Installing an LED strip does not require tremendous knowledge of electrical wiring, but to do everything correctly and thoroughly, you will still need a minimum of electrical engineering.

It is an energy efficient LED light source and allows you to create exquisite backlighting for outdoor, waterproof or indoor versions.

Design features of the tape

Structurally, it is a flexible printed circuit board with white or colored LEDs located on it. The density of the LEDs is multiple - 30/60/120 per 1 running meter. LED modifications determine the value and color of the luminous flux (monochrome or multi-color (RGB)).

LED strips are 8 ÷ 20 m wide, and LEDs are ≈ 3 mm thick. On the horizontal plane of the board, in addition to the LEDs, resistors are placed to limit the current. To create uniform illumination, the unit of LEDs and resistors has a multiple uniform distribution, and for convenient cutting into segments, dividing marks.

Scheme complete set

The operation of the LED backlight predetermines the use of ballasts: power supply, controller and dimmer.

Everything you need to connect

Power supply unit: The operation of the LEDs is designed for direct current with a voltage of 12/24/36 V, and in the network of civil and industrial structures - alternating current with a voltage of 220 V. Therefore, it is necessary to use an adapting device - a power supply.

Connecting RGB tape with a controller

Technical characteristics determine the design and parametric indicators of power supplies:

• If waterproof systems are being created, then the power supply unit must also have a similar sealed design. If the lighting system is open, then the unit is selected unprotected from moisture and dust.
• Compliance with the rated voltage of the tape and the supply unit.
• The estimated power of the PSU is determined by simply multiplying the number of meters of the connected tape by the rated power of 1 meter plus a power reserve of at least 25%.

Connection diagram

Power supplies are manufactured with standard electrical specifications, so choose one with power equal to or slightly higher than the final value obtained.

Controller: The use of controllers is essential when creating dynamic and static lighting effects.

Various lighting implementations have led to numerous controller modifications:

• MIX - for systems with white LEDs of different luminescence temperatures.
• RGB - for three-channel control of red, green and blue RGB colors (color change rate, smoothness, backlight color combinations).
• DMX - for complex systems with multiple light sources (RGB - up to 170 units, white - up to 512 units).
• DALI - for the "Smart Home" system.

Connection and installation

If you do the installation of an LED strip with your own hands, then you must take into account the general principles of connection:

1. Connection is made only on one side.
2. Connections of several sections are made only in parallel, and only by soldering or connectors. The fact is that all marked LED blocks are connected in parallel, so the voltage is the same for each of them, and the currents are summed up.
3. Using a powerful power supply designed for the total load, parallel connection of the segments should be made using wires with a cross section of at least 1 mm. If the power of the power supply unit is insufficient or it is too bulky, then you will have to use several low-power compact power supplies, which are connected in parallel to a ~ 220 V network.
4. Correctly observe the polarity: "+" and "-" for a single-color scheme and "+", "R", "G", "B" for RGB multi-color.
5. The bending radius should not be less than 20 mm.
6. The power supply has two groups of contacts: power and low voltage. Connections to the network are made using two or three-wire circuit wires. As a rule, the outputs on the power supply unit correspond to: brown - phase, blue - zero, yellow-green - ground. The location of the phase and zero is not critical, and the ground line may be absent.
7. Single-color contacts are connected to the low-voltage terminals according to the marking.
   When using dimmers, they are placed in the circuit between the power supply unit and the LED flight controller with the same observance of the contact pairs.
8. The controller is connected to the PSU through its DC contacts. The 4 contacts of the RGB tape are connected to the controller terminals: "+" and alternately "-R", "-G", "-B".

Before installing the LED strip, it is recommended to make a test connection to determine the functionality of the circuit.

Installation of tape

You can carry out instant installation of the LED strip with your own hands using an elementary algorithm:

• Degrease the mounting surface.
• Remove the protective film on the tape.
• Apply the tape and lightly fix it on the surface.
• In the case of a complex aesthetic lighting system, profile structures can be used: aluminum or plastic profiles. For high-power LEDs, it is better to give preference to the first option and the more power, the more voluminous the profile should be in order to provide natural cooling.
• In the case of profile mounting, the product should be laid on the adhesive base or glued on. In the latter case, it is necessary to avoid getting glue on the LED.

Stages of installation work

The use of LED strip expands the design possibilities and makes it quite easy to implement sophisticated illumination, which will increase the interior aesthetics and provide significant energy savings.