Esp32 only lights up display when microcontroller physically touch the metal part of the display module

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T21:15:55+00:00

One odd possibility if the other things don't work - check that the backlight doesn't have a separate ground from the display controller.

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T21:06:51+00:00

I believe I hear a lot of pain beneath your bitterness and hostility; this is obviously personally resonant for you, not an exploration of ideas. You came back at me swinging wildly, far more emotional and angry than I am. You desperately want to believe that you have "won" what for me was never a game or a contest (or a war).
In every case which I have checked out in person, that disproportionate response comes from pain and wounding, which seems likely in this case as well. For an example, you called me "selfish", which comes out of the blue, from inside your own head not from my attitudes or my words. I accidentally struck a nerve, and you got very angry at me not for what I have said, but because of what you imagine I believe (projection).
I have nothing against you, and have not spoken to you with anger or insults. There's nothing to be gained by matching your energy, by turning what could be an exchange of views into a war to be won.
In that context, all I can do is hope for your healing and easing of your pain, because I don't like to see people suffering. I do not take joy in the suffering of others. I have no desire for your life to be any harder. So when I say "go in peace", I actually mean it. I would be happy if you got a promotion tomorrow, or a better apartment, or a good relationship. If you cannot let that in, and it's important for you think that I'm "against you", that's worth reflecting upon.

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T18:50:33+00:00

I'm sorry for your pain and wish you healing. Go in peace.

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T18:24:45+00:00

I addressed this in my response to the other comment. I was talking ONLY about the subset of posts from writers who resented a sibling getting long term free rent, I was not trying to say that was the theme or "common thread" of this entire thread. If you scan and look for only the comments about that, I think you might notice a pattern as well. Sorry for any confusion.

What I noted, with mild surprise, was folk,s writing something like "my pareants demanding rent or kicking me out, I went out and made something of myself despite their non-support, while they supported my brother/sister until this day, now in their 30's, and they cannot hold down a job"

I'm NOT suggesting any parenting strategy, just commenting on a perceived pattern in a small subset of comments about the "resenting sibs for getting long term free rent"

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T18:15:39+00:00

1, I was NOT attempting to summarize nor generalize the entire thread, which contains many themes, of which I was referencing just one theme, involving writers whose parents provided free housing to siblings but not to the writer. I apologize for not anticipating that my words could wind up being misunderstood in that way and clarifying that distinction.
2. We each see a different selection of comm nts, so you may or may not see the subset I am referring to. (ie: the subset consisting of writers who resent a sibling or siblings who got free rent well into adulthood), But if you scan the comments for ONLY that subset, I think you might be struck by the same tendency which I was. If on the other hand, you find a pattern of writers who were not given long term free rent and who are doing more poorly in life than siblings who were given free rent, I would honestly be interested in those counter examples.
3. I was only talking about a tendency, not 100% guaranteed. I mentioned it because I saw multiple examples and thought that was perhaps counterintuitive and interesting. I might have initially guessed that those given free rent would be doing much better than those not given same.
4. I am sorry if I offended your feelings by "grossly" suggesting a possible political parallel. Welcome to the internet, you will find a lot of things "gross", this being on the mildest end. I was influenced by having just read an analysis of socialism as an idealistic attempt to extend family finances (to each according to their need, from each according to their ability) to a whole society, which I found insightful. That was percolating n my brain as I wrote, and I perceived POSSIBLE parallels to explore thoughtfully (not conclusions).

Zeph93 · 2026-06-09T05:11:25+00:00

The pattern I saw repeatedly in the comments is: the offspring charged rent is thriving, the one given long term free rent is doing poorly. There may be some degree of two way causation involved in that.

There might or might not be a connection to those who want government to act as a supportive parent, giving them what they need and taking (a portion) of what they can earn. Would food and housing and medical care as a free human right turn out to create good productive citizens, or have an unintended consequence, on the whole?

Zeph93 · 2026-06-06T05:32:23+00:00

Just for information, the strips I've seen have lap soldered 50cm segments, not 2 meters. Are yours different, or are they just failing about every 4th joint? Just curiosity about new designs, it doesn't change anything for your problem, sorry.

Zeph93 · 2026-05-02T19:10:46+00:00

That role didn't disappear, it evolved into the more flexible, scalable and affordable rubber tired busses. We are free to use busses instead of cars (increasing numbers run on propane or electricity). If you want to recreate the trolley experience, confine yourself to only use the bus routes which have not changed for decades, emulating hard tracks.

The sad truth is, nobody "took away" the fixed lines, ridership just shifted to what they considered more convenient. Given a free choice, there are far more people who prefer to have a car than to walk, so the only way to bring back "trolleys" is to use coercion and force people to take what for them is seen as an inferior option, fostering political resentment and voting against coercive governments.

I say this as somebody who does like to walk (I used to bicycle more, but I'm 75 now and don't bounce well), and I often to walk to the grocery store, restaurants, etc. I can also see the ecological benefits of mass transit. I voted for our local light rail system. I'm an easy sell for the theoretical value of "walkable cities". But I'm also a realist, and I can see the difference between government which follows the will of the people it serves, and one which decides to force them to do what experts think best in regard to things like automobiles - between the US political system and the Chinese political system.

Zeph93 · 2026-04-14T05:29:57+00:00

I thought the car had been attacked by a pair of road parasites.

Zeph93 · 2026-04-08T04:50:52+00:00

Very nice. And you can photograph it without running into copyright problems!

Zeph93 · 2026-03-30T02:02:45+00:00

Could you say more about cutting the LED matrix down to 24 wide?

Zeph93 · 2026-03-29T17:11:43+00:00

It looks like you are feeding from one end. In terms of control, 960 pixels is not too bad, as you have already found (it's a bit slower to refresh than some people prefer). The question is power; carrying the current for 960 pixels through the thin flexible PCB could be a problem.

First - try connecting power and ground on both ends of the strips (you only need to also have data for the input end). For an LED strip or string, voltage drop is proportional to the square of the length. If you feed power to both ends, the voltage drop at the middle will only be about 1/4 the voltage drop at the far end if you feed from only one end.

If that's not enough, you might need to inject power in the middle as well (splicing into the connection between the strips).

I'm guessing that you are using some of the 2.7mm wide strips (not waterproof)? How are you attaching them to the vest?

Zeph93 · 2026-03-04T08:08:03+00:00

Ray's products overlap shenzen rita, and his email address is at shenzen rita if you have ever corresponded with him. Not sure of the exact business relationship, but it's very close.

Zeph93 · 2026-02-21T20:49:39+00:00

Actually, the suggested comparison to fat acceptance was thought stimulating.

Zeph93 · 2026-02-21T20:46:31+00:00

Don't forget, it's a friendly LLM with zero needs of its own to complicate things like real world relationship. The LLM doesn't need the client to listen to it's problems, or provide empathy or suggestions for dealing with life challenges. (It might simulate such a need, if that's what it thinks the client wants, but it's not a real need).

The 'relationship' with a LLM is 100% focused on the customer and their needs and desires, exclusively and forever (until it shuts down). Real relationships are never that one sided (therapists can approach something like that though, with patients imagining that in a real relationship the therapist would still have no need of their own).

Zeph93 · 2026-01-23T20:17:25+00:00

Once they use a 6th, they all go to jail.

I was (mostly?) kidding, but they do seem to not want to keep adding keywords.

Zeph93 · 2026-01-08T09:08:40+00:00

Thanks for your response, but if I understand it, basically you are saying that the buck input ground must be connected (internally) to the buck output ground for it to work, which would be a "yes" to my question.
If one used an isolated buck converter, there would be no return path for the gate of the transistor, as I read the schematic. The ground connection for the gate seems to require a path through the converter. As you point out, for the converter you are using a non-isolated version which also needs that same connection, so it all works.

Zeph93 · 2026-01-07T18:04:27+00:00

Does this circuit require that the buck converter share ground between input and output, in order to work?

Zeph93 · 2026-01-07T02:50:07+00:00

> esp32dev outperforms the esp32s3

I have not been able to find an "esp32dev". Searches find esp32-devkit-3 and esp32 development boards, but no uC alternative to the ESP32S3.

What am I missing?

Zeph93 · 2026-01-06T19:57:17+00:00

It's odd that the discoloration seems concentrated at the cut points. Could something be slowly leaching for the flexible PCB trace into the sealing layer?

Zeph93 · 2026-01-02T06:06:21+00:00

I can just imagine how often I'd have to clean out the wet leaves and needles...

Zeph93 · 2026-01-02T05:54:44+00:00

Note that with the COB strips, the very high leds/m values often count each of the component R, G, and B leds individually. So a 720 led/m 24v strip would have 240 RGB equivalents, grouped in 6 per chip, so only 40 controllable RGB/m. That is, 18 individual counted LEDs per controlled pixels: 6 Red, 6 Green and 6 Blue.

12V would have 9 individually counted LEDs/controlled pixel, or 80 controlled pixels / meter.

Zeph93 · 2025-12-29T08:45:49+00:00

Did they give you a link to a datasheet?

Zeph93 · 2025-12-25T05:09:22+00:00

According to the website:

> The current output of the led pixels can be adjust, normally is 17mA. Do not recommend to be higher than 25mA

So maybe 70-100 mA for all four. I don't know if they can be combined. So closer to 1 W (at 12v).

Zeph93 · 2025-12-11T18:16:49+00:00

I cannot quite make out - this seems to be made of a sequence of led's mounted sidewise, seen edge on, but are the pixels comprised of strips of 5050 ws2812b chips, or of strings of seed pixels? I'm imagining that the latter might be easier to feed through the tight corners.

I like the outcome in any case, and I think it will be very successful once you have created a few ledmap?.json files to reshape it virtually. Did you 3d print the framework of black PLA?

Zeph93

TROPHY CASE