Guide on How to Cut LED Strip Lights and How to Connect Them
The way we light our houses has changed thanks to LED strip lighting. Because of their adaptability, they can be deployed in almost any place. They may illuminate spaces that ceiling lights typically leave in the dark, including cabinets and kitchen countertops. Given that they are available in various RGB colors and different color temperatures, LED strips are also an excellent way to add mood lighting to your space. Some even have remote controls that can be used to modify them to fit different needs.
You can start utilizing LED strips immediately by following the instructions in this article on cutting, connecting, and installing LED strips.
Cutting LED Light Strips
You will probably discover that it is not always possible to obtain a strip that is the proper size because LED light strips are fixed in length. Many light strips can, however, be trimmed to desired lengths. According to the usual rule of thumb, if the light strip has a cut line, you can cut it; if not, you shouldn’t cut it.
If the LED lights can be cut, it will be apparent in the product specifications, and the areas that can be cut often display a scissors logo. Please ensure the LEDs are unplugged before cutting them, confirm that they can be cut, and then cut along the good cut line to the desired shape.
How to Cut LED Strip
- Ensure that the LED strip lights can be cut, and remember to disconnect the power supply.
- Measure the length of LEDs that you require.Individual LEDs can be trimmed off as needed, but the cuts must be made at specified points.
- Locate the cut line on the copper dots of the LED. Look for a pair of copper dots on the LED strip’s back. The copper dots show where one light on the strip connects to the next. There will be a dotted cut line between the copper dots ( sometimes marked with a scissors logo). Select the line closest to the LED length you previously measured.
- Use scissors to cut along the cuttable line. Use scissors to cut along the cuttable line, being careful to maintain a straight line.
Connecting Led Light Strips
You can join LED strips together if you require a length that cannot be purchased on a single reel. Using circuit connectors or soldering the copper pads on the LED strip are the two ways to join them together.
Connecting LED Strip Lights using connectors
Connectors are the simplest way to join two or more LED strips. These could take the form of a wire connector, which is fantastic for navigating corners, a clip or buckle, which is excellent for extending the strip length, or a multi-strip connector, which connects numerous strips with a single join.
It is crucial to use a male-to-male clip connector to ensure that the current can travel along the entire length of the LEDs. Additionally, you must ensure that the connector you choose has the same number of pins as your LED lights, usually two or four.
Soldering LED light Strip
Although soldering can be more mechanically reliable and effective, it is a little more challenging to DIY than simply using a connector. But soldering is frequently preferred if you have the knowledge and tools necessary to do it.
After soldering the LED strips together, you must ensure that the exposed joint is covered because it lacks housing. Either electrical tape or a good heat shrink wrap will work for this.
Thing to Consider When Installing LED Strip Lights
LED light connections require the tapes to be exposed. So make sure you gently remove the plastic covering surrounding the copper connectors.
Be careful and ensure you always connect the correct wires on the LED strips to one another, for instance, red to red, green to green, and so forth.
If you want to keep the connections free of water and dust after you’ve finished, think about using a heat shrink cover. A specialized outdoor cover is required to ensure that LED lights used outdoors are weatherproof.
As long as you don’t link more LED strips together than the strip’s maximum power output allows for, you can.
Constant voltage LED Strips should generally be run in no more than 10 meters sections per power source to prevent voltage drop, according to the strip’s specifications, which are also crucial in this situation. However, provided the power supply is appropriate, constant current LED strip lights can be run up to 50 meters or more from a single power source without dimming at either end.
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