4 wire color changing LED Xmas lights

[JoeG]

This is seriously not computer related, but I still need some input.

I have a pre-lit Christmas tree that has coloring changing mini LED lights on it. When the lights are switched to White only (via a foot switch), all of the lights works. But when I change it to multicolor, about 10 lights don't light up. I think I found which socket has gone bad (for some reason). The socket has two wires going into one side, and one wire going into the other side. There's a four wire that doesn't connect to the socket. I would like to test the wires to see which one is possibly not providing power to the socket in color mode. I might have to splice the socket out as well.

My question is, how is the socket likely wired with regards to power and ground?

I've attached a diagram.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Joe

   

[teenix]

I really have no idea of the LED lighting module, so guessing.

The controller box probably just changes voltage polarity to operate the white LEDs and back again for the RGB ones, it depends on the wiring though. To get different effects there might be a couple of LED strings.

If there is a wiring fault, I would expect all LEDs in the string to be affected not just a few.

If it is just a few, then likely they are just cheap components and they or their connections have failed.

cheers

Tony

[mfleming]

These are likely individually addressable leds (SPI?) which should have two-in, two-out plus common wiring. Look closely at the "out" side for a broken wire connection, and also compare it to a working socket. See this hobby part example for a closeup picture of the wiring to see if it matches

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/16792

NB: I'd like to find a schematic online, since as Tony noted you'd expect a serial string of lights to fail past the breakpoint.
But that's just memories of Christmases long long past