In this age of rapidly developing technology, LED strip has become a real find. It is economical, bright, beautiful, diverse. It remains only to figure out how to power the LED strip from various sources.
How to choose a ribbon
First you need to choose the right tape. An important factor when choosing is the purpose for which the backlight is installed. Tapes vary depending on the number of bulbs located on one meter of tape. There are 30, 60, 120 and 240 of them. The more bulbs, the brighter the light.
Next, you need to decide on the place where the tape will be located. Like any electrical appliance, it is afraid of moisture. But there are several types of tapes adapted to aggressive environmental influences. This can be found by reading the label. IP20 is practically not protected. It should not be placed above the sink in the kitchen, in the bathroom or on the street. Rather, she will have to illuminate bookshelves or paintings in the interior. IP65 protected enough to work in the kitchen or bathroom. It also works great for outdoor lighting. IP68 is a completely protected tape that can easily be used even for lighting pools.
For further operation of the tape, you need to understand what kind of backlight is needed - monochrome or multi-colored, warm or cold. And, of course, pay attention to the size of the illuminated surface. All this should be taken into account when deciding on the purpose of the tape.
Quantity
There are a few other differences to keep in mind when choosing a ribbon. When connecting to power sources, you will have to be guided by these data. Light bulbs located on the segment make the tape unique. For example, if there is only one LED on one segment, then the tape will be marked as follows: 5 V. If there are 3 LEDs on the segment, then this is a 12 V tape. There is also a 24 V tape, which has 6 LEDs on the segment. Such tapes are very convenient, as they can be cut into segments of almost any length. For 220 V tapes, the length can be 1 meter, and 60 LEDs will be located on it. If there are 120 diodes per meter, then the cut step can be 50 cm. Their disadvantage is that you have to purchase a tape, measuring the segments by a meter, at least half a meter. The most common tapes on the market are 12 V and 220 V. As a rule, adapters are sold immediately with a roll of tape. But if you need a small piece, you will have to purchase everything separately.
To solder or not to solder?
Starting to work with the LED strip, you need to know that to connect it to the networkThere are two connection methods - soldering and connector. Experts say that soldering the tape is much cheaper and more reliable than using plastic connectors to connect it. The connectors themselves are plastic clips with two contacts for one-color tapes and four for multi-colored ones. Working with them is quite simple. It is better to use such a connection where it is not possible to solder the tape, or if it needs to be bent at an angle. Then corner connectors or with a fold will come in handy. Still, it's better to arm yourself with a soldering iron and do it in a more reliable way.
To work, you will need the tape itself, a low-power soldering iron with a thin tip and adjustable temperature, solder, rosin and double-sided tape, to which you can stick the tape during work, heat shrink tube. You also need the devices necessary to connect the tape to the power supply, namely the power supply, the wires for connecting the tape to the unit and the unit to the network, if necessary, a switch or socket.
Working with a soldering iron itself requires a certain skill, but if you wish, you can handle it. You should start by preparing the place for work. It must be a hard and level surface, protected from possible ignition. Next, pay attention to the soldering iron. If necessary, it should be cleaned, possibly using sandpaper or a wire brush. Carefully remove any remaining dirt with a sponge or cloth. On the work surface, you need to fix the tape so that it does not move during operation. Double-sided tape will come in handy for this, if notthere are other fixtures for fastening parts. The tape must be cut in the indicated place where the scissors are shown. The wires need to be stripped and freed from insulation, again stripped a little with a knife. Determine where the "plus" and "minus" are located, and strictly follow the connection rule. Next, you need to clean the contacts on the tape and apply a thin layer of solder. The tape has paired contacts for connection, so the wires need to be soldered in two places, bending them at an angle of 90˚ in different directions. Next, the soldering points must be protected with a special heat shrink tube. If rosin was used when soldering, then you should not strip it, as it can also act as insulation.
From what you can power the LED strip
When all the preliminary connecting work is done, the LED strip must be powered with electric current. For this, the mains, batteries and batteries, as well as a computer power supply, are suitable. In some cases, the tape can even be powered from a telephone battery. Naturally, whatever source is chosen, you need to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of connecting an LED strip to it.
Electrical connection
If a home network will be used, then it is worth studying in detail how to power the LED strip from 220 volts. As mentioned above, during installation you will need a power supply. For such a tape, a power supply is not needed, but a special wire is useful, which will act as a diode bridge. When we figured out how to power the LED strip from 220 Volts,it must be taken into account that other types of tape over 5 meters will have to be powered not linearly, but in parallel. The 220 V LED strip is good because it can be purchased immediately in a 100 m bay or connected linearly to the desired length. Such long ribbons are needed for decorative lighting of houses or pools. If you need a piece of a shorter length, then you can simply cut it off at the cut point and put on a protective plug. However, the absence of a power supply when mounting this tape can lead to some problems. Voltage drops will adversely affect the diodes. This can lead to rapid burnout and out of service of entire sectors. In addition, it must be borne in mind that due to the lack of the same power supply, flicker is observed in such tapes, which is sometimes not able to catch the human eye, but it will adversely affect well-being. Therefore, 220 volt tapes are best placed on the facade of the house or as illumination on the street during the New Year holidays. These tapes are insulated with silicone, making them indispensable in Russian weather conditions.
Batteries help
If you need to light a small area, then check out how to power the LED strip from batteries. The principle of this method is not too different from all the previous ones. When connecting all elements, it is necessary to remember the polarity and choose materials suitable for connection with the selected tape. Batteries must have a total voltage of 12 volts. It can be any battery, even a little finger or tablet. It would be nice if it was rechargeable. Then the replacement problembatteries will be replaced by timely recharging of the battery. Below is how to power the LED strip with batteries:
- First you need to clean the contacts well.
- Tinning the ends of the copper wires.
- Apply flux and solder the wires to the battery - red to positive, black to negative.
- Do the same with a button or toggle switch. Only through it you pass only one wire (positive) and solder it to the input of the toggle switch. Start up the exit on the tape.
Connecting to battery
Now it's clear how to power the LED strip. But what if the light is needed not at home, but, for example, in nature in a tent? If the picnic lasts several days, no battery will be able to withstand such a long period. Therefore, you need to think about how to power the LED strip from the battery. There are special batteries with a capacity of 2 to 100 Ah that can be used for such purposes. The difficulty can only lie in the fact that special connections go to the battery, which again will have to be connected to the tape. By the way, if you decide how to power a 12V LED strip, then this is exactly the case.
Computer connection
If you are still concerned about the question of how to power a 12 Volt LED strip, then you can remember about spare parts from a computer. This option is suitable for those who understand not only the connection of electrical elements, but also electronics. It is knowledge in the hardware of a computer that canuseful in this situation. Considering the question of how to power an LED strip, one cannot help but remember that in our age there are much more opportunities than our parents. It is impossible to imagine any home without a computer. This raises a new question: is it possible to power the LED strip from a computer power supply? With a little knowledge, anything is possible. A block from any old computer that had to be disassembled for reasons not related to the failure of the block will come in handy. It must contain all the wires. For this purpose, we need a yellow wire, which is powered by 12 watts, and a black one, which will act as a ground. The rest of the wires are useless. You can learn more about the process thanks to the instructions presented in the video.
So, how to power the LED strip from 5 volts? You will not often find such tapes in stores, but if you set a goal, then you can really buy them on the Internet. As a rule, they are suitable for using a wire with a USB output. And if for some reason the question arose of how to power the LED strip from USB, you need to do the following: solder a wire to the strip, then directly connect the USB connector to it, after cutting it off, leaving at least 5 cm long wire at the end. Strip the wires on both sides and connect, observing the polarity. You can not solder and use ordinary electrical tape. This method is not designed for a long service, but may come in handy as a temporary solution to the problem. Suitable as mobile lighting powered by batteryphone number.
Additional features
How else can LED strips be used? For example, if you correctly install tapes in cabinets, then you can not only decorate the house, but also make it more functional. On a clothes rack, on the steps of a staircase, above a kitchen sink or as a backlight in a dish cabinet, smart tape does it all. And although it has some disadvantages, at the moment it is the most economical of additional power sources. The long life of the diodes, low electricity consumption, alternative power sources, mobility and appearance that does not spoil the interior of the room - all this speaks in favor of LED strips.
Easy and simple
So, having figured out how to power the LED strip, we conclude that if you have the desire and additional sources of information, this can be done by hand. And if you remember that the installation of such lighting by a master will be about one and a half to two times more expensive than the materials themselves, then you should definitely try your hand at this, possibly new business. It is necessary, of course, to observe safety precautions when working with electrical appliances.
Set contents
When purchasing LED strip, it may be worth paying attention to ready-to-use fixtures. This is an easier way to light up areas in your home. With some diligence, you can now find lighting fixtures onevery taste and budget. In addition, sometimes the assembly of separately purchased elements can be much more expensive than the finished product. The tape itself cannot provide illumination without additional devices. For it, you should also purchase a power supply, an adapter, an adapter and a certain amount of wire with which it all connects. For a professional, this will not be difficult. But the amateur will have to write down all the required characteristics, draw a connection plan, put all the parts together, try not to confuse the wires and thus not destroy all the purchased materials. And the result may not be as intended.
At the same time, the master, while assembling the lighting, is able to control the quality of the material used, the installation and placement of the structure. If you want to become a real master and decorate and ennoble your home as much as possible, you need to start small and simple, gradually moving on to more complex elements.
In conclusion, it should be recalled that when collecting more economical lighting, you should not buy cheap materials. As they say, a miser pays twice, or even more. On the Internet, there are many offers from Chinese craftsmen. That's just the lack of any guarantees, and sometimes markings, makes you wonder if their use will lead to a sharp decrease in the service life or to more irreparable problems in the form of accidental fire or harm to he alth. It is worth paying attention to the choice of not only the material itself, but also the manufacturer.
