How To Cut Rgb Led Strip

1st March 2021

Cutting diode tape for repair

If one diode fails during operation, the whole block ceases to glow. If the strip is 12 V, 3 chips go out, in the LED strip for 220 V. 0.5-2 meters. The light source can be restored by properly cutting off the faulty unit and installing a new one. You need to cut off along the lines located on both sides of the faulty diode.

Attention! To connect a new block, you can use special mounting elements or soldering.

The use of connectors makes it possible to carry out repairs without dismantling. Soldering requires a 25 W soldering iron and a wire with a cross-section of 0.5 m 2. You cannot use acid, the wires must be fixed with a heat shrink tube.

If there is no marking

Visually, the contact pad looks like an extension of the strip along the edge of the board. It is located across the tape and is found on all products. You need to cut in these places, focusing on the middle of the contact pads.

Sometimes there are LED strips on which the contact pads are located on the side of the substrate.

How to cut correctly

Each Led strip has many short blocks on which the number of chips and resistors is set, depending on the model. LEDs are transparent or white, current limiters are black. There is most often a mark between the blocks (dashed line and the image of scissors), along which the strip can be cut.

Attention! If there are no marks on the front side, inspect the wrong side.

On a thin strip, it is more convenient to make a cut with sharp scissors. An exception is boards installed in a silicone tube. You need to cut off between the two contact pads. When offset, it is difficult to solder wires to connect to other stubs or power supply.

On the LED strip, every 50 cm there are joints in which the individual blocks are overlapped. It is not advisable to cut the tape in these places (the contact pads are too small). If it is nevertheless necessary to cut off, the scissors must be replaced with a soldering iron (unsolder the joint).

LED strip 220 volts

LED strips for 220 volts are made from SMD 3528, 2835, 3014, 5050, 5630 LEDs and are of several types, differing in the chip installation scheme. The main difference from 220 V products is the cutting rate of 0.5, 1 or 2 meters. The number of diodes in one segment varies between 30-120 pieces. You can cut a piece from such a tape with scissors along the dotted lines.

VLUU L100, M100 / Samsung L100, M100

RGB color tape

The design of RGB and RGBW LED boards differs little from the design of a single-color LED strip. The difference lies in the number of paths that carry current (there are four or five on the multicolor strip). On the contact pads, the markings are “R”, “G”, “B” and “-” (on the RGBW strip “R”, “G”, “B”, “W” and “-”). You can cut a piece from such a strip in the same way as from a monochrome one. along the dotted lines.

When connecting to a power source and connecting stubs, it is important to connect each channel to a matching color pad. If this condition is violated, the light source will fail due to the difference in the power parameters of each color.

How to connect pieces of LED strip

LED strips with various designs are increasingly used in lighting and backlighting systems. In addition to the problem of how to cut off, self-assembly requires a solution to the connection problem. The most reliable way is soldering, but not everyone has a soldering iron, not everyone knows how to handle it. Most are looking for a more affordable and simpler method. The most commonly used 2, 4 and 5 pin connectors.

Important! Models for 12 and 24 V strips are not suitable for 220 V products.

The advantages of using connectors (compared to soldering):

low cost;
easy installation;
eliminating the need to buy a soldering iron, solder and flux.

The disadvantages include:

the inability to use if necessary in a large current for LED chips;
instability to oxidation;
use for the manufacture of non-heat-resistant plastic.

The main criterion for choosing connecting elements is the width of the flexible board. For example, SMD 5050 models will not fit SMD 3528 products.

According to the connection method, the connectors are divided into:

hold-down
with a latch;
piercing.

When connecting, slide the plate into the clamping connector and insert the strip until it stops. Contact is made after the plate is pushed into place. The advantages of such a connector are small dimensions in height and width. The disadvantage is the inability to see the density and reliability of the contact.

Models with a latch solve this problem, although they also have disadvantages:

connector pads do not always fit snugly enough to the board contacts;
at high power, the contacts melt;
for products with high current cannot be used.

The most advanced piercing connectors, on one side of which there are contacts for tape (for connecting to power), on the other for wires. Models available for open and insulated boards. When connecting the segments, the end of the segment is inserted into the connector, for pressing there is a cover or transparent plastic. The pins pierce the board to form a secure contact. It is impossible to pull out the strip, the state of the contacts is visible through the cover.

Important! Regardless of the type of connector, the board contacts must be cleaned to a shine. When connecting the segments, it is important not to mix up the polarity.

Common mistakes when using connectors:

varnish on contact pads;
bent connector leg;
wrong bandwidth;
tape is not pushed in all the way.

If the product is waterproofed, you need to remove the silicone above the contact pads and the tape from the back.

Such a tape enters the connector hard, since the silicone on the sides and glue on the back interferes.

The connector cannot be closed if the contact pad is too close to the chips. In such a situation, individual blocks from the tape can be cut off not along the dotted mowing line, but leaving 2 contacts. But one segment will have to be thrown away.

Coated with silicone

Silicone coated strips may not be marked on the front surface. The installation diagram of the LED chips and tracks is located on the back side.

Silicone can be applied to one or both sides of the board. Since the design of the LED strip is the same as that of the standard one, after removing the silicone, the blocks can be cut off with a knife (scissors can damage the contact pads).

outline the place of the cut;
remove silicone;
cut off the required number of blocks;
prepare the ends for installing the connector or soldering.

After connecting the segments, it is necessary to isolate the areas of the contact pads.

How to properly cut a diode tape with waterproofing

To shorten the LED board with waterproofing, the silicone must be peeled off with a knife. This must be done carefully so as not to damage diodes and other circuit elements.

24V LED strip

As you know, 12 V LED strips have a limitation in the applied length of 5 m, which is associated with large losses in the power circuit. For longer tapes, you need to use recharge wires or go another way, use 24V LED strips. In this article, we will talk about them.

How can you cut an LED strip

LED strips are flexible enough to follow the contours of various products and are often used for decorative illumination by winding them around or gluing them to the surface. They also illuminate shop windows, shelves in wardrobes, beds in bedrooms, ceilings. In such places, using an LED strip in multiples of 1m is quite problematic, so the question often arises, is it possible to cut an LED strip, and how to cut it correctly.

You can cut the LED strip with ordinary clerical scissors, but there are a few nuances here that you definitely need to know about. If you cut the LED strip exactly to the required length, then some of the LEDs at the end of the strip may not glow, because their power circuit will be broken, and they will simply remain unconnected.

If you look closely at the LED strip, then most people will see the hint and guess for themselves how to cut the LED strip correctly. This hint lies in the scissors icon applied in the place where you can cut the LED strip.

A Useful Guide about How to Install, Cut and Connect RGB LED Strip Light

Such an icon is indicated at the junction of the individual sections of the LED strip, which are an independent complete section of the circuit that can work independently when power is applied to it. In a 12V LED strip, such a section consists of three LEDs with three current-limiting resistors. If these three LEDs are cut off, they will work fine when connected to a 12V power supply.

If there is no such icon on the tape, then you need to look for the junction of the individual sections of the tape. As a rule, at this place on both sides of the sections there are contact pads for soldering wires or just noticeable long copper pads.

The length of a separate section of an LED strip with three LEDs, like a 12V strip, depends on the type of LEDs installed and on their density. For example, with a density of 240 LEDs per meter, the length of one section, when installing cheap small LEDs, will be 15 mm. And in an LED strip with 5050 LEDs and a density of their placement of 30 pieces per meter, the length of a section of three LEDs will be 100 mm.

You can even cut belts with a waterproof silicone coating, just as simply making a cut with scissors along the specified mowing line. But in such tapes, you will have to additionally cut off the section of the silicone coating covering the tape contacts, if, of course, this tape needs to be connected to another tape, or to a power source.

How to connect LED strips together

It is very often necessary to assemble a longer strip from separate pieces of LED strip, sometimes literally one section of LEDs is not enough to get the desired strip length. The ribbons can be cut or joined. Everything is clear with cutting, you can use ordinary scissors, but how to connect the LED strip is not immediately clear.

There are several options here, you can connect the LED strips to each other by soldering and without soldering, using a special plastic connector. The connector allows you to make the connection as quickly as possible, and with the help of soldering, such a connection will be as reliable as possible.

When connecting LED strips by soldering, it is possible to connect using wires even strips of different widths with different LEDs, but for the same voltage. Basically, pieces of the same LED strip are connected by soldering, then they can be joined end-to-end at the cut, soldering the contact pads together.

To securely connect the solders of two pieces of tapes without wires, you need to strip the contact pads if the tape is covered with a protective layer of silicone, and peel off the adhesive base from the bottom of one of the tapes at the soldering point. Then you need to fold these tapes overlapping and carefully solder with a low power soldering iron. After that, the place of the adhesion will need to be insulated, for example, with a heat shrink tube.

12V LED strip

Most often, for decoration and backlighting, an LED strip with a supply voltage of 12V is used. The most important information about these ribbons can be found in this article.

Connectors for LED strip

The connector for the LED strip is a product of a special design, in which there are contacts for connecting to the current-carrying contacts of the LED strip. Connecting LED strips using connectors is much easier and much faster, since you just need to take the connector and place the LED strip inside it. But this method is more expensive financially.

It should be borne in mind that in this way it will be possible to connect only tapes of the same overall dimensions. Connectors are matched to a specific tape width and tape type, for example, for a single-color tape with two contacts and a width of 8 mm, or for an RGB tape with four contacts and a width of 10 mm.

Types of connectors for LED strips by tape fixation type:

With sliding clamps. This is the most compact LED strip connector option. To connect the LED strip to the connector, it is necessary to pull out the latch, which is usually black, and install the LED strip in the slot, then push the latch back, fixing the LED strip with this cut. By this principle, the cables in the laptop are connected to the motherboard. The disadvantage of a connector with sliding clamps is considered to be the impossibility of visual control of the quality of the connection of the LED strip and the connector contacts.

With lateral pressure latches. The most common type of connectors used to quickly connect LED strips. To connect individual pieces of LED strips with it, you need to snap off the protective cover and install the LED strip in the grooves. In this case, the copper contact pads of the LED strip should be under the clamping terminals of the connector. The LED strip is additionally fixed when the lid is closed with a latch, due to the presence of special pins in it. This type of connector has one significant drawback. It cannot carry large currents and is highly susceptible to corrosion. Oxidized contacts significantly impair conductivity and, under heavy loads, can cause trouble in the form of a fire.

Piercing connectors. These connectors are considered the most reliable of all, but they are also the most expensive. Their contacts are made in the form of pointed teeth, and pierce through the LED strip in the area of the contact pads. It takes a lot of effort to install the piercing connectors, so it is best to use pliers to close the lid. At the moment of closing, the prongs pierce the tape at the locations of the copper conductive tracks and an electrical connection is formed.

Connectors for LED strips with sliding clips and with pressure side latches require preliminary preparation of the LED strips themselves. The contacts must first be cleaned if they have a protective coating, and cleaned of oxides for a better connection. Over time, these contacts oxidize. Piercing connectors do not require preliminary preparation, since, due to their design, their teeth cut through all protective coatings and oxides, eventually coming into contact with copper tracks.

Corner inserts for connecting LED strips at an angle

LED strips are flexible in design, but unfortunately, it is impossible to bend them arbitrarily, their bending radius is limited. To connect LED strips at an angle, corner inserts are used, which, in combination with connectors for LED strips, allow you to connect LED strips at the required angle. Such inserts can be L-shaped, T-shaped, cruciform and with wires, for connection at any arbitrary angle. With their help, you can turn into reality a wide variety of luminous designs, almost any fantasy of a designer.

To maintain the operability of all segments of the LED strip, it is necessary to cut it only in the places of the strip provided for this. If you cut anywhere in the strip between the LEDs, then the LEDs from the cut segment of the LED strip will not work.

It is possible to connect segments of LED strips into one long strip only with the same supply voltage, and monochrome only with monochrome, RGB with RGB.

How to cut or join an LED strip

RGB LED strips

Monochrome colored LED strips cannot always cope with the task at hand. If you need a much larger variety of colors, use an RGB LED strip. Read more about the possibilities of RGB linen in the article below.

How to cut an LED strip

This article explains how to properly cut an LED strip. Depending on the voltage, variety, model of the luminous strip, a different cutting method may be required. Special designations and marks will help with this, but even a tape without marking can be easily cut into fragments of the desired size.

Why is it needed
Where to cut
What incision steps are encountered
How the LED strip is cut

12 volts
220 volt
RGB color tape
Waterproofing tape

Installation cutting

No marking: how to cut such a tape

How the LED strip is cut

Now about how to properly cut LED strips of different voltages and types.

Installation cutting

Sometimes during the installation of the LED filament, you can accidentally damage it. In the end, this thing is quite fragile, and sometimes you have to bend it strongly. Fortunately, this is not a “death sentence” for LED strips; such faults are easily fixed. It is necessary to cut off the part that is out of order and measure its exact length. Then a new strip fragment is taken, installed in place of the old one using a connector. The best way to connect these two pieces is to use a soldering iron. If the adhesion is very noticeable, this area (or the entire tape at once) can be isolated.

Advice. To prevent the LED strip from breaking down during installation, you do not need to bend it to a radius of more than 5 cm, twist it around objects, weave shapes, knots.

What incision steps are encountered

Different models of tapes have different number of LEDs per meter. They can be from 30 to 240. A standard 12-volt LED filament is cut in 3-LED increments, a 24-volt filament. in 6-LED increments. For a luminous filament with a voltage of 220 V, the range of the cut pitch ranges from 0.5-2 m. It depends on the manufacturer’s brand.

In metric terms, the step of the cut will be:

for 30 diodes. 10 cm;
60 diodes. 5 cm;
for 120 diodes. 2.5 cm;
240 diodes. 1.5 cm.

220 volt

High voltage filament has a more durable coating that will require sharp scissors. In a strip with a voltage of 220 volts, 5 different brands of LEDs can be used, chips of different models, but the cutting technique for all types of LED strips will be the same. Cut off with scissors along the dotted mowing line of the contact pad.

Why is it needed

RGB color tape

The RGB LED strip is designed in the same way as the standard one. The only significant difference is 4 conductive strips instead of 2. On a standard low- or high-voltage filament, they are marked with and., and on RGB. with R, G, B. The cutting procedure is the same: with scissors on strictly marked lines. There is also an RGBW LED string of 5 conductive strips and light bulbs of different colors:

white;
red;
blue;
green.

Important. To leave only the colors of the LEDs that you need, pay attention to which contact pad the color channel is connected to.

Preliminary work

Before work, we clean the soldering iron with a file from the accumulated burning. Then we plug it in, warm it up and tinker the sting. If you have not done this before, we advise you to look

We cut the tape. Recall that for this we have drawn special marks with scissors:
Attach the board to the holder.

Installation

Since the LED strip is not intended for indoor outdoor installation, it is positioned in such a way as to be able to illuminate certain areas, while remaining invisible. The most popular ways of installing these products is placing them behind a stretch ceiling canvas, hiding the tape in baguettes or in plasterboard niches around the perimeter of the ceiling.

The LED lighting can be organized quite simply. The most popular way is to place the LED strip along the upper perimeter of the room. Almost all models of these products have a self-adhesive backing. To attach to the surface, it is enough to remove the protective film from it and attach the product to the surface along the perimeter of the ceiling, gently pressing it with your fingers along the entire length.

In most cases, you will have to use a soldering iron to connect to the electrical network. Depending on the total length of the mounted lighting system, as well as on the availability of places in which sufficiently large adapters and RGB controllers can be hidden, a parallel circuit for connecting LED strips can be used, providing for their connection after exiting the adapter.

The advantage of such a connection scheme is the use of only one adapter in it, but in this case it has a sufficiently large size, which creates certain difficulties in the hidden placement of this device. In addition, when several LED strips are connected, there is a significant voltage drop across their elements, which leads to a noticeable decrease in the intensity of light emission from LEDs located at the opposite end of the connection from the adapter.

It is often easier to covertly place several small secondary power supplies around the perimeter of a room than one larger one. In this case, a parallel circuit for connecting LED strips should be used, in which the connection is made on the phase wires before entering the adapters.

RGB color tape

In a silicone tube

Products with an IP68 degree of protection are placed in a silicone tube. Before cutting one or more blocks, the silicone is removed. A cut is made with a knife (scissors stretch the material unevenly), the tube peels off from the ends. Sharp scissors are used to cut the strip, ring-shaped silicone connectors are used to connect.

LED strip 220 volts

VLUU L100, M100 / Samsung L100, M100

Connection diagram

Connecting LED lighting systems in most cases requires the use of a reduced voltage of 12 volts. Obtaining the required voltage value is made by using special devices. adapters that are connected to the household power supply through a plug connector or terminal connection.

In cases where it is necessary to provide several modes of operation of the LED strip (changes in the brightness of the glow, flickering or work in the mode of a Christmas tree garland), a controller is used. This small device consists of a body in which the elements of its electrical circuit are located, a plug for connecting an LED strip, and a sensor that allows you to control the operation of the controller from the remote control.

Conventional 12V LED strip

A 12 V LED strip consists of blocks with 3 diodes installed (in 24 V products. 6 diodes). This means that they can be cut into very short pieces. The product is cut strictly along the dotted lines with sharp scissors.

You can cut off from the board from SMD 335 and DIP into pieces consisting of 3 diodes.

LED strip device

Today, the LED type strip is a printed circuit board that is reunited with a thin elastic type base. On one side of this tape, limiting resistors are applied, which allows you to connect this product to a power source or another device. It is also worth noting that the product has contacts to which, if necessary, you can solder connecting wires. If you look closely, you will notice that through three different elements there are dashes that are located across the product. This is precisely the mark along which the separation of the tape is possible.

There are tapes that are self-adhesive and with the help of them even a high school student can do the editing. In this case, self-tapping screws or any other reinforcing materials are not needed for installation, it can firmly gain a foothold due to its foundation.

How to install LED strip

Today, LED strips are one of the most popular options for implementing decorative lighting. Due to their low price, economy, reliability and easy installation, they are in great demand.

In this article, we will look at how to install an LED strip and what points must be observed.

First of all, it is worth noting that LED strips should be connected only through a power supply unit for 12, 24, 36 or 48 V, connecting them to a mains voltage source will lead to the failure of the tape. The power supply must exceed the total power of all LED strips connected to it by 10-20% in terms of power.

Thanks to its flexibility and adhesive backing, the LED strip can be fixed almost anywhere.

Each tape is marked where it can be cut, it cannot be cut in other places.

When installing the LED strip, it is most convenient to first solder the wires to it, which will be connected to the power side, since it is often very inconvenient to solder them after you stick the tape.

When soldering wires to the tape terminals, it is not allowed to overheat the tape (the maximum soldering temperature is 250 degrees), the contact time of the soldering iron with the tape contacts is no more than 10 seconds.

Do not strongly strip the ends of the wires before soldering, this can lead to short circuits. Before gluing the tape, it is necessary to remove dust and other dirt from the surface for good adhesion of the tape.

To protect against external factors, the place of soldering and wires must be insulated, for this it is most convenient to use a heat-shrinkable tube (such a tube, under the influence of heat, shrinks and tightens the place of insulation), “seat” it with a construction hair dryer or a lighter.

It is advisable to irradiate the second ends of the wires or use special tips, thanks to which it is much more convenient to insert them into the connectors of the power supply, it also provides more reliable contact.

After this stage, you can start installing the LED strip. It should be noted that high-power LED strips (with a high density of LEDs and in particular LED strips SMD 5050) require the use of a special heat-dissipating profile, which helps to remove excess heat from the LEDs.

Also, when gluing, sharp bends should be avoided (bending radius less than 2 cm is unacceptable), this can lead to damage to the tracks and electronic elements.

After pasting the tape, you must connect it to the power supply. Modern power supplies have screw terminal blocks or screw connectors, which allows you to very quickly connect an LED strip to them.

In case of uneven glow of the tape along the entire length, you should connect power from the used power supply to the other end of the tape, this will allow you to achieve a more uniform glow of the tape.

You can also use dimmers to adjust the brightness of the light, and in the case of installing a colored tape, an RGB controller must be used, through which the color and shades of the glow are set, as well as various lighting scenarios are implemented.

The dimmer is connected between the power supply and the LED strip.

The RGB controller is also connected between the power supply and the led strip.

If you need to install several LED strips, you can use parallel connection of strips or use a separate power supply for each LED strip. In the case of connecting LED strips in series in a chain longer than 5 meters, it is not allowed due to the increased load on the first elements of the mowing line and uneven glow.

It is not allowed to install the LED strip near heat sources, this leads to overheating of the LED crystals and significantly accelerates their degradation.

When installing the LED strip in wet rooms and in the open air, the power supply must be connected through an RCD (residual current device).

Do not use LED strip with damaged insulation.

Protect the tape from mechanical stress and shock.

Foton.ua. great for LED products

Low voltage tapes with LEDs

Variations of 12 and 24 volts are often found, and it is they that make up the bulk of the LED lighting product market. Let’s figure out what to do if the LED strip is off, the reasons for this and their solution.

To begin with, let’s consider a typical connection diagram for a 12V LED strip.

To understand why the 12 volt LED strip is off, you need to perform several checks. If it does not light up at all, do we check if the entire system is powered? The above described how to check the presence of voltage in the outlet.

At the bottom of the power supply, you can see the terminal block. The terminals marked L and N (or a grounding sign) must have 220V or 110V, for residents of countries with such a standard electrical network (for example, the USA).

Output terminals can be labeled as follows:

and.;
Vout;
12V /-.

If there is no voltage at the output of the unit, do not rush to run after a new one, perhaps the fuse has simply failed. Call him, and if you have the skills to repair electronics, replace it. Pay special attention to the input circuits and power switches in the circuit.

The diode tape does not work after cutting

The LED board is made of pieces that can be used as independent light sources. When connecting, it is important to know how to cut the LED strip if the entire product does not fit the installation site. For this, there are most often marks on the board, the length of the segments depends on the model. You can cut the source to the required length with scissors or a sharp knife.

Cutting diode tape for repair

Attention! To connect a new block, you can use special mounting elements or soldering.

The use of connectors makes it possible to carry out repairs without dismantling. Soldering requires a 25 W soldering iron and a 0.5 m2 wire. You cannot use acid, the wires must be fixed with a heat shrink tube.

How to cut correctly

Attention! If there are no marks on the front side, inspect the wrong side.

Use connectors

If the power supply is in good order, you need to go on to inspect the connections. Once upon a time, masters made all LED connections using a soldering iron. Soldering is a high-quality and reliable contact. But as tapes spread, connectors for them began to spread.

This is a convenient and quick way to mount LED lighting. It is necessary to attach the contact pads of the tape to the elastic contacts of the connector and close the plastic case. Another advantage is the ability to quickly eliminate breakdowns.

But there are also disadvantages. These connectors are not watertight. This means that oxides can form at the point of contact, and they prevent the flow of current. This is often why the LED strip does not work.

Protect all connections with electrical tape or heat shrink.

How To Cut Rgb Led Strip

Cutting diode tape for repair

If there is no marking

How to cut correctly

LED strip 220 volts

RGB color tape

How to connect pieces of LED strip

Coated with silicone

How to properly cut a diode tape with waterproofing

24V LED strip

How can you cut an LED strip

A Useful Guide about How to Install, Cut and Connect RGB LED Strip Light

How to connect LED strips together

12V LED strip

Connectors for LED strip

How to cut or join an LED strip

RGB LED strips

How to cut an LED strip

How the LED strip is cut

Installation cutting

What incision steps are encountered

220 volt

Why is it needed

RGB color tape

Preliminary work

Installation

RGB color tape

In a silicone tube

LED strip 220 volts

Connection diagram

Conventional 12V LED strip

LED strip device

How to install LED strip

Low voltage tapes with LEDs

The diode tape does not work after cutting

Cutting diode tape for repair

How to cut correctly

Use connectors

Other causes of problems

How to Cut and Connect LED Light Strips.