BK7231T Globe Fairy Lights - can't get GPIO config config template or cloud-cutter profile

Question

I have just installed BK7231T onto Globe Fairy Lights: The device is on the Wi-Fi and can be accessed via the web interface. I was looking to configure the device and came across these issues: 1. Reading GPIO Tuya config - got the file through the WebApp When moving the binary into Easy Uart...

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Hello, can you send me that binary file so I can check what's wrong?

Aren't those devices TuyaMCU?

Or maybe start with GPIO Doctor. Set PWM roles to PWM pins (There are only 6 possible PWM pins) and see if colors reacts. You can also try setting them to relay roles. Relay role will act like 0% or 100% PWM.
https://www.elektroda.com/rtvforum/topic3976371.html

MnM1 · Answer

Not sure if they are TuyaMCU.I have attached the file.

MnM1 · Answer

I have tried GPIO doctor.

The unit itself has 3 buttons - ON/OFF, Colour and Music.

This is what I found when looking for buttons

P7 - triggers when I press the MUSIC button
P9 - triggers when I press the Colour button
P24 - triggers when I press the On/Off button

In terms of PWM - I have not found any that will turn on the leds.

Added after 25 [minutes]:

I have tried enabling TuyaMCU driver - to me it looks like this devide is not using that as I get this in the logs


Info:TuyaMCU:Consumed 256 unwanted non-header byte in Tuya MCU buffer
Info:TuyaMCU:Skipped data (part) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
Info:TuyaMCU:Consumed 256 unwanted non-header byte in Tuya MCU buffer
Info:TuyaMCU:Skipped data (part) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
Info:TuyaMCU:Consumed 256 unwanted non-header byte in Tuya MCU buffer
Info:TuyaMCU:Skipped data (part) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Before we proceed, have you considered opening the device to get some more information, like for example, which LED driver may be used there?

MnM1 · Answer

Yes, I was in the middle of that Pics belowAdded after 39 :Hope they help. Please let me know if you want me to take more pics

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Which cable is for LEDs? How many wires are there for LEDs? I can only see markings: V+ and GND, what are the other LED wire markings?

MnM1 · Answer

New pic - hope it shows what you are after Added after 1 [minutes]:So the clear cable looks like it's having 3 wires - V+, LED and GND

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

So there are only 3 wires for LEDs?

MnM1 · Answer

Yes - below is how the device looks like

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Well, that means there is a driver inside the LEDs themselves, and it must be something like WS2812B or similar. First of all, we would need to know what kind of driver that is, and it would require disassembly of the LEDs. Secondly, we do not support such drivers at the moment, but they are on the TODO list. You would need to first check which exact LED driver is used there and then wait for implementation on our side.

Can those bulbs display different colors individually?

MnM1 · Answer

Hi,Yes, these bulbs can display different colors individually.Regarding the drivers - I will see if I can open one LED up. I wonder what will happen if I just cut out one of the LEDs from the wire? Will the rest still work?

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Well, to the best of my knowledge, assuming they are like WS2812B, then even removing one LED will just make strip shorter by one LED and all effects will still work.

If you don't want to cut them, you can, for example, take Arduino or NodeMCU with WS2812B driver and check if it works, maybe they are WS2812B.

In general, I apologize, but we don't currently have driver for that kind of LEDs. They are very rare in common IoT devices. We are planning to support them in the future, but it's still pending.

I should have realized sooner, but I didn't notice that your LEDs are individually addressable.

I am creating multiplatform open source firmware (Tasmota replacement), right now supporting BK7231T, BK7231N, XR809, BL602, W800, W600, LN882H and soon supporting RTL and W701:
https://github.com/openshwprojects/OpenBK7231T
If you like my work, support me at: https://paypal.me/openshwprojects

Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.

MnM1 · Answer

No apologies required - I am thankful for your help for this and many other devices :)

"take Arduino or NodeMCU with WS2812B driver and check if it works" - would you have some links with examples of what I should be doing? I am not familiar at all with that. If I can get away without cutting or opening one up, it will be best :)

Thank you.

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Well, it depends whether you have Arduino or NodeMCU or any board like that, but you basically would need to search for WS2812B tutorial with a sample code and then desolder your strip from IoT device and try to use it with Arduino. Of course, connect GND, proper power, and data pin....

I am curious myself to see if it works, it would be a valuable piece of information.

Or just open one LED and check, there are multiple LED controllers similar to WS2812B , I don't know which is used in your device.

MnM1 · Answer

I opened up one of the LEDs only to find that it is covered in some sort of hard plastic. I could not get the hard plastic off - it feels like it will damage the LED if I do that.

I guess the next step is to see how I can make it work with Arduino. I have an Arduino around that I haven't used in ages - need to find some guides and see how to make it work.

Also, I guess I can cut off the LED I have just opened and use that in the Arduino tests? I don't think I will need all of the LEDs for this - what do you think?

MnM1 · Answer

When I look in Tuya IoT, I see the device being described as "33*IC MSL5" - not sure if this is any indication of the LED controller it is using.

Still working on the Arduino side - might take a couple of weeks before I get to it.

MnM1 · Answer

Hi @p.kaczmarek2 - I can confirm that the LEDs on this device are WS2812B. Any chance you can implement the recent drivers on BK7231N to BK7231T? I can test as soon as it is ready. Cheers.

MnM1 · Answer

@p.kaczmarek2 - when do you think you can get some time to implement the WS2818B drivers from N version to the T version? It is on the cards any time soon?

Nimierkki · Answer

I also have the same exact board/light, but a different brand (Nedis). Following this thread!

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Hey @Nimierkki , is your device also BK7231T based, so it requires porting like @mnm11 device?

Nimierkki · Answer

Hi @p.kaczmarek2, my board is exactly the same, BK7231T based, and requires porting. If I can assist you with anything or you need to connect to my device via remote connection, please let me know.

p.kaczmarek2 · Answer

Well, do you know C programming language?

Nimierkki · Answer

Not at all, sorry...

jshstadler · Answer

I have similar BK7231T based Fairy Lights LED strips.
After flashing ESPHome or OpenBK, I realized that I can't get the LEDs to light up either. Have you had any luck yet?
At this point, it seems like the easiest would be to cut off the LED strip and connect it to an ESP32.

MnM1 · Answer

No luck yet.Still waiting for OBK to support WS2812B on the BK7231T.Let me know what you are thinking in regards to ESP32. If it works, I might give it a test too while waiting for OBK.

jshstadler · Answer

Thanks for confirming.I'll try and get it working with an ESP32, and then I'll decide between the following options:WLED with MQTT to Home Assistant keep you posted on the progress.Added after 8 [hours] 9 [minutes]:Quickly gave it a try with Worked like a charm on my first try. (With basic on/off, color and scenes functionality)I desoldered the 3 led strip wires for the LED strip from the Tuya unit, and soldered them onto the ESP32 as follows:Strip Wires to ESP32LED to GPIO19 V+ to VIN (5V in from USB power) GND to GNDUpdate: Just gave a try now as well, works perfectly as well.I've attached the YAML config as well, with the fastled components being used, the commented-out config is there for the esp32_rmt_led_strip as well in case you'd like to have a look.

MnM1 · Answer

Thanks for the info. What ESP32 chip did you use? What kind of case did you use for it?

jshstadler · Answer

Here's the pictures of how it's connected, I just connected the ESP32 to a 5V phone charger (it has a USB-C connector), which is powering both the ESP32 and LED strip.

Here's the one I bought, but any ESP32 that takes 5V power should do the trick: https://www.robotics.org.za/ESP32-DEV-CH340-C?search=esp32-dev

Edit: Oh and for the enclosure, I was going to 3D print one, but then I decided not to bother, as it's completely hidden away and out of reach. If you get a smaller ESP32 with less pins (generally more expensive) you might be able to fit it inside the original housing.

MnM1 · Answer

Thanks.I have some WROOM32s around - I will give it a try.Looks like I will need a case for it as the ESP32s I have will not fit into the original case the light had.

Option	What the thread confirmed	Result
OpenBeken GPIO/PWM discovery	Buttons were found, but no PWM pin lit the LEDs	Not usable for direct LED control
OpenBK7231T ALT + PixelAnim	Partial progress on BK7231T, but users still reported broken control and random LEDs after reboot	Experimental/problematic
ESP32 + ESPHome	Rewired 3 strip wires to ESP32 and got on/off, color, and scenes working on first try	Best confirmed workaround

BK7231T Globe Fairy Lights - can't get GPIO config config template or cloud-cutter profile

How can I configure a BK7231T Globe Fairy Lights device when the Tuya GPIO config and CloudCutter profile do not reveal a usable LED layout?

Topic summary

FAQ

Quick Facts

How can I find the correct GPIO configuration for BK7231T Globe Fairy Lights when the Tuya config binary from the WebApp won’t open in Easy UART Flasher?

Why does OpenBeken show 'Consumed 256 unwanted non-header byte in Tuya MCU buffer' on BK7231T fairy lights, and what does that indicate about TuyaMCU compatibility?

What is TuyaMCU, and how can I tell whether a BK7231T fairy lights controller is actually using it?

What is Tuya CloudCutter, and why might the tuya-generic-msl6-globe-fairy-lights profile fail to reveal a usable pin configuration?

Which GPIO pins were identified for the ON/OFF, Colour, and Music buttons on this BK7231T fairy lights board, and how do I test them with GPIO Doctor?

Why don’t any PWM pin assignments light up these Globe Fairy Lights, even though the board has working button inputs?

How do I determine whether a 3-wire fairy light string labeled V+, LED, and GND is using WS2812B or another addressable LED driver?

What happens if I cut out one LED from an individually addressable fairy light string like WS2812B while trying to identify the controller?

How can I test a suspected WS2812B fairy light string with an Arduino or NodeMCU without destroying the original light set?

What does the Tuya IoT description '33*IC MSL5' mean, and how useful is it for identifying the LED controller inside Globe Fairy Lights?

What’s the best way to rewire a BK7231T fairy light strip to an ESP32, including which strip wires go to GPIO, 5V, and GND?

ESPHome fastled vs esp32_rmt_led_strip vs WLED with MQTT: which approach works best for replacing a BK7231T fairy lights controller with an ESP32?

Why is WS2812 animation support available on OpenBeken for BK7231N but still problematic or pending on BK7231T devices?

How do I configure OpenBK7231T ALT firmware for addressable fairy lights using SM16703P_Init and PixelAnim, and what role does P16 play on BK7231T boards?

Why do some LEDs randomly light up after reboot on BK7231T ALT firmware while the GUI sliders and toggle controls still don’t properly control the fairy lights?