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Your permanent lights quit. Find out exactly why.
This walks you from what you SEE to the exact failed part, the same way a pro isolates it: probe, bench, verdict. Works on Trimlight, Gemstone, JellyFish, EverLights, Oelo, Ascend and similar addressable roofline systems.
⚡ Storm / lightning callback?
- Photograph everything as-found before touching. Insurance needs it.
- Keep the dead transformer. Bag it, label the storm date. It is evidence.
- Surges kill in pairs at long-wire junctions: the puck driving the run + the first puck after it.
☎ Ask these first (saves a trip up the ladder)
1. When did it stop working? Same night as a storm = surge case; bring the pair of strings and mention insurance.
2. Whole system or one section? Whole = supply, controller, or GFCI. One section = data or injection.
3. Has anyone changed or fixed anything? DIY parts = assume an orphaned wire; bring the meter.
4. Is the outlet/GFCI on? Have them press RESET. This answer alone can save the trip.
5. Are ANY lights doing anything: blue, faint, one color? Blue = data problem; you now know what to bring.
Truck list for any call: probe strand, meter, spare five-set + injector T, grease, end caps.
2. Whole system or one section? Whole = supply, controller, or GFCI. One section = data or injection.
3. Has anyone changed or fixed anything? DIY parts = assume an orphaned wire; bring the meter.
4. Is the outlet/GFCI on? Have them press RESET. This answer alone can save the trip.
5. Are ANY lights doing anything: blue, faint, one color? Blue = data problem; you now know what to bring.
Truck list for any call: probe strand, meter, spare five-set + injector T, grease, end caps.
Read the pucks
Color legend
Follows the scene
Power good, data good, puck good.
Solid blue, whole section
Power present, NO valid data. The data path died UPSTREAM of these pucks. These pucks are probably fine. Confirm blue = no-data for Ascend with Dauer: 1-888-DAUER-LED.
Red at full bench voltage
Dead green/blue channels or a damaged pixel chip. Internal surge damage. Replace the string; pucks are molded in.
Dim red creeping across a far end
Voltage starvation, not damage. Red survives lowest voltage. Fix injection, do not replace pucks yet.
Faint glow
Dying pixel, OR power-without-data plus undervoltage. Proves nothing by itself. Bench-test that piece alone.
Dark
No power reaching it, or totally dead pixel. Meter for 12V first.
Random colors / flicker
Corrupted data: long-gap signal loss, corroded connector, or a failing pixel upstream.
The one discipline
In the line, a symptom locates the fault boundary. On the bench (plugged direct into the transformer), a symptom condemns the piece. Never condemn a part from an in-line symptom.
Design rules
Don't read rules on a ladder. Put the run's numbers into the CHECK tab and it flags the issues for you.
Run analyzer
Give it the numbers
Enter what you know about ONE run. Leave anything unknown blank. It applies every Ascend design rule and tells you what the issues could be, worst first.
Voltage-drop calculator
Will this wire hold?
Model any segment: home-run, extension, injection wire. Worst case (load at the far end, 12.0V source). The meter is truth; this is the estimate.
New-run sizing (quote mode)
Feet in, parts out
Measure the roofline, enter feet, get the order. Uses 8" spacing, +10% track waste, the 80% supply rule, and the injection rules.
The raw numbers (reference)
INJECT: every 75 lights / 15 tracks / 50 ft LIT
12 AWG wire · max 2 per run · END of line past 35 lights / 25 ft
BOOSTER: lead 20 ft+ (10+ caution) · any 50 ft span · any 20 ft+ unlit jump
EXTENSIONS: factory leads thinner than 12 AWG
FLOOR: 10.5V at every run end at 100% white
LOAD: pucks × 0.96W · supply ≥ load ÷ 0.8, listed
12 AWG wire · max 2 per run · END of line past 35 lights / 25 ft
BOOSTER: lead 20 ft+ (10+ caution) · any 50 ft span · any 20 ft+ unlit jump
EXTENSIONS: factory leads thinner than 12 AWG
FLOOR: 10.5V at every run end at 100% white
LOAD: pucks × 0.96W · supply ≥ load ÷ 0.8, listed
Bench log
Test a piece
Name the piece, tap what it did on the bench. Tape-label the physical part to match.
Field notes (this job)
Saved automatically. Flows into the report and the fault-log entry.
Jobs
Each job keeps its own log, notes, numbers, and report. Tap a chip to switch.
Deliverables
Parts + repair summary
Built from the bench log and any verdicts you logged. Copy either block straight into a text, an order, or the insurance write-up.
Insurance file (this job)
Goes straight into the claim summary. Corroborate with utility outage records.
Photo checklist
Order list
Repair / insurance summary