LED home tapes - how to connect yourself

LED ribbons have found their application in many areas. This part consists of small semiconductor lamps that are attached to a flexible tape, on the one hand has a sticky base. The colors of the bulbs can be different. They can decorate the garden, cabinets, make a decorative ceiling. At the moment, their main destination is advertising signs.

There are two types of these tapes:

- monochrome, those that can shine with color alone,

- RGB, which have the ability to change colors. These tapes are considered universal, and the shade control in them is controlled by the remote control.

It is not difficult to understand them. How to connect the LED strip? At home, you can do it yourself without the help of expensive equipment.

RGB tapes

There are three types of RGB elements:

The first is products that use LEDs of three colors: green, red and blue. They are soldered in this order throughout the tape. To change the light, you need to change the intensity of each color. This tape is suitable for installation where only a ray of its diodes is visible. Otherwise, the visible can not give a good backlight. This option presents interesting and profitable LED home tapes. How to connect such products? A great skill is not required.

The second type of RGB tapes includes those that have the following structure: three colors are arranged sequentially along the entire length. Due to this, it is possible to achieve a greater shade change. Lamps are located almost at one point. For tapes of this type, there are practically no restrictions on the use. They are perfect for any interior.

The third type of LED strip can be called improved. According to its external data, it is similar to the second kind. The main difference is the built-in controller, which allows you to change colors on any part of the tape. The purchase of such a tape can only be stopped by the price of it and the need to purchase an expensive controller. Otherwise, the product will not perform its function - to shine.

How to connect the LED tape at home? A detailed description of the installation of various types can be found further.

Difference between elements in relation to humidity

According to this criterion, the moisture resistance of a product is divided into three types:

- moisture resistant. Apply them only in rooms with normal humidity. These are the most suitable LED home tapes. How to connect them? They are the easiest to install, and this will be discussed further.

- waterproof. They are used mainly where moisture is high, but the water itself does not reach the tape.

- Moisture-proof. They can be applied directly in water. This tape is completely covered with silicone protection, it does not pass moisture at all. But it is worth considering the moment that the intensity of the glow will be lower.

Difference in density of diodes

The more semiconductor elements on the tape, the more intense its glow. There is also a dependence on the power received. If these are 12 V tapes, 30 to 120 bulbs can be placed on one of its meters. If we are talking about the power in 24 V, here on one meter there can be up to 240 elements. The number of light bulbs per meter determines how much power the product will consume, whether a suitable controller is needed. By the way, its cost increases according to capacity. A small power supply is enough to install LED strips for the home. How to connect such a unit yourself? You just need to follow the attached instructions.

You need to decide how many elements per meter will be enough. Usually the lamps are located at a distance of up to three centimeters from each other, and this is acceptable.

The LED tape has many advantages:

• Economy;
• reliability;
• Small size;
• The ability to change the color mode of the remote control.

She also has disadvantages:

• Loses color saturation;
• Can not be repaired.

All the disadvantages and advantages depend on the manufacturer and will affect the cost of the product.

Connect this thing will not be a big deal. You can do it yourself.

Installation

Before you start, you need to determine the devices that will be used. Why can I connect the LED tape at home? Directly to the outlet will not work. To get beautiful backlighting you need:

• Actual tape;
• Controller for color management;
• Console (always compatible with the controller);
• Power supply unit (its form does not matter much).

There are several ways of connecting the tape to the power supply.

Method of mounting LED-connector

This is a mechanical method: just put the ends of the tapes in the connector and clamp it. Plus - in the ease of use, but a big minus in cash costs. At cost, one connector costs as half a meter of tape. If you make an independent installation, it is better to use the soldering method. The next method is more beneficial if you want to install LED stripes for your home. How to connect them to the controller?

Mounting tapes by soldering

With enough experience, at least in some form of soldering, this way of splicing the LED strip will seem simple. In this case, the soldering iron should not be of high power, and the sting - narrow, not more than two millimeters. At one end of the tape can be a different number of pads. They need to solder the same number of conductors individually. That is, to each site - the appropriate conductor. Both components before the solder must be zaludit (cover with a layer of solder). After this, it is necessary to check whether adjacent sites are in contact. In this case, a short circuit may occur. In order to exclude this possibility, you can use the device - a multimeter. Isolation of soldering points is not necessary, since the voltage is small (up to 24 V). For safety, you can wrap a couple of times with an insulating tape.

Fastening individual pieces of tape to each other

How to connect the LED tape at home? The instruction tells how to collect decorative elements from separate elements. There is a rule for cutting an LED strip. You need to do this in accordance with the segment step, then it can easily be merged with another segment. To cut it is necessary in the middle of sites of contacts. Usually in such places on the tape there is a special icon.

Fastening of individual tapes can be carried out both by LED-method and by soldering. Soldering can be done in two ways: straight lines or with wires. If the length of the tape is more than five meters, then it should not be spliced: the diodes at the end of the tape will then shine dimly.

Fastening tape segments with soldering (without wires)

The ribbon is cut to a part and is prepared for soldering. If it is not oxidized, you can immediately apply solder. To do this on the side where the LEDs are located, you just need to apply solder. But the side of the sticky layer will have to work a little. The first step is to remove the sticky tape, and only then start to solder. Next, the prepared lengths overlap one another by three millimeters. Then each contact is separately heated with a soldering iron.

How to connect the LED tape at home?

With the photo having become acquainted, it can be noticed that there are many types of placement of the tape. Accordingly, the installation methods will be different. Fastening of pieces by wires by means of soldering can be carried out by the same technology as described above. The wires can be used any. The only condition is the correct cross section. When using rosin, residues are not necessary to remove. Its presence will not affect the further operation of the entire tape. Fastened in this way the pieces of the product can be mounted in hard-to-reach places and corners, without fear of damage to the fastening.

After installing the tapes, they must be connected to the power supply or controller. It can be special equipment or computer power supply.

Tips for correct installation

LED strip - the design is not very reliable. Therefore, it is better to install the unit taking into account possible dismantling. The adhesive layer serves for the convenience of fixation. To simply attach the product to the surface, it is sufficient to remove the protective film. But such convenience does not always serve well. Sometimes this is not enough - you can fix the fastening and stick a strip of double-sided tape.

In addition to self-adhesive products, there are profiles that are specially attached to the installation site, after which the tape itself is placed on them. For a uniform illumination of the ceiling, it is better to step back from it by five centimeters, or hide it under the ceiling skirting.

When lighting the inside of cabinets or storefronts, care must be taken that the LEDs are not directed into the eyes. When installing a powerful power supply unit, its noise can be very strong, especially in a quiet room. To avoid such an irritant, it is better to place it in a place where it will not be heard. Having read all of the above, connecting the LED tape at home will not be very difficult.