal soak up some more heat. You should be able to see the solder work its way around the pad and into the hole.
There are a few joints along the digital pins that could also use a quick reflow (9, GND, AREF, SDA), but only the GND pin would have any effect on the pixels.
Your joints look good overall, but 3/4-pad coverage is a symptom of moving a little too quickly. When the molten solder comes in contact with the pin and pad, it cools things down slightly. Keep the iron on the joint for 3-5 seconds after you pull the wire solder away and let the metal soak up some more heat. You should be able to see the solder work its way around the pad and into the hole.
- adafruit_support_bill
- Posts: 88088
- Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am
Re: Neopixel 8X5 shield
Also, post the sketch you are using.
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.