How to power an LED strip?

Knowing how to power an LED strip is necessary for everyone who decided to buy such lighting fixtures. It is imperative to figure out how you can power 220 and 12 volt LED strips at home. And you should also figure out how to power the diode tapes with batteries, and what other methods of feeding with current can be used.

The connection of strips with LED elements to household electrical networks for 220 volts can be done in two ways. We are talking about soldering and connector techniques. Soldering turns out to be significantly cheaper and, moreover, much more reliable than installation using connectors. But the connector elements are much simpler. If the tape is designed for 1 glow color, the connecting nodes must have 2 fasteners; colored lights are only compatible with 4-end products.

Connectors are needed primarily where soldering is impossible, or, if necessary, bend the LED strip at a certain angle. However, experts emphasize that it is still better to always use a soldering iron of a proven sample. The soldering iron should have a relatively thin tip. Accurate temperature control is very important. Additionally you will need:

• rosin;

• solder;

• double-sided adhesive tape;

• heat-shrink tubing;

• Power supplies;

• high-quality wires for connecting the tape to the power source and connecting it to the power grid;

• sometimes a switch or a socket.

The difficulties of working with a soldering iron are quite surmountable. There should be no easily ignitable objects on or around the work surface. This surface must be firm and perfectly flat; then they pick up a soldering iron and prepare it. It is advisable to clean the instrument. To do this, use an emery or a metal brush. The dirt remaining after such treatment can be removed if necessary with rags or sponges.

Double-sided tape is designed to clamp the tape so as to exclude its chaotic movement. But sometimes other restraining solutions are used. Important: you cannot use a vice - they can damage the tape. The wires are cleaned and stripped. Before this, the tape is cut at a certain point; there, in the production, they make a note with the image of scissors.

Connection is possible only with strict observance of polarity. Then they clean the contacts on the tape, apply a little solder to the open places. The cables should be soldered in a couple of places. These places are bent at right angles in different directions.

Connection to 220 volts is possible only with a power supply. Its simplest version is a wire that replaces the diode bridge. If the size of the tape is more than 5 m, the connection must be strictly parallel. Rejection of the power supply often provokes an accelerated failure of communication parts. In this case, harmful flickering is also inevitable.

But the power supply is useful in one more point. Its use allows you to connect the entire circuit at once. There is no longer any need to run wires to each luminous segment separately. It is simpler, more reliable, and even more aesthetically pleasing (there is no bundle of intertwined wires). The main basic requirement is the calculation of the power supply for the required parameters.

If you need to use a 12 volt LED strip at home, and the total length of communications does not exceed 20 meters, then it is permissible to use batteries. This method is not too different from connecting to a regular power supply. The 12 volt supply voltage is not a random value; if it is larger, you cannot use batteries. You can use a "pill" or a little finger battery. Sequence of steps:

• thorough cleaning of contacts;

• tinning the tips;

• flux treatment;

• soldering the black wire to the minus, red - to the plus pole;

• a similar procedure is for connecting to toggle switches or buttons (however, a single wire is passed through them, which is connected to the inputs of the toggle switches, the output must be run on the tape).

But sometimes it is useless, or difficult, or impossible to connect the LED strip to a regular network or batteries. In tourist, hunting, fishing practice, the most practical is the use of batteries. Any battery with a capacity of 2-100 Ah is suitable. However, you will need to connect special connections. How to do this is written in the instructions for the batteries.

At home, connection to computers, laptops is suitable. In this case, knowledge of both electrical and electronics is required. Usually they take the yellow wire from the power supply. A black ground wire is also required in any case.

How to power the LED strip, see the video below.