How does a diode tape work. How to connect an LED strip: all options. Technical characteristics of LED strips

LED strip is a very popular option for backlighting and lighting. It has become so common due to its ease of installation, and its connection will not take much time even for those who are not very versed in electricity. You only need to have basic knowledge and concepts, such as current, voltage and power. Let's see how to connect led strip!

What you need to prepare for connecting the LED strip

In order to assemble a circuit for an LED strip with your own hands, you will need a minimum of tools. You can do this with a knife or a screwdriver in the simplest case. Let's deal with all the nuances and questions that you may have.

What is important to know

An LED strip is a lighting device consisting of a flexible printed circuit board on which LEDs and resistors are soldered. In the most common 12 V models, the LEDs are connected in groups of three and a pair of resistors. Resistors are needed to dampen excess voltage and limit current. The fact is that a white LED needs about 3 - 3.3 V to work, and the tape is designed for 12. If 3 LEDs are connected in series, a little more than 9 V is needed, the resistors "take over" the remaining 2 - 3 V.

Degree of protection

You can use the LED strip indoors, outdoors and even underwater. This is possible due to the fact that there are different degrees of protection against moisture and dust. A label like IPxx, where xx is a pair of digits, indicates the degree of protection. The higher these figures, the more difficult conditions the lamp and equipment can be used. In this case, the first digit indicates protection against dust and small particles, and the second - from water and splashes.

Products marked IP20 are not designed to work in difficult conditions with a high content of dust and moisture in the air, the element of unprotected tapes is a bedroom or living room, in general, any dry room, preferably for domestic use. An excellent solution for using such tapes is installation in a false ceiling niche or on a cornice, for decorative lighting. With the help of such a design solution, you can arrange coziness in the room with soft diffused light. It looks especially impressive when the furniture and its outlines are highlighted with reverse side and from below. Printed circuit board such tapes have no protection and are easily oxidized and damaged by bad environmental conditions.

IP68 models can be used underwater, such as fountain and pool lights. Such tapes are filled with a thick layer of silicone, which gives the necessary protection against water contact pads and LEDs. In addition, it will fit perfectly to illuminate the underbody of the car.

These are two "extreme" options, of course, there are intermediate degrees of protection on sale that can be used in wet rooms, for example, for installation in the kitchen, as a backlight above the sink. Well, here you need to take into account the remoteness of the tape from the sink. They are great for outbuildings - basements, garages, utility rooms with moderate conditions.

Length calculation

Tapes are most often sold in bays of 5 meters. Number of LEDs:

At the same time, the tape can be cut and extended without exceeding the length of the whole web of 5 meters. The cross section of the conductors is calculated in this way. That the maximum tape size is limited to this figure. If you connect a larger footage of the tape, it will heat up and can quickly burn out. Well, if you need a longer backlight length, you need to power 5 m from the power supply, and for the next 5 m, lay the power cable from the tape contacts to the power supply terminals, and not connect the tapes such large sections of the tape directly to each other.

How to cut and connect pieces of LED strip

It can be cut and connected just in pieces of three LEDs. There are markings on its facade - a line for cutting or a “scissors” sign. On both sides of the cut line there are contact patches to which power is connected. On a one-color tape on each of the segments there are 4 patches. 2 from the beginning of the segment and 2 at the end, respectively, plus and minus on each side. It makes no difference which side to give a plus, and which minus.

There are 4 patches on the RGB tape, they are duplicated. They have a common plus, and for each of the colors - an individual minus.

However, this is true for such a 12 V lamp, for 220 V models this rule does not work, they need to be cut along the marking lines, usually these are half a meter long segments.

Connection

LEDs are powered by direct current, a diode bridge (rectifier) ​​is used to convert AC to DC for 220V tapes, and a power supply is needed to operate low-voltage options.

Phase and zero from the 220 V network are connected to the DC-12V power supply unit, this cable is mounted in the terminal block and clamped with a screw. The terminals are labeled L and N. The tape is connected to the V+ and V- terminals.

If you have RGB devices, a controller is connected to the V + and V- terminals of the power supply, and a controller is already connected to it. LED RGB strip. In this case, the controller must provide the required current, preferably 20-25% higher than the consumption of the tape. This margin is needed for reliability, if the length of the backlight is very large or you do not have the opportunity to buy a controller of the appropriate power, an amplifier will help. The voltage from the power supply and the signal from the output of the RGB controller are connected to its input. A similar signal is present on the contact patches of one of the ends of the nearest connected rgb installation. This signal is needed in order for the amplifier to duplicate the lighting scheme of the room, amplify it with the help of an additional power source, and generate the necessary voltages and currents at its output for the following sections of the tape.

Connectors

For novice electricians, quick installation or repairs, LED strip connectors are best suited. This is a terminal for mounting and connection, consists of a plastic opening housing and spring-loaded contacts. In order to connect, you need to open the case, insert the tape with contact patches to the contacts and close the case. A two-wire connector usually has two wires coming out, black and red.

They are of several types:

• Connector - a wire for connecting to a PSU.
• Connector-connector with wire - for joining tapes.
• Rigid connector - for connecting tapes without a gap between them.

In this case, the connectors differ in the number of wires and contacts:

• Two-wire - for mounting a single-color tape.
• Four-wire - for multi-color tape.

Advantages:

1. Quick assembly.
2. Useful for renovations.

Flaws:

1. Not always available in stores.
2. Still, they have their price, which increases the overall cost of the structure.
3. Contacts can oxidize and lose elasticity.

Soldering

To connect by soldering, you need to have some experience in electrical work and a little more tools and materials:

• Soldering iron.
• Rosin, and preferably a liquid flux, for example, LTI or SCF.
• Solder such as POS-61.

First, prepare a place for soldering. In order for the solder to stick well, you need to remove the oxides from the contacts. To do this, cut the tape where you are going to solder. Then, using a toothpick, the wooden part of a match or a clerical eraser, clean the patches, a fine skin will also do.

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Be careful not to use a knife or other sharp objects, the metal on the contacts is quite delicate and thin. Tear off the heels - it will be more difficult to solder!

Now cover them with flux if it is liquid, and if using rosin, take a little on the tip of the soldering iron and cover the contact. Add solder to the contact, it will be tinned. In other words, a shiny layer should appear on its surface - this is a sign that the tinning was successful. Next, you need to solder a piece of wire tinned in the same way.

How to connect a single color ribbon

Single-color models are connected directly to the power supply. Beforehand, wires are soldered to it or a connector is connected, and the second end is connected to the power supply terminal, plus the tape is connected to V +, and minus to V-.

How to connect multiple LED strips

Two or more tapes are connected in a similar way; if the pieces are small, up to 5 meters in total length, you can take power from the contact pads of other pieces already connected to the structure. But if the total length from the power supply to the end of the last tape exceeds five meters - everything more needs to be connected with a cable directly to the power supply!

Connecting two single-color tapes

If you want to connect 2 strips, or replace several failed segments, while avoiding dismantling the entire structure, use connectors. Either rigid connectors for a butt joint, or a wire with two connectors at the ends, are perfect.

If you do not have them, use soldering, for this you need to tin a small piece of wire, and solder it to the tape, in general it can be soldered with a nickel to nickel overlap, but this requires a powerful soldering iron with a heat-capacitive tip. Here is a matter of technology.

Connecting two LED colored strips

Multi-colored RGB strips can be connected in the same way, using a soldering iron or connectors. In terms of limiting the overall length, the same rule applies to it as to a single color.

How to connect to a computer power supply

The computer PSU incorporates a 12 V power rail. It is perfectly stabilized and is suitable for powering LED modules. But the ATX power supply, namely, they are the most common at the present time, just like that, after being connected to the outlet, it will not start, on the main connector (20 or 24 pins) you need to close the green wire to ground (to black). 12 V is on the yellow wire, and minus is on the black one. Typically, a bus with this voltage can withstand large currents of the order of 10 A.

To connect to the load, you can either cut off the molex connector from the PSU, or use the molex female type, and solder the tape to its wires, so you get a collapsible design. If you need to connect a high power luminaire, we recommend that you combine several yellow conductors together (twist and solder) to reduce voltage drops.

Connection to the car

In the onboard network vehicle although the voltage is about 12 volts, which is suitable for powering the tape, but this is not entirely true. When the engine rotates at operating speed (not idle), the voltage at the generator output reaches 14.3 - 14.7 V, this value is necessary to charge the battery. If you connect LEDs to it, they are unlikely to work for a long time, from the increased voltage there will be an increased current, as a result - increased heating. This will lead to premature failure of the LEDs, degradation of the crystals and a decrease in the resource.

Therefore, you need to use an integral stabilizer such as KREN or L7812, in the TO220 package, plus a small aluminum radiator, it is capable of delivering 12 V at a maximum current of up to 1.5 - 2 A.

How to connect a 24 V LED strip to a computer power supply

Models designed for 24 V supply voltage can also be connected to a computer PSU. There will be only 24V between the yellow (+12V) and blue (-12V) wires, but the 12V rail will not provide much current. If she gives out 1 A, it will already be good. Therefore, the game is not worth the candle.

conclusions

We have covered common cases of connecting an LED strip, but did not say much important information. When installing the LED strip, it should be done so that its minimum bend is at least 5 cm. Although the LED strip board is flexible, but with sharp bends, the conductors can either break or stretch, their cross-sectional area will decrease and will pass less current, with over time it will fail.

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Specialist in the repair, maintenance of electrical equipment and industrial electronics.

Use specialized power supplies, check the output voltage so that it does not exceed 12 V, it is better to adjust it with a trimmer, if available, to 11.5 - 11.8 V, so the life of the entire system will increase.

📋 Take the test and test your knowledge

LED strip - power connected. (It looks like the blue wire is soldered to the plus. It isn't. The brown wire is soldered to the plus, and the plus is actually scissors.)

LED strip is used in most cases for decorative lighting, as shown in the article about. It can also be used for local lighting, such as small workspaces (kitchen, computer desk).

The device and scheme of the LED strip

Briefly - what is an LED strip and how it works. As an example - Gauss Led, 5 meters, power supply 12 V, 4.8 W / m, 60 LEDs 3528 per meter, without moisture protection.

I must say right away that the tape can have a different design, circuit, supply voltage, number of LEDs per meter, their power, color, etc. The LED strip that I am considering in this article is perhaps the simplest and cheapest.

Such a tape actually consists of the following pieces:

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The photo shows two such pieces, each containing 3 LEDs and 1 limiting resistor. The tape is sold in reels in long pieces, usually 5 meters each. The device of the LED strip is such that it is possible, but the pieces are much shorter - usually 5 centimeters. In duralight - a meter or 2!

The scheme of an elementary (minimum possible) piece of diode tape looks like this:

LED strip - a diagram of an elementary segment. It can't be less.

The scheme of the entire LED strip looks like this:

If the length of the tape is 5 m, and the length of the minimum segment is 5 cm, then it is easy to guess that the number of pieces in the tape will be 100 pieces.

Power (brightness) of the tape

It is clear that the brightness depends on the density of the LEDs per linear meter, and on the power of these diodes.

Now mainly tapes with two types of LEDs are on sale - 3528 (less powerful, an example in the article) and 5050 (more powerful). At a glance, it is very easy to distinguish them - 5050 is larger and has the shape of a square.

For information, SMD LEDs are used in LED strips. Their parameters are summarized in the table. The first two digits and the second two digits in the title are the length and width, respectively. And the size indirectly indicates the power.

Connecting the LED strip

The LED strip turned on in the laboratory looks like this:

2 pieces of diode tape - power is applied. Polarity +/- matters.

When connecting the power of the LED strip plays a role power polarity, as well as throughout the semiconductor world. Unlike incandescent lamps and heating elements, where polarity does not matter. However, if you turn on the LED strip in wrong polarity, nothing terrible will happen - it simply will not burn. You can not be afraid to check the correct connection by swapping the power wires.

If you need to cut a piece of tape from a whole piece, it have to solder, that is, solder the supply wires to the pads that are at the ends of each elementary piece. There are also scissors. The wire for connecting the LED strip must be used thin, with a cross section of no more than 0.5 mm2, as shown in the first photo of the article. Clean and tin the contact pads before soldering. Use a soldering iron with a power of no more than 40 watts, preferably 25 watts.

And remember, the place of soldering is the most unreliable place in the whole structure, it must be protected from mechanical overload!

For some types of tapes, there are special connectors on sale that are put on the tape, and you do not need to use soldering.

The photo below shows an example of how to connect an LED strip through a connector:

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Connectors for connecting Jazzway LED strip

Connecting the power supply for the LED strip

This is as a bonus - how to practically connect the LED strip. There are a few subtleties here (I don’t like the word “nuances”).

The LED strip is powered by a power supply. For this case, two parameters are important for him: voltage (usually 12 or 24 Volts) and power (depending on the length of the tape and the power of the LEDs). I'll talk about this in more detail below.

Here's a photo of the power supply just in case:

Power supply for LED strip.

This block is 60 watts, with a margin of two pieces of 24 watts.

It is best to buy such power supplies on Aliexpress, compare prices there and in a nearby store. The only negative is that you have to wait 30-40 days, so this option is for the economical and prudent).

Here are some links for example. The power supply unit and the length of the tape are chosen with a margin.

1. Tape power supply 12V 5A 60W. For a tape of 4.8 W / m, it will be enough for 10 meters, for 9.6 W / m - for 5 meters (1 reel).

2. Tape power supply 12V 10A 120W. For a tape of 4.8 W / m, it will be enough for 20 meters, for 9.6 W / m - for 10 meters.

3. Power supply for tape 12V 20A 240W. For a tape of 4.8 W / m, it will be enough for 40 meters, for 9.6 W / m - for 20 meters.

Since we are talking about such large lengths, an important note. If the length of the connected section of the LED strip is 10 m or more, and this entire section can be looked at, then it will be possible to notice that the brightness decreases towards the end of the section. To eliminate this effect, you need to connect such a long piece in one more place. For example, at the end, or in the middle.

When connecting the LED strip to the power supply, the main thing is to observe the polarity. According to the contacts - phase, zero, earth - this is the input of the PSU. The -V and +V contacts are an output voltage of 12 V. To the right is a tuning resistor, they can adjust the output voltage from about 11 to 13 Volts.

With an increase in the supply voltage, the temperature of the LEDs rises, and the service life of the LED strip decreases sharply (brightness decreases over time).

On the packaging, the voltage of the tape is usually written, based on this, the power supply is selected - 12 or 24 V.

LED strip power should be no more than 75% of the power power supply. In other words, there should be a power margin of at least 25%. The power of this piece (section) of the tape is easy to find out. It is necessary to multiply the power of a linear meter (Watts per meter) by the length of the tape.

For example, the linear power of the Gaussian tape given as an example below is 4.8 W/m. This means that the power of a 5m piece will be 24 watts. And the power supply must be selected with a power of 35 ... 50W.

If the power of the unit is comparable to the power of the load, the unit may overheat, especially if installed in a cramped space under the ceiling. And if the power of the power source is less than the power of the tape, the tape simply cannot turn on, and will blink, trying to turn on. In other words, the PSU simply will not be able to start, internal protection will work.

And more on connecting the power supply. Never apply power to it through a lighted switch.! Otherwise, there will be something similar, described in an article about how. Here, the PSU will try to start, and the 1 MΩ resistor will not get off. Even 100 kOhm may not be enough.

Naturally, the contacts must be carefully protected from accidental contact. Below are photos of how easy it is to protect against touching open contacts using a piece of cable channel of a selected width.

There are power supplies for LED strip with special protective caps, but they help little, and electrical safety is still low. You can, of course, wrap it all up with electrical tape ... but it will not look very good.

There are other power supplies, in plastic cases and waterproof. Perhaps they are more preferable in residential areas, in places where a child / cat / dog can climb.

Instructions for the LED strip

Who needs it - I post what was included with the tape.

Niches, shelves, decor items using LED strip, we have to remember that we have 220 V in the network, and not 12 or 24 volts, as is necessary for this backlight. We will talk further about how to connect an LED strip to 220 V.

Depending on the number of LEDs in the tape, they require 12 or 24 V power. But in an ordinary apartment or house there is no such power supply, but there is usually a single-phase network. Connection is possible using two options:

Since tapes with a direct connection to 220 V do not need special means, we will continue to talk about connecting those that need reduced voltage.

Schemes for one tape

The LED strip usually comes in a piece 5 meters long. If this length is enough for you, great. Just take a 220/12 V or 220/24 V converter. Connect a power cord with a plug to the input, and a tape to the output. In this case, the connection diagram looks (figure below) as a serial connection (one by one) of all elements.

Observe polarity when connecting. Plus to plus, minus to minus. These designations (plus and minus, are both on the power supply and on the tape. Do not confuse, otherwise it will not work. To connect one tape, you can take copper wires in a protective sheath (for example, twisted pair), with a cross section of 1.5 mm².

If the length must be more than 5 meters (2, 3 tapes or more)

Often, to illuminate the ceiling or other objects, an LED strip with a length of more than 5 meters is required. It can be 10, 15 or 20 meters, that is, you need to connect two or more tapes. They cannot be connected in series (one after the other). The LEDs closest to the power supply will carry more current, causing them to overheat. They will quickly lose their brightness, and then they will stop burning altogether. In this case, you need to connect the LED strip to 220 V in parallel: stretch the wire from the power supply to one and the other.

If physically one tape should be behind another, we simply pull a long wire from the power supply. Please note: its cross section is 1.5 mm². If you need to connect three or four tapes, we also connect them to the output of the power supply with a separate pair of wires.

With this connection, all tapes will glow the same way. Just be careful: you need to choose an adapter that delivers the desired voltage of 12/24 V with enough current to power all the tapes (how to calculate the required power is a little lower).

This method is good for everyone, except that powerful power supplies are larger, heavier and much more expensive. Weight and dimensions are a problem if you are lighting the ceiling. After all, you need to figure out where to install this equipment, which is far from always easy. And yes, the price is also important. Therefore, it is worth considering the option with two adapters of lower performance.

The diagram shows the connection of two tapes to two adapters. If you need to connect three tapes, it is not necessary to use three adapters. One may be more powerful, it can power two tapes (parallel connection, as in the figure above).

How to power powerful tapes

However, if high power LED strips (from 14 W / m or more) are connected to 220 V according to this scheme, a noticeable voltage drop occurs on each of the LEDs, as a result, the far edge of the tape glows much weaker. If a multi-color RGB tape is connected according to this scheme, it may shine in the wrong colors. To get rid of this phenomenon, each tape is connected to a power source from two sides.

With this method, the wire consumption increases, but the LEDs glow more evenly. It has been observed from experience that this connection method also increases the life of the LEDs - they degrade more slowly. This solution is not mandatory, but it really extends the life and evens out the uneven glow.

Connecting a color RGB tape

The connection principle remains the same. A controller is added to the circuit (it is also called a dimmer), with the help of which the color of the LED glow changes. Another difference is in the number of wires. After the controller, there are not two, but four. Otherwise, there are no differences.

As you can see, both on the controller and on the tape, there are designations 12B / V + - this is a phase wire, R - for connecting red LEDs, G - green, B - blue. In order not to get confused, it is better to use wires of the same colors. Everything will be easier to follow, there will be less chance of getting confused.

If you need to connect several colored ribbons, they are also connected in parallel. Parallels start from the controller outputs (two wires are connected to the output terminals). With this connection, both tapes will change the glow at the same time.

The power of the controller (dimmer) is not always enough to control all the tapes. In this case, an amplifier is used. The diagram becomes more complex, but it indicates the connectors to which the wires must be connected, which greatly simplifies its assembly. Please note that in the figure the connection of the tapes is indicated by four lines, and the power to the inputs of the amplifiers is two, and this power is taken from the outputs of the adapters.

As many tapes are connected to the dimmer (controller) as it can power. In the figure, this is only one tape 5 meters long, therefore, for each subsequent one, its own amplifier is used. In fact, two tapes are “hung” on one controller. The main thing is that he can control them (the characteristics of the controller indicate the length of the tape that can be connected to it).

Also note that the controller and one amplifier are powered from one adapter, the other two amplifiers from the other. This is also not required. If the power of the power supply is sufficient to power all devices (tapes, dimmer, amplifiers), then power will be supplied from only one converter. Another thing is that such a power source costs a lot, and it heats up and makes a lot of noise. Therefore, it is indeed better to implement separate power supply by two less powerful units.

Choice of performance adapters

There are technical data in the description of each tape. It must indicate the voltage that must be applied (12 or 24 V) and the current consumed. That's just the current is usually indicated for 1 meter of tape. If you connect 5 meters, respectively, you will need to multiply this figure by 5. If you connect 10 meters to this power supply, multiply by 10, etc.

If you are still figuring out how much the backlight will cost you and there are no tapes yet or you have not chosen yet, you can use the average data. The current consumption of the most common type of monochrome tapes is shown in the table. They can be taken as an example.

The resulting figure is the minimum value of the current strength that the desired power supply should produce. But Full time job at the limit of its capabilities greatly reduces the service life of electrical products. Therefore, we add 20-25% of the stock to the figure found (we multiply by 1.2 or 1.25), we round the resulting figure up to a whole number. This will be the current that the adapter should give out.

To make it clearer, let's take an example. Let a meter of tape consume 0.8 A, we will connect 18 meters to the adapter. We are looking for the total current consumption: 0.8 A * 18 = 14.4 A. We add a margin: 14.4 A * 1.2 = 17.28 A. So, we will look for an adapter that will deliver at least 17 Amperes.

In the case of colored RGB LED strips, the current found is added to the found figure, which is necessary for the controller (dimmer) and amplifiers (if they are powered from this source). This data is in technical description devices.

Circuit assembly process

In order to connect the LED strip to 220 V, you will need the LED strips themselves, a power supply, a controller (if needed) wires of the required colors and length. The wires are preferably copper stranded (they are softer, but harder to solder) or from a single wire. Take colored wires, so it will be easier to correctly connect the LED strip to 220 V.

You will also need the following tools:

• scissors;
• heat-shrink tubing;
• soldering iron with rosin and tin ().

Scissors are needed if you need to cut a piece from the LED strip reel. You can only cut in certain places. On the tape, they are indicated by a vertical line, next to which is usually a schematic image of scissors. Another distinguishing feature is the solder pads, which are located on both sides of the cut line.

Next, we take the wires, we clean their ends from insulation (2-3 mm), we play. and the prepared wire we put on a piece of heat shrink tubing of such a size that it is put on the tape in its original state. Next, with cotton dipped in alcohol, we clean the contact pads, tin them (we lower the heated soldering iron into rosin, warm up the pad for a couple of seconds. It should be covered with a thin layer of tin. We solder the wires to the prepared pads. Be careful and do not take a lot of tin when soldering. The pads are located very close, having planted a blot of tin, it is easy to connect them (especially in colored ribbons).

After all the wires are soldered, we lower the heat shrink tube so that it closes all the contacts, we warm it up. Shriveling, it will close all contacts well. In general, it is better to carry out this operation after checking the operability of the circuit. If everything burns, glows, you can isolate.

After soldering the wires to the tape, we connect them to the output of the adapter or controller. Everything is simple here. There is a clamping screw and contact plates. We loosen the screw, fill the bare wire (3-4 mm) between the plates, tighten the screw. We slightly pull the wire a couple of times, checking the contact - if it holds, then everything is fine.

An LED strip is a narrow and flexible strip containing LEDs and current-controlling resistors. The tape, theoretically, can be of any length, cutting or extension is allowed. Usually 5-meter segments go on sale. The LED strip finds wide application in various design solutions.

Lighting projects may include the use of a tape of a specific length or a multi-color version of it (RGB). Connecting an LED strip does not cause any particular difficulties, it is required to follow certain recommendations when doing this work, taking into account the type of backlight, total power, calculation of the supply of power supplies and RGB amplifiers.

Factory-made LED strips are designed to be connected to a 12V DC network using a special power supply. However, there is a scheme for connecting to a 220 volt network, which requires some refinement. Since the supply voltage of the LEDs located on the tape is less than 220V, when connected directly to such a source, a breakdown of the LEDs and damage to the strip as a whole will occur. circuit diagram supply involves:

• tape 5 m long and operating voltage 12v, cut into 20 pieces;
• mains voltage 220V is rectified using a diode bridge (VD1-VD4);
• tape segments are assembled together, so that the positive output of the segment is connected to the negative output of the next piece;
• possible flicker is smoothed out by a capacitor (300v, 5-10 mF).

It is required to check the amount of current flowing through the tracks of the tape, and if it is more than the permissible one, another piece of tape is included in the circuit or added.

A similar connection method is described for informational purposes, and it is undesirable to carry out such work, since the bare soldering points of all components will be under high voltage and electric shock may occur during the operation of the tape.

Connecting a 12 volt LED strip through a power supply

All manufactured LED strips are designed for voltage of 12 or 24V. Due to this correct connection only possible through, which lowers the voltage and gives a constant current at the output. The power supply is marked + and - for correct connection. LED strips for sale may have a different number of LEDs, respectively, have different power consumption.

An important condition is the selection of the power supply of the required power. If this requirement is not met, then the LED strip will not be able to give a bright light, the power supply unit will become unusable from overload. When calculating the power, 20-30% is added to the obtained value to compensate for losses in the extension wires.

The power of one meter of tape depends on the number and type of LEDs. For example, SMD LEDs 3528, in the amount of 60 pieces per meter, give a total power of 4.8 watts. This means that a 5-meter tape consumes 24 watts. Considering the power reserve, a 32 W power supply is required.

How to install a single color ribbon

Connecting one single-color tape, after selecting the right power supply, does not cause difficulties. A standard strip, 5 meters long, is connected to two taps coming out of the power supply. The current polarity is marked on its body. The wires from the power supply are soldered to special contacts located on the tape. Polarity must be observed (contacts are marked + and -).

Soldering is carried out with a low power soldering iron (for example,) so as not to damage the tape material. If necessary, the branch between the block and the tape is extended, using conductors with a cross section of 1.5 mm 2. Usually, the red wire coming out of the power supply is positive, and the blue or black wire is negative.

Joining two single color ribbons

The connection of two tapes of the same color type has its own characteristics. A typical mistake A series connection of two LED strips is considered. That is, the beginning of the second is soldered to the end of the first. With this mounting option, the second tape will not glow properly or the current-carrying tracks of the first strip will overheat, as a result, the LEDs will become unusable.

For correct connection, use the parallel connection of two LED strips. The first strip is connected in the same way as with a single installation. For the second strip, individual wires are brought from the power supply. It is clear that an extension wire is used in this case. As a result, each tape will be connected separately. You need to pay attention to the power of the power supply. It must correspond to the total capacity of the two lanes and have a 30 percent margin.

Sometimes the installation of ceiling lighting is not possible due to the overall dimensions of the power supply, designed to connect two tapes, due to the fact that it cannot be placed in the interceiling space. Then two power supplies of suitable power are used, each of which is connected to a separate 220v network line. In the future, the connection of LED strips is carried out in the same way as in the case of a single tape.

RGB LED Strip Wiring Diagram

An RGB type tape is a strip that can produce a different color of radiation or its variations. Unlike connecting single-color tapes, it has a controller in its wiring diagram that controls each individual color. The surface of the strip itself contains four sections of contacts, to which the corresponding wires coming from the controller are soldered.

Four wires come out of the controller:

• R (red);
• G (green);
• B (blue);
• V+ (or other designation), which theoretically performs the same function.

The pins with the color designation on the controller are connected to the terminal block, which contains the wires of the corresponding color. That is, the red wire goes to output R, green to output G, blue to output B.

in our time quite deservedly have the most stable demand. This is due to their durability and high level of energy savings.

All detailed characteristics and working principle different types halogen lamps can be studied using.

The principle of installation when connecting an RGB LED strip is as follows: a power supply (of the required power) is connected to the 220V network, the outputs of the power supply are connected to the controller, taking into account the polarity. The wires coming out of the controller (4 pieces) are soldered to the LED strip so that the red wire is connected to the corresponding pin marked on the tape. In case of an incorrect connection, the strip will glow incorrectly (inconsistency between the switched on color and the true radiation).

Connecting two LED colored strips

Just as in the case of mounting two single-color tapes, it is required to calculate the power of the power supply and the RGB controller. Standard strips 5 meters long are designed for separate connection to both the power supply and the controller. That is, it is assumed parallel connection, in which each LED strip receives a separate connection of the leads coming from the controller.


In practice, one has to face the fact that the lighting project requires the use of a unit and a controller with large overall dimensions, and it is not always possible to place it in the ceiling niches. In this case, the following connection scheme is used:

• the first tape is connected to a separate power supply and controller,
• the second tape is connected to its block and the RGB amplifier.

The amplifier is labeled "input" and "output" RGB and plus and minus terminals for its power supply, according to this, the end of the first tape is connected to the "input" terminal, and the wires from the "output" terminal are connected to the beginning of the second tape.
The amplifier itself is connected to a second power supply, according to the marking of the poles. With this option, each strip with LEDs gets a separate RGB controller.

Use with a dimmer

Connection using provides the ability to change the brightness of the glow of the tape. For correct connection it is necessary that the regulated power of the dimmer correspond to the power of the tape or a mounting kit of several LED strips.

In the case of connecting a single-color tape, the power supply is connected to the dimmer, observing the polarity. The dimmer leads are connected directly to the tape, according to the polarity of the current. If two strips are mounted, then, as in the case of two strips, a parallel connection is made after the dimmer or an amplifier is used.

An LED strip with RGB channels can also contain a dimmer in its connection scheme that controls the brightness of all channels. For such installation, the dimmer is connected to the power supply, and its outputs are connected to the RGB signal controller. In this case, the total power is necessarily calculated and compared with the power of the dimmer. If two RGB strips are used, then the dimmer in the connection diagram takes place immediately after the power supply, and its outputs also go to the controller.

The decisive factor in this scheme is power. As well as when calculating the parameters of the power supply, this figure should exceed the calculated power consumption of tapes by 20-30%.

Some features when working with LED strips

If it is necessary to adjust the length, the strips can be cut or, conversely, lengthened. To cut the tape, ordinary scissors are used, the cut is made along specially marked contours. If you want to connect two strips, use the connectors intended for this. The ends of the two strips are inserted into this device, after which it is snapped into place. The result is a rigid and reliable connection.

It is possible to join segments of tapes with a soldering iron. In this case, the ends of the strips are cleaned and a tinned layer is applied to the contacts. After that, the ends of the tape are superimposed on each other and carried out from above with a soldering iron tip. Its power should not exceed 60 watts.

It is better to close the places where the wires are connected to the tape with a special heat shrink tube. To do this, before soldering the ends of the wires to the contacts of the strip, they first put on the tube. Then they carry out, and at the end of the work they push the tube and slightly warm it up with a hairdryer. It turns out dense and fixed isolation of contacts.

In conclusion, it must be added that the quality of the work performed directly depends on the calculation of the required power parameters and compliance with the recommendations presented. It is highly not recommended to carry out unregulated connections of tapes to a 220v network without power supplies in order to avoid breakdowns and electric shock.

LED strip: video connection

With the advent LED lamps it became possible to make the lighting design of apartments and houses more diverse. And when they came up with flexible strips with small LEDs attached to them, which can glow in different colors and even change color smoothly, only imagination is required: connecting an LED strip is a simple matter. Having done the operation once, you can easily repeat it.

LED strips are single-color and universal - changing their color using the control panel

Types and types

Before connecting the LED strip, it is worth understanding their types and markings. So you will not make a mistake with the choice of power supply and accurately calculate the required glow intensity, tape length and other parameters.

Colors and types of glow

You probably noticed that LED strips differ in the type of glow. They are:

• Monochrome. They are assembled from elements of the SMD type, they issue specific color. The marking indicates the initial letter of the English spelling of the color:
  • LED-W-SMD - white (may be with a tint of blue or yellow, also called warm or cold light),
  • LED-R-SMD - red,
  • LED-B-SMD - blue,
  • LED-G-SMD - green.
• Universal. Marked RGB - give different shades depending on the command from the control panel. Work in tandem with the controller and the control panel.

The most in demand in the illumination of interiors are ribbons made of plain - monochrome - crystals. permanent shift flowers are too annoying, does not allow to relax. This is illumination, not illumination. Therefore, universal tapes are used to create advertising, highlight cars - where it is necessary to attract attention. When decorating interiors, SMD tapes are mainly used.

Degree of protection

Since the scope of LED strips is extensive, the degree of protection is different. For dry rooms, ordinary open ones are produced - without a protective coating. There are waterproof ones - they can be used in wet rooms - in bathrooms for example. They are covered with a layer of varnish. There is another option - moisture resistant. They are sealed in a sealed housing and can be mounted directly in the water - in an aquarium, pond or pool. They can also be used for outdoor lighting.

For outdoor car styling, LED strips are most often used, placed in a transparent polymer tube. It protects not only from moisture ingress, but also from mechanical damage, but their cost is higher.

LED dimensions, brightness and density

Let's deal with the sizes. If you take several strips, you can see that they are made of LEDs of different sizes. In addition, they are sometimes located tightly one next to the other, in some - at a fairly decent distance, and there are also strips with LEDs in two lines.

It is not difficult to distinguish the dimensions of the elements outwardly, but how to understand this by marking. Dimensions are shown in numbers after the letters indicating the type of LED. For example, LED-R-SMD3528 (red) and LED-RGB3528 (universal) are assembled from elements with dimensions of 3.5 * 2.8 mm, LED-G-SMD5050 (green) and LED-RGB5050 (universal) - 5.0 * 5.0 mm.

These are the two most common types, although there are larger ones - 56 * 30 mm, and there are also smaller ones - 20 * 20 mm.

The larger the crystal, the greater the intensity of light they give out. For monochrome crystals, the indicators are:

• 3.2 * 2.8 mm in size produces a luminous flux from 0.6 to 2.2 lm;
• size 5.0 * 5.0 mm - from 2 to 8 lm.

Universal LEDs with the same dimensions have a lower intensity: three small crystals of different colors are soldered in one case, therefore the RGB glow intensity is lower:

• 3.2 * 2.8 mm gives out 0.3 to 1.6 lm;
• size 5.0 * 5.0 mm - from 0.6 to 2.5 lm.

All values ​​are for uncoated crystals. Any of them reduces the intensity of the glow and this must be taken into account when calculating the brightness of the glow.

Length calculation

Above we talked about each individual LED on the tape, and there are a lot of them on the tape and they are located with different densities, respectively, they can give out a stream of light of different intensity. The minimum number of crystals per meter is 30 pcs, the highest density in one row is 120 pcs/m, in two rows 240 pcs/m.

Depending on the number of crystals, both the total intensity of the glow and the electrical power consumption change. For the convenience of calculating the required lighting intensity and electrical parameters, the technical data are summarized in a table.

Power table of LED strips with different density of LEDs

From this table, you can determine how long the backlight tape is needed. For example, you want to make a backlight in a room, a glow of medium intensity. Two 80W incandescent bulbs need to be replaced. It is necessary to organize a luminous flux of the order of 140 W (two lamps of 80 W each will never give 160 W).

If for these purposes we take an SMD3528 with a number of LEDs of 120 pcs / m, it will take about 5 meters of tape (we take it with a margin of 20%), an SMD5050 with an installation density of 60 pcs / m will need 4-4.5 meters.

In general, LED strip is sold by the meter. It comes from the factory in 5 m spools and a piece of this length is not always needed. Therefore, it is possible to cut off the required amount: along the applied dotted lines with the image of scissors. Strictly along these lines and you can cut.

Cut the LED strip with scissors strictly according to the markup

If the scissors are not drawn, then there must be a dotted line. Also, the cut line can be determined by the presence of pads on both sides of the line.

Connecting the LED strip

Most LED strips run on 12V or 24V. If the line of crystals is one, the power supply is 12 V, if there are two - 24 V. Any DC source that produces this voltage is suitable: battery, power supply, battery, etc.

To connect the tape to a 220 V household network, a converter or adapter is required (also called blocks or power supplies, adapters).

Recently, tapes have appeared that can immediately be connected to a 220 V network. All of them are sealed in plastic tubes - 220 Volts is no longer a joke. They are also cut along the marked lines, connected using a special connector that is inserted into the conductors. A cord with a built-in rectifier is connected to the connector (this is a diode bridge and a capacitor).

This tape differs from the usual one in that in it small sections (20 pcs) with LEDs are connected not in series, but in parallel, also in such a way that the diodes are directed towards each other. Due to this, we obtain the required voltage of 220 volts or so. Alternating current is converted to DC by a diode bridge, and the ripple is damped by a capacitor.

In principle, such a tape can be assembled from a regular one, but you will need to take care of the insulation: touching an element connected to a household network without an adapter is fraught with serious consequences.

How to connect multiple LED strips

Each of the tapes, depending on the modules used and the number of elements per meter, consumes a different amount of current. The average parameters are shown in the table. Knowing how long you want to mount the backlight, you can choose an adapter that will deliver the required current.

Sometimes the required tape length exceeds 5 meters - when it is necessary to illuminate the room around the perimeter. Even if the power supply can deliver the required current, two or more five-meter tapes cannot be connected in series. The maximum allowable length of one branch is those 5 meters that come in a reel. If you grow it by connecting the second one in series, a current will flow along the tracks of the first tape, many times higher than the calculated one. This will lead to a rapid failure of the elements. The track may even melt.

If the power of the power supply is such that several tapes can be connected to it, separate conductors are pulled to each of them: the connection scheme is parallel.

In this case, it is convenient to place the power supply in the middle, for example, in the corner, and from it there are two tapes on both sides. But it's often cheaper to buy several smaller adapters than one more powerful one.

Connecting an RGB strip via a controller

The power supply is connected in series, then the controller. They are connected to each other with two wires. There are already 4 conductors coming out of the controller, which are routed to the corresponding contact pads of the RGB tape.

In the same way as in monochrome ribbons, in this case the maximum allowable length of one line is 5 meters. If a longer length is needed, then two bundles of wires of 4 pieces each depart from the controller, that is, they are connected in parallel. The length of the conductors can be different, but it is more rational that the power supply and the controller are in the middle, and two backlight branches go to the sides.

Connection methods

Connecting the LED strip to the power supply in series. Therefore, we pay attention to polarity: we connect “+” only to the same pole, and “-” to minus.

At the end of the tape, which comes on a reel, conductors are soldered. If the glow is monochrome, there are two conductors - "+" and "-", for multi-color 4, - one common "positive" (+ V) and three colored ones (R - red, G - green, B - blue).

But a 5-meter piece is not always needed. shorter lengths are often required. Cut the tape along the marked lines.

In the photo you can see contact pads on both sides of the cut line. They are signed on each tape, so it’s quite difficult to get confused when connecting. To make it even easier, use conductors of different colors. So it will be clearer and you definitely will not get confused.

Connectors

You can connect the LED strip without soldering. There are special connectors for this. These are specially designed devices plastic cases that provide proper contact. There are connectors:

Everything is very simple: the cover is opened, a tape or conductors with bare ends are inserted. The lid closes. The connection is ready.

The method is very simple, but not very reliable. Contact is only provided by pressure, and if the cover is loosened a little, problems begin.

Soldering

If you have at least some soldering skills, it is better to use this method. To work, you will need a medium-power soldering iron, with a thin or sharpened tip. You need rosin or flux, as well as tin or solder.

We clean the ends of the conductors from the insulation, twist them into a tight bundle. We take a heated soldering iron, lay the conductor on the rosin, warm it up. We take a little solder on the tip of the soldering iron, we warm up the wires again. The veins should be tightened with tin - tinned. In this form, the conductors are easy to solder.

Similarly, it is desirable to lubricate the contact pads: dip the soldering iron in rosin, warm up the pad. Make sure that the tin does not leak out of the platforms. Take the prepared conductor, lay it on the platform, warm it up with a soldering iron. The tin should melt and tighten the conductor. Hold the conductor in place for 10-20 seconds (sometimes it is easier to hold it with thin-nosed pliers or tweezers - the conductor heats up), pull. He must hold on tight. We solder all the necessary conductors in the same way.

ON RGB ribbons with 4 wires, make sure that the pads do not connect during soldering. The distance between the contacts is very small, the slightest streaks can ruin the whole thing. Act carefully.

Watch the process of soldering the diode tape in the video. You will need to repeat everything.