LEDs in Camper Trailer unwanted flashing

[davros]

Ok…
Puzzle.
Trailer is Ezytrail Stirling GT MkII. Two 100AH gel batteries, 12v, good condition.
LEDs are 2.5m (about) Yellow/white “Hardkorr” brand flexible strip - two colours (white and yellow and a “third” colour- both combined. In-line touch controller, on/off, mode (colour) and plus/minus brightness.
When plugged in to the camper cig plugs, they work fine at low power. Increasing the power results in flashing of increasing rapidity with (I presume) the power demand of increasing brightness.
Also, the LED readout on the camper that shows voltage and Amps drawn from the batteries (cheap looking blue/red digital screens) goes blank (out) as the LED strip brightness is increased.
Decrease the power demand, the camper readout returns and the LEDs stop blinking.
LED strip works fine direct to a stand alone car battery.
I can run a fridge from the camper socket - it’s not a power demand issue. No breakers tripped.
The camper is also running a Victron energy “smart shunt” as well as a Victron solar controller (no panel input at time of issue).
Any ideas the cause of the flashing? It’s NOT flickering/random like a loose connection. Very rigid mathematical issue. Sure to be some unwanted interaction with something on the circuit but what? And how to rectify? Hard to “Google” as swamped by flickering trailer light issues and faulty connection problems…

[reefmagnet]

Aside from the el-cheapo volt/amp gauge thing and assuming that you are using a cigar lighter style socket and plug I'd be looking for a dodgy connection between plug and LED light socket interface as this is all so common a problem with the cheap plugs used. Failing a resolution there, the next thing I'd try is bypassing the el-cheapo gauge to see what happens. Use of a multimeter will help with diagnosis.

If all else fails it could maybe just be that the LED controller is kaput but can work ok when directly connected to a battery that is filtering it's (assumedly) troublemaking spurious emissions.

[davros]

Aside from the el-cheapo volt/amp gauge thing and assuming that you are using a cigar lighter style socket and plug I'd be looking for a dodgy connection between plug and LED light socket interface as this is all so common a problem with the cheap plugs used. Failing a resolution there, the next thing I'd try is bypassing the el-cheapo gauge to see what happens. Use of a multimeter will help with diagnosis.

If all else fails it could maybe just be that the LED controller is kaput but can work ok when directly connected to a battery that is filtering it's (assumedly) troublemaking spurious emissions.

I’ll have to investigate. But it was from multiple plugs, and the battery connection was also via a cigarette plug (from alligator clips) so the plug unlikely the cause. No random flickering like the usual poor circuit issues - but definitely related to current draw and LED regulation…
I’ll need to bypass the voltage readout as you say. But even if this is the cause, I’ll be interested to know why!
Thanks for reply!
Cheers,
Dave

[reefmagnet]

Connecting close to the power source (battery) eliminates voltage drop that will occur in the circuit. If the dimmer is sensitive to low voltage, this just might be the difference between working properly or not.

I guess another possibility is that the battery acts as a super capacitor of sorts, which will absorb electrical noise in the circuit. Any form of inverter running on the same circuit has the potential to throw a lot of electrical noise around. Even the dimmer itself can throw out noise so it may even be interfering with itself (and also might explain the apparent connection with the volt/amp meter issue as well) if it is a dud?

[Dorian]

Hi Dave,
If I read correctly you can run the LED without the controller directly from the battery just fine ?
Then I'd place money on your LED controller, they are a switched mode power supply and use PWM to control the voltage / amperage.
If the capacitor on the output side of power supply has either failed (perhaps partially) or is not large enough it can't hold up the voltage between "switches". The blinking would be happening at the switching rate, so once it starts it won't change with the brightness, but the flashes will get shorter at the same rate.

Depending on the design of the controller, it could be spitting a pulsed voltage back onto the supply side or the negative, I know those cheaper voltmeters display an average voltage over a few seconds, so if the voltage is dancing around too much, they sort of give up. BTW, you will have the same problem with a digital voltmeter, if this is the case.

Well that's my theory anyway.

If I read incorrectly then, as others have said, you may have a noise issue, and the batteries would be sinking the noise. Having a noise issue would be pretty unlucky, especially at a low enough frequency that you can see.

Assume that the LEDs have worked fine previously ?

Cheers Glen