will it WLED - episode 8 (brand new Govee Icicle lights)

Quick Overview

The Govee Icicle Lights can be successfully converted to work with a WLED controller (specifically the Gledopto Elite 4D-EXMU) by bypassing the proprietary Govee LED driver module and wiring the lights directly to the controller using the appropriate 5V power supply.

Key Points: The Govee Icicle Lights contain 400 LEDs over 32.8ft/10m and utilize a 24V DC, 3A input Govee LED Driver Module (Model A70D1002). The conversion involves cutting the wire between the Govee controller and the lights, exposing three wires: Data (top), Ground (middle), and Voltage (bottom). The lights were successfully connected to a Gledopto Elite 4D-EXMU Advanced WLED Controller, with the Govee Voltage/Ground wires connected to the controller's V+ and GND output terminals, and the Data wire connected to GPIO 16. The native Govee 24V power supply was bypassed; instead, a 5V, 10A AC/DC adapter (Model WJS-0510) was used to power the Gledopto controller, as the Gledopto controller accepts 5-24V input. In the WLED configuration, the strip type was set to WS281X, with 400 LEDs, color order RGB, and Data GPIO set to 16. The resulting setup successfully displayed color changes and animations, confirming that the Govee icicle lights function correctly when driven by WLED software.

Context: This video details a technical project to hack or repurpose a set of Govee Icicle Lights, which normally use proprietary Govee hardware and app control, by converting them to be controlled by the open-source WLED firmware. The creator unboxes the lights, examines the components, and then demonstrates the physical wiring required to connect the Govee light string to a Gledopto Elite 4D-EXMU WLED controller instead of the original Govee driver module.

Detailed Analysis

The video begins with an unboxing of the Govee Icicle Lights, noting they feature 400 LEDs over 32.8ft and come with a 24V 1A Govee power supply. The creator immediately begins the conversion process by cutting the cable connecting the Govee controller to the lights, exposing three wires: Data, Ground, and Voltage. The Govee controller itself is identified as Model A70D1002, requiring 24V input and outputting 5V DC at 4A max/20W max for the lights. The creator then substitutes the Govee controller with a Gledopto Elite 4D-EXMU Advanced WLED Controller. The Govee light wires are connected to the WLED controller: Voltage wire to V+, Ground wire to GND, and Data wire to IO16. The creator notes that the native Govee 24V power supply is replaced with an extra 5V 10A power supply (Model WJS-0510) plugged into the Gledopto controller's input. After connecting the hardware, the WLED app is used to configure the LED strip: setting the type to WS281X, total LEDs to 400, Color Order to RGB, and Data GPIO to 16. Upon saving the configuration and powering on, the lights successfully illuminate and display colors and animations, confirming the conversion is successful, even when the lights are bundled loosely.