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Two years later...

A project log for Light my Cargo Bike

Adding addressable LED string to a cargo bike to be more visible in the dark.

christoph-tackChristoph Tack 11/18/2017 at 19:350 Comments

Audio jacks are cheap and are easy to get, but for long time connections, these are not recommended.  When the audio jack of the LED string is not fully plugged in (less than 1mm left), it makes a short circuit between tip and sleeve.  When it's fully plugged in, it only takes a small pull to bring it back to the short circuit condition.  Luckily the power bank is short circuit protected and goes into auto-shutdown.

The TRS-audio jack connectors to connect the LED strings together have been replaced by USB connectors.  I recovered USB cables from broken keyboards, mice and some USB-A extension leads.  So I didn't have to solder wires directly to the USB connectors.  Black UV-resistant tie wraps prevent the connectors from accidentally being disconnected.

The TRS-audio jack on the junction box didn't like the mistreatment by my children.  This connection has been replaced by a sturdy 4-pin M12 connector.  These connectors are relatively expensive.  Luckily I could recover some from electronic scrap.

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