From time to time, innovative materials for the construction, installation and decoration of an apartment appear on the market. Particular attention in the design of the premises today is given to the ceilings. Modern lighting devices are successfully used to decorate them.
New types of lighting
Modern lamps include:
- duralight;
- fluorescent lamps;
- neon lamps;
- LED strips.
Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at LED strips.
LED strip: what is it, the advantages
The LED strip is itself a strip of flexible material, the base of which has fixed LEDs. As a rule, LEDs of two main types are used for its manufacture:
- SMD 5050 (5060);
- SMD 3528 (3028).
5050 LED fixtures cost an order of magnitude higher, but have a higher wattage. From a visual point of view, the luminaires are also different from each other. They can be located in different ways, namely with different density. With an increase in the number of diodes, the brightness also increases.
An important advantage of LED-type luminaires is their ease of installation. Another characteristic feature is their low cost. It should also be noted that the market offers a huge selection of LED devices of various colors and shades. The pluses include the long service life of the tape.
Preparing for installation
Installation includes such an important stage as preparation for installation. It is necessary to decide with what density the lamps will be located. To create a basic lighting system, you need to choose LED models such as SMD 3528 (with a density of 120) or 5050 with a density of 60.
Next, we determine the footage and the power source of the system. For this, calculations are made of the perimeter of the area on which the backlight will be placed, and the area is calculated. The next step is to multiply the power consumed per square meter per illuminated area. What kind of power supply is suitable for installation in this particular case, sellers can tell at the time of purchase. Marks of the places for the cut are applied directly to the tape itself. Usually these are pieces of three LEDs.
The soldering of a simple strip occurs in accordance with "+" to "+", "-" to "-". If RGB models are used, the contact soldering is carried out in accordance with the marking.
The wires that come directly in the kit are considered not entirely reliable for installation, so they are often re-soldered. For these purposes, multi-core ferrules with a cross-section of 0.75 mm are used with fastening at the opposite ends.
To install the tips, only special tools are used - clamps. It is highly discouraged to use conventional pliers.
Thus, wires are obtained that will have better contact with the dimmer, power supply or controller.
The contacts are placed directly into the block and secured with screws.
For even greater safety, heat shrink tubing is used to create additional strength and insulation for the contacts.
Mounting
When installing most LED strips, two connection schemes are used:
- parallel connection;
- circuit with two power supplies.
Installation methods
One of the popular ways to install an LED device is the one in which the tape itself is not visible, but soft and warm light emanates from it through the stretch ceiling.
To make such lighting, you need:
The mounting kit, as a rule, has an adhesive tape with which the tape is attached to the ceiling cornice.
More details about editing can be seen in a special video.
If there is a need to illuminate a large room, it is not recommended to use a strip longer than 15 meters. This is due to the fact that the lamps that are closest to the power supply will burn out in a short period of time due to the high voltage of the network.
DIY LED ceiling lighting: tips
When installing an LED strip on the ceiling, there are a number of points, observing which you can make the process and the result of the highest quality.
- Ceiling mounting must initially have a project, that is, it is necessary to think over all the details before purchasing all the necessary components;
- Installation takes place with Velcro. In this case, the sticky layer is located on the back of the tape. In addition, it is protected by a special film. Before installing, it is necessary to select a PVC corner that is suitable in size for the slope and shelf. It is mounted in a niche with small screws. This is done on the basis that the sticky strip peels off the drywall over time, but it is finally attached to the PVC material. This is especially true of the stretch ceiling - it has to be removed even when minor repairs are required;
- The wires should be soldered as carefully as possible. The base is plastic, and the LEDs themselves do not tolerate overheating. The best solution for this purpose is a flux soldering paste. As for the solder, POS-61 has proven itself well. It is important that the melting point is no more than 160 degrees. If you do not have a sufficient level of melting of small parts, it is better to entrust this work to a professional;
- It is not recommended to join more than three meters of tape together. A conductive track in a significant mass cannot always withstand high voltages. Therefore, sections, the length of which reaches 3 meters, are best connected to the controller with separate wires;
- If the installation is carried out independently, it is imperative to observe the polarity and purpose of the wires;
- It is necessary to cut and cut the LED strip only along special lines. For convenience, they are initially designated by the manufacturer and it is better to use sharp scissors or side cutters;
- Remember the importance of backlight color, because it has a significant impact on psychological perception. For example, yellow-green and green are able to calm and relax, red excites the psyche, and yellow is neutral.
