Unless you’re lighting a very tiny project, you’ll almost certainly need to cut and connect LED light strips. This is one of the most significant advantages of using LED tape lights. Multiple strips can be linked together to illuminate bigger areas and unique nooks and crevices.
LED strips are often offered in lengths of several meters. LED light strips are available in lengths ranging from three to sixteen feet. But what if they’re too long? Can you trim LED strips to the length required for your project? The good news is that LED strips can be shortened. Dont be in a rush to take out your scissors. In this article, we will show you the critical factors you must consider before shortening the length of your LED strips.
Prior to cutting confirm if the strip you purchased can be cut: because some strips once cut can become unstableDon’t. Proceed to ensure that you completely turn off the power supply. It is exceedingly risky to cut a 24v RGB led strip that is attached to a power source directly.
Step 1: Determine the length.
If the LED light strip you purchased is too long, you just clip off the excess. Before anything else find out the required length. Your time and work will be lost if you mistakenly cut the strip too short.
Step 2: Check the light strip for the scissors logo.
LED strip light Manufacturers have placed a scissors logo on the cuttable portion of their LED light strips for user convenience. You must locate the scissors logo before cutting to prevent inflicting harm.
Step 3: Using a pair of scissors, cut the fabric.
The final step is to cut the surplus strip along the position marked by the scissors logo with your scissors. If you cut diagonally, a light may cease operating, so make sure you cut straight.
It is important to note that once you cut the LED strip you bought the part that remains will not be functional. If you wish to rejoin them after cutting, you’ll need to utilize an additional 4 pin connection. However, if you cut and connect the light strip incorrectly, it may cause the light strip to cease operating properly. As a result, we recommend that you double-check the length of the strip before cutting to avoid having to reconnect thereafter.
If you need to rejoin LED light strips after they’ve been severed, you’ll need an extra 4pin connection. In most cases, this item is not included in an LED light strip package and must be ordered individually.
Step 1: Purchase an appropriate 4Pin connector.
There are several light connection items available, therefore you must select the appropriate one based on the type of light strip. If your light strip is 10mm wide, the 4Pin connector you choose must also be 10mm wide. It will not work if your light strip is 8mm wide and you buy a 10mm connection.Step 2: Disconnect the connector.
If the connector has a cover, you must open it from the side.
Step 3: Connect the light strip to the connection.
Insert the two cut ends of the LED light strip into the connector’s attaching clips. You should now double-check that they are not reversed by following the pictorial instructions.
Step 4: Protect the connection.
Close the connector cover after putting the light strip and check to see if the light strip is lighted normally after connecting the power supply. Adjust the connection point between the connector and the light strip if the linked pieces do not light up correctly.
In general, reconnecting the strip even custom led light strips after cutting is a bit difficult. Not only will you need to purchase more connections, but any incorrect action may render the strip inoperable. As a result, it is important to ensure that the needed length is correct to minimize waste.
Strip connections are the most convenient choice since they do not require any tools. Begin by removing the clear plastic covering the copper pads with a knife. Then, just slide the strip into the connection, making sure that the components match.
The second way is to solder directly to the strip with iron and old wires. Directly melt the solder onto the copper dots to generate a tiny puddle and align the polarity. melt a solder wire over the two copper spots until the dots are entirely covered in liquid metal.
The negative mark should be aligned with the black wire, and the positive mark should be aligned with the red line.
Wire strippers should be used to remove around half an inch of casing from the ends of your wires. Twist the wire end to connect all of the frayed ends and connect the wires to the solder puddles.
Use a plastic end cap to connect the wires. Purchase a hardware store plastic end cap, drill a hole in it, and insert one black and one red wire. Leave 1.3cm open for stripping.
Connect the wires to the LED strip with solder. Twist the wire ends until they are connected, then solder them to the LED strips.
After you’ve created a connection, you may test your strip lights by plugging them into a power source. Voila!
Whatever kind of LED strip light you have got, you’ll be sure of 1 thing: you’ll be able to cut it to the length you wish. Throughout your LED strip, there’ll be straight or dotted black or white lines indicating where you will cut. Because the circuits are isolated here, it’s easy to chop on these lines. As a result, it’s safe to chop your strips here without the danger of injury.
Because there are several styles of LED strips, the cutting lines on each are unique. Most LED strips, on the opposite hand, feature cutoff lines every three LEDs. Copper dots may be found on either side of the black cutting line. they create asymmetrical designs. On single color lights, there are two copper dots, however, on color-shifting RGB lights, there are four copper dots. If you discover these copper spots, you will be able to see the cutting line between them.
One of the simplest led strips to put in is that the 5050 RGB led strip. this can be because the strip comes in 5m spools and perhaps cut every 3 LEDs using scissors. it’s advisable to chop right before the copper contacts when utilizing our plug and play connectors to supply a greater extent for the connection pins to form contact with. one color could also be utilized without a dimmer, whereas RGB necessitates the employment of a Color Change Remote Controller.
So there you’ve got it. LED strip lights could also be adjusted to match the wants of any installation, large or small.
So it’s no surprise that they are quickly becoming the foremost popular form of LED lighting.
If you are still hesitant, you’ll have LED strip lights cut by an expert, but if you follow my advice, there’s nothing to be petrified of.
Our team at Elstar is often willing to share expert advice on LED strip lights. Contact us, for more information
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