How to connect the LED strip?

Today, thin, flexible strips 5 meters long with micro-LEDs mounted in them are gaining popularity as LED lighting devices. Such devices are easy to reduce or build up, cutting pieces of any length from them with ordinary scissors.

It itself works on the principle of a printed circuit board, on which jointly working LEDs are soldered. Monochrome products have crystals emitting light of the same color spectrum. But RGB is already equipped with 3 groups of crystals, each of which has its own main color: red, green, blue.

The principle of operation of such devices is to mix different radiation emanating from each group of crystals, so that you can get different color schemes of shades of light.

DIY connection (monochrome, RGB, more than 5 m)

Necessary materials and tools

For installation, the following materials will be required:

• a piece of tape with LEDs;
• a power source that meets the basic requirements of the lighting device;
• Dimmer or an RGB controller needed to control the color backlight;
• wires, as well as, if required by individual design features, individual switches, resistors, rectifiers and capacitors.

Installation is carried out using the following tools:

• for disassembling the tape into elements of optimal length - scissors;
• to connect the entire system - soldering iron low power or stamps, plugs and clips;
• for stripping wires - side cutters.

Scheme (description)

Scheme of connecting a regular tape

To enable an element with single-color crystals you will need: the strip itself with diodes and a power supply to it.

Connection is carried out with strict observance of polarity. The connection wires of both the tape and the unit are colored: red is a plus, and blue or black is a minus. Therefore, you need to connect the same color, wiring otherwise the LEDs will not light.

If the power supply does not have a switch, it can be integrated so as not to pull the entire device out of the socket every time.

If there is a need for dynamic adjustment of the glow of the lamps, then a 12 or 24 volt serial line between the unit and a dimmer is connected with a tape - this is a brightness control with which you can even completely extinguish the lighting without turning off the unit nutrition.

RGB tape connection diagram

These are the so-called multi or multi-colored lamps. Their connection diagram is the same as in the previous version, only the controller is mounted in place of the dimmer, which performs the function of not only adjusting the brightness, but also changing the color of the glow of the device, depending on settings.

Tape connection diagram more than 5 m

For decorative lighting of ceilings, tapes of more than 5 m or several LED panels are used immediately, which leads to the problem of insufficient power of the supply unit or controller. Then an amplifier is added to the connection circuit of such an RGB tape, which gives additional power to the controller.

Walkthrough

Connecting the tape to the power source is carried out in several steps:

• Calculation of the optimal length of the lighting element. Next, measure and cut elements of the desired size. All products on the back underneath the protective coating have an adhesive surface for fixing the lighting device anywhere.
• Further, the usual monochrome strip in strict accordance with the polarity is connected to the power supply, plus to plus minus to minus.
• The connection of a multicolor element is preceded by a connection to the controller power supply, also observing the polarity.
• Like three crystal chips in an RGB element, such a controller has three channels of output power at minus and one common at plus. They are combined in strict accordance with each other.
• Reliability of all contacts is ensured either by soldering or using detachable connectors.
• After assembly, the system is ready for use, can be mounted almost anywhere.

Connection without power supply

Lighting boards manufactured at the factory are usually designed to be connected via a power supply unit, which converts alternating current from an outlet to direct current with decreasing voltage by transformer from 220 to 12 V. However, it is possible to connect such a lighting device directly to the home power supply. To do this, a 5 meter strip with an operating voltage of 12 V is cut into 20 elements.

Further, using a diode bridge, they provide rectification of AC 220 V connected to the appliance. Then, a series connection of the elements of the tape is necessarily performed, that is, the hallmarks are connected with different signs, plus to minus, minus to plus. Flicker with a frequency of 25 hertz coming from the home electrical network is removed by mounting a 300 V capacitor, 5-10 mF, into the system.

Connection options

To computer

Turning on the background of the monitor is not a very powerful light source, significantly reduces the load on the user's eyes, therefore Now popular on sale are such systems with all the main components: diodes, voltage control unit and connectors USB

Installation of such a system is very simple:

• the power supply is attached to a double-sided tape on the back of the monitor;
• also on the back of the screen, but luminous ribbons are placed around the perimeter of its edges;
• tapes are connected to the power supply by wires;
• from the unit there is a wire with a USB connector for connecting to a computer;
• after downloading and installing the necessary drivers, the device is completely ready for use.

To computer power supply

All power supply units have a standard set of operating voltages and differ only in the capacity of the permissible load. So the output voltage of each wire in the block corresponds to its color: orange +3.3 V; red + 5.0 V; yellow + 12.0 V; blue -12.0 V; blue + 5.0 V SB; black GND.

On the PSU, as a rule, there is a label with a table in which the critical power and maximum load current are indicated with respect to different voltage parameters. For example, a power supply unit designed for a load of 400 W actually has a current of 16 A along a +12 V circuit, which is enough to power any conventional LED backlight system.

Another nuance of using the PSU is the need to force it to be turned on, since this command came from the motherboard as part of the system unit. With a separate use of the PSU, to turn it on, you will need to close the green and black contacts, respectively, to 16 and 17.

To turn on the power of the 12V LED lamps, it is necessary to use the yellow and black wires of the four pin connectors, they are most convenient.

It will be useful to install a detachable connection using standard computer connectors soldered to the diode marks.

The technique of connecting a tape with a current of 24 V is similar to devices of lower power. The difference is only in the color and, accordingly, the voltage of the wires connected from the unit. The computer does not have devices that require 24 V power, but it has components that require a voltage difference of +12 V and -12 V, and when these values ​​are combined, you can get 24 V.

To do this, connect the element to the yellow and blue wires of a lot of contact connector. The load in this circuit will be significantly lower, therefore, it is necessary to check the operability of the structure in each specific case from our own experience.

To car

Automotive power supply is rated at 12 V, but in fact its value can be more than 14.5 V, which is harmful for LEDs designed exactly at 12 V. Therefore, when connecting directly to the cigarette lighter, it is recommended to use a resistor to level this difference.

Another, more reliable option is the power supply through the stabilizer, which you can make yourself.

You can connect to the network not only through the cigarette lighter socket, but also anywhere in the cabin where the interior lighting wires are available. For example, when you connect it to the supply wires of the lamp in the trunk, the backlight, just like the lamp, will light up only when it is opened.

To battery

Connecting LEDs to the battery is at the same time one of the easiest options and the most irrational, depending on the length of the strip, you need to assemble a battery of several elements and work out such a parting of lighting for a relatively short time, until the batteries "Die."

On the other hand, if there is an increased need for compactness and mobility, then this is the best solution, for example, to power the illumination of a fancy dress.

In this case, as in others, devices for adjusting and controlling the glow can be used.

All batteries are marked with plus and minus marks, so when connecting the black wire from the light source to minus, and red to plus, the LEDs will be supplied with electricity. Empirically, by adding electrolytic cells to the battery, it is possible to achieve the optimum power of the lighting device.

Application area

Due to its versatility, and the ability to twist the tape in the form of any arbitrary geometric shape, it has found its wide application in lighting of facades, illumination of billboards, like a festive garland and decoration, and finally simply, as the most compact and economical household appliance lighting.

It is actively used to organize the illumination of aquariums, as well as lighting in the kitchen and in the hanging device. ceiling, where due to the extremely low degree of heating of such lamps, this is practically the only option lighting.

Advantages and disadvantages

LED backlighting has many advantages relative to standard light sources:

• increased coefficient of energy efficiency, especially in relation to incandescent lamps, in which most of the energy is spent on heating the filament;
• instant response to on and off operations, unlike incandescent lamps that go out with a delay of a few milliseconds until the thread cools or fluorescent lamps having a delay when inclusion;
• long working life before failure, up to 50,000 hours;
• due to the fact that the supply of such elements requires an operating current of low voltage, they are safer to operate;
• from such light sources there is no side radiation, other ranges, for example, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths.

Of the minuses, it’s possible to note that there is a rather high price for high power devices.

Criterias of choice

Ribbons

The main selection criterion is the type of built-in LEDs:

• SMD chips are equipped with single-color crystals and, accordingly, can only glow in one color, depending on the shade chosen when purchasing;
• RGB have crystals of 3 types corresponding to the main colors, mixing which with the help of the controller you can get lighting of all colors of the rainbow.

When choosing between these two main types, you need to understand that the first option is three times cheaper than the power supply:

• When buying it, as a rule, they are guided, first of all, by the voltage necessary to power the light source, which is usually indicated on its packaging. Based on this parameter, a power source between 12 and 24 V is selected.
• An equally important selection criterion is the power it produces, which should have a margin of about 25% with respect to the power of the lighting element. The power consumed by the bar depends on its length, as well as on the strength of the LEDs themselves. For example, a 60-watt unit, taking into account the stock, can power no more than two pieces of tape of 24 watts each. To find out the power consumed by a particular piece of a bar of arbitrary length, it is necessary to multiply the power of the running meter of the device indicated on the package by this length.

It is very important to choose the right transformer unit, since a device that does not satisfy the minimum power requirements, will not allow the lighting to turn on, but not having a reserve will overheat and sooner or later will come out out of service. A device with a too large surplus of power and voltage will shorten the life of the diodes themselves in the backlight.

Specifications

According to their characteristics, different types of tapes are produced:

1. Led and RGB Led, the first ordinary ones with one type of crystal capable of glowing with only one tone, their color glow crystals are white, and devices of this type are sold with a range of illumination from cold blue to warm yellow. The second type has three groups of crystals that glow in different colors - these are color boards.
2. Like ordinary incandescent lamps, these lamps also differ in power. It, as a rule, depends on the density of landing of lighting crystals, the more there are, the more powerful it can be one lamp compared to another with the same length, and the more powerful the source will be needed nutrition. Now most often you can find devices with a capacity of 12 V, but there is also a more powerful device operating on a voltage of 24 V.
3. An important parameter is the length of the bar, which for personal needs, as a rule, is bought in segments of 5 m, but you can purchase products more than 40 m in length.
4. They also vary depending on the specific diode models printed on them. So there are SMD diodes characterized by compactness, reliability and angle of illumination of 120-160 degrees and DIP diodes with a diameter of 3 to 5 mm.
5. The usual crystal landing density is 60 pieces per linear meter, however there are models with a density of 30 and 120 diodes per meter.
6. The cutting step determines how much individual autonomous elements - MDS modules with their own three diodes and a resistor can cut a meter section of the board. This step is different for products of different brands, and is marked by the manufacturer on the bar as a cutting line.
7. By the degree of tightness and protection from external influences, there are devices with diodes for both outdoor and indoor installation. For street lighting, silicone-coated elements are used, which protects the crystals themselves and the paths that conduct currents from the influence of external influences, such as rain. There is even a division into protection classes: A, B, C. Luminaires of the last class can be mounted even under water, in fountains and pools.

Tips / Tricks

• Semiconductor lighting systems work only under the condition of strict observance of the polarity of the connection of power devices.
• Despite the flexibility of the tape, it is not recommended to expose it to excessive deformations. As a rule, the radius with which it bends should not be more than 2 cm.
• It is recommended that equipment with open hallmarks and contacts be mounted in a protective transparent profile made of plastic, or after soldering, put on a tube of heat-shrinkable material on the hallmarks.
• When soldering the contacts of such devices, you must be very careful not to damage the tracks from conductive spraying, therefore, to solder their contacts, the power of the soldering tool should not exceed 40 watts.
• If the system consists of several elements, their parallel connection is recommended in order to avoid uneven load distribution on the diodes.