Despite the fact that in our time you can buy anything in the store, after looking at the prices and the quality of the goods, the thought comes to mind: but you can do it yourself. For example, how to make LED chandeliers with your own hands? As it turns out, this is up to home masters.
The popularity of LED lights
Why is this lighting so firmly established in our lives?
There are only two reasons:
- It's economical. Despite the high price, diodes do not consume as much energy as incandescent lamps. Thus, the counter at the end of the month gives out numbers that please the soul.
- These lamps last much longer. If you calculate how many ordinary light bulbs you have to buy per year, then the question disappears here. The LED lamp consumes ten times less electricity, and shines no weaker than a conventional lamp.
LED strip is also gaining momentum. At the moment it is used as additional lighting or temporary replacement, howevertechnology does not stand still. At the same time, its flexibility and color range make it possible to create real masterpieces. That is why, more and more often, craftsmen are wondering how to make an LED chandelier with their own hands.
Determining the design
So, to think over a design that will match the interior of the decorated room is not just a whim. Chandelier in the room, what a hairstyle for a woman. It can give a unique atmosphere to a simple room or spoil the look of the most beautiful room.
Of course, if this is a room for front use, then you should not decorate it with plastic dishes. Despite the amazing designs, these chandeliers look cheap and undignified. Plastic is best left for a summer residence or summer kitchen, if any. The hall, living room or studio should be professionally lit. Lamps should look expensive, and, therefore, you will not find materials for them in the trash. At the same time, it's easy to light up a hallway or kitchen.
Differences between lamp and tape
If you take on the manufacture of an LED chandelier with your own hands, then first you need to decide how it will illuminate the space - with a lamp or ribbon. This issue must be resolved even before coming up with a design, since for a ceiling made under a lamp, installation of a tape is not always suitable. In addition, the lighting connection itself is very different. Working with electricity is not only laborious and difficult, but also dangerous. If there is a desire to light the house yourself, but there is no education, thenyou need to carefully study the articles on this topic, chat with a specialist in person or on the forum.
If using a lamp
Let's consider the first option. When the design is ready and it is decided to use a lamp in the ceiling, then for mounting such a chandelier we need:
- wire suitable for connecting to the main line;
- a hook in the ceiling that will hold the entire structure;
- insulating material;
- holder and suitable lamp.
Currently, this can be purchased at any electrical supply store. If the chandelier is installed for the first time, a line is not allocated for it, then you also need to purchase a switch. And for the wire that will go from the power supply to the switch, and then to the chandelier, it is also advisable to purchase a box. It, first of all, protects the electrical structure from external influences and mechanical damage. So this is not just a designer find that can cover up ugly wires.
Easy calculation
The most difficult thing in this process is not to be deceived in choosing the wire that will be connected to the main network, and in calculating its length. Electricians say that it is impossible under any circumstances to connect copper and aluminum together. This is most often the cause of short circuits that can lead to fires.
In addition, the wires vary in thickness. And it's not just a manufacturer's decision to spend more material. They differ in the number of cores inside and insection. If the chandelier is not overloaded with a dozen lamps, then you can purchase the simplest wire, where there is a plus and a minus.
Having picked it up, we need to know how much it needs in meters. It is easy to measure the length with a tape measure. In addition, you need to remember that each connection requires stripping the ends by one and a half to two centimeters. In order not to suffer too much, get an extra meter of material. The leftovers will always come in handy on the farm, but if the wire is not enough, you will have to go back to the store and make another connection.
Where difficulties begin
If problems prevent the task from being completed even at the material selection stage, and at the stage of laying the line to the chandelier, each step is accompanied by a question on the Internet, then it’s already worth completing independent work and inviting an electrician. For a real master, difficulties begin in choosing improvised materials for decorating a chandelier, since there are a lot of ideas, I want to embody everything, but only one lamp is needed. If there is a desire to continue working, then here is a step-by-step instruction:
Connecting the switch and output to the chandelier, connecting the lighting system:
- First, we take the phase wire coming from the shield (red by default) and connect it to the one going to the switch (if there is also an outgoing wire that goes to power other rooms/sockets, then it must be included in this connection).
- The second wire coming from the switch (as well as others if the switch is double or triple) in the circuit is phase and must be connected to the phase wire(s) going to the chandelier.
- Then take the neutral wire (blue by default), and connect it to the neutral wire coming from the chandelier, and if there is a wire going to other rooms/sockets, include its neutral wire in the connection.
- If there are also ground wires, then they just need to be connected together (from the chandelier, from the shield and outgoing, if any).
It is not difficult to include an outlet in this circuit, for this you need to connect the same ones from the outlet to the connections in which the phase and neutral wire from the shield are involved. Grounding connect with the rest of this type.
Jewelry - in business
In the photo, the DIY LED chandelier is made from ordinary glass bottles. Here is how the master describes his work:
To make a DIY bottle chandelier you will need:
- large bottles - 3 pieces;
- protective gloves, goggles and mask;
- bottle cutter;
- sandpaper;
- a small lamp on a long wire with a switch;
- screwdriver;
- dark wire.
Work is done like this:
- Remove labels from bottles, dry them well.
- Fix the bottle in the cutter, place the glass cutter at the level you want to leave, wear protective clothing. Gently rotate the bottle for a smoother cut line.
- Pour cold water over the bottle, then hot. Alternate this for a few minutes, and the bottom of the bottle will fall off along the cut.
- Put the bottle upside down on sandpaper and scroll a fewminutes until the edges are even and smooth.
- Carefully disassemble the lamp with a screwdriver, carefully remove the wire. We pass it through the hole, assemble the lamp and check if it works.
- Now, in order to give the almost finished chandelier originality, we take a dark wire and, starting from the neck, wind it onto the bottle. You can style the wire any way you like.
Besides this option, you can choose boring wine glasses or tea cups. Metal kitchen items will be surprisingly in place in the kitchen. And unusual figures from carefully crafted wooden snags or deer and elk horns will add originality to your hallway. Good craftsmen use threads, old cd discs, and chains from a bicycle or chainsaw. And if somewhere a frame from an old chandelier is lying around, then a masterpiece is definitely provided.
Cardboard, paper and plastic can also be used. But, as mentioned earlier, such structures are appropriate where you can do without a chandelier.
Mounting and connecting the chandelier
When the ceiling is made, it must be combined with the cartridge. And first you need to power the latter, then to connect it to the public network. This video shows very well how to do it.
Combine the cartridge with the lampshade. This is done using a special mount, which can be purchased or made by yourself from old ceramic lids from teapots, disks and other devices. When the chandelier is ready, you need to install it in place.
In this way the LEDDIY chandelier for 220v.
Using tape
Such material is rarely used for a full-fledged lighting device. Most often it is an auxiliary material. But you also need to be able to install it. In this case, you need to carefully choose the tape. A cheap one will not work, as it is attached directly to the surface. Therefore, heating the bulbs may cause the base to ignite.
To make a beautiful LED strip chandelier with your own hands, you need to think through the connection to the smallest detail, starting with the purchase of material. What color would you like to get? It should be one or more, bright or not too bright. But everything should be in moderation.
Looking at the self-made LED strip chandelier in the photo, it seems that any amateur can do it. And only after carefully studying the instructions, you can understand how laborious and responsible the process is.
What you need
To mount your own LED ceiling chandelier you will need:
- tape itself;
- power supply;
- controller;
- switch;
- wire that connects everything;
- connectors that will connect parts of the LED strip;
- scissors for cutting tape into fragments;
- knife for stripping contacts;
- shrink insulation.
The order of powering such a structure is as follows:
Connectors of the appropriate size are available for all tape standards, for example, z10/2provides connection of tapes 10 mm wide. The number 2 denotes a double-sided group of contacts that fix the connection of chain sections on both sides without bolting or soldering.
Before inserting the ends of the tape into the connector, the contact tracks must be cleaned from the varnish coating. For these purposes, it is convenient to use a small needle file, fine abrasive sandpaper or a simple mounting knife. When inserting the tape, make sure that the polarities match, the “+” connector is red, the tape tracks have a “–” sign, the plus track is determined by the designation “12”.
The tape is inserted under special grooves, after which the cover can be snapped into place. The second piece of tape is inserted in the same way, but on the other side.
Connect the tape to a 220/12V or 220/24V power supply and check if it works. The connection can be made using a one-way connector: a tape is inserted on one side, and wires to the power source on the other side. This is a very convenient technology.
To decorate or not to decorate
You also need to decorate such a chandelier with taste, as extra decor can turn off the already dim light or ruin the look. It should be transparent or reflective, and even better - elements that enhance light output. Mirror, glass, discs, foil and metal will emphasize the individuality of the idea.
Counting costs
So, let's see if it's really profitable to make a LED chandelier with your own hands. If the workshop has all of the abovelay idle, and was without difficulty and problems attached to a home-made masterpiece, then, of course, this is beneficial. If all this was purchased in a store specifically in order to hang a structure of dubious quality in the kitchen, then this is unlikely to be justified.
As experts say, if you compare a lamp for two or three thousand rubles, you can hardly save money by assembling it yourself. The more expensive the chandelier, the more functional and technologically advanced it is, therefore, not even every master is able to reproduce something similar at home. And it's just not worth talking about very expensive ones. The material used to make them is unlikely to end up in the waste in a handicraft workshop.
DIY LED chandelier repair
Everything that is ever done tends to break. LED chandeliers are no exception. The main reason for their failure is improper assembly. When powering the lamp, craftsmen often make gross mistakes that can render even a factory product unusable. Inattention or dishonest attitude quite often causes burnout of contacts or accompanying devices - blocks, controllers, relays and all kinds of sensors.
Such situations often push product owners to repair LED chandeliers with their own hands. If you just need to replace the lamp, then everyone can do it. But if the situation is more serious, then it is impossible to do without special tools. Therefore, it is better to call a master from a trusted company whowill correct the mistakes of the previous electrician and improve the current situation.
If a company sends a specialist, it is contractually obliged to provide a warranty period, during which it will be clear how conscientiously the master did his job. It costs a little more than calling a lone electrician. However, the safety of a home is even more valuable and it is not worth saving on this.
