New time - new rules for energy conservation. The advent of LEDs has become a real revolution in the field of lighting. Thanks to this fashionable approach, designers were able to realize their fantasies and the most incredible solutions. Today, the use of LED-lighting is very widespread, starting with industry and finishing with decorating a house with a garden. Unlike the standard, it has a number of advantages.
Benefits of LED Lighting
The main advantage is the long term of use. LED technology does not use mercury. Such devices can be disposed of with household waste without fear and not be afraid of poisoning the atmosphere. Compared with fluorescent counterparts, LEDs do not have piston flicker. LED lighting is favorable for human vision.
Mounting
When connecting the tapes, you can use the services of specialists, but to do LED lighting with your own hands is not so difficult. Initially, you need to calculate the length of the plot on which the tapes will be placed. There are skeins of 5 meters on sale, and if the required length is longer, then calculate the desired size by a multiplicity of 5 meters. There are output wires on both sides of the tape, which allows you to further connect the segments to each other using conventional soldering.
The prepared device must be freed from the protective layer and glued to the surface using double-sided tape, if it is not present on the tape as standard. After installation, it remains only to connect everything to the power supply. If you install LED lighting at home with your own hands from one power supply, then each of 5 meters of tape must be powered in parallel. Using this connection, you can avoid large current losses, which, in turn, will affect the brightness at the beginning and at the end of the device.
When mounting LED lighting with your own hands, you must first determine whether a dimmer will be used. For multi-color ribbons, an RGB controller is used. Using it on color diodes, you can change the brightness, as well as ensure the good operation of several devices. The controller uses two terminals. With the help of the first, there is a connection to the power, and the second is responsible for connecting the common wire to the strip channel.
Indoor use
Knowing how to make LED lighting of an apartment with your own hands, you can perfectly zoning the space. Basically, this backlight is used along the contour of the room, so it is divided into different zones. For this, the most commonly used television stand, kitchen wall, music center and podium. One of the designers' favorite tricks is LED ceiling lighting. With it, multilevel transitions of drywall and tension structures will look much more beautiful and voluminous.
Do-it-yourself LED spot lighting is installed directly on the stretch or plasterboard ceiling and replaces the main light. To create coziness and comfort, it is used on loggias, balconies and stairs.
Ceiling lighting
This is a very interesting solution. In order for everything to look beautiful, you need to follow certain rules of fasteners, so that at the end you get uniform and pleasant lighting. Initially, you need to make the installation of the power frame. All joints and the base are primed and putty, and then a horf cable is used, which serves to store the wires. Before final processing, a tape is placed in the eaves. The place where you want to fix the strip is pre-cleaned and degreased. The tape, as a rule, includes tape, with which it is attached to the cornice. Power supplies must be installed in places of good attachment.
In the event that sub-ceiling lighting is used, another way to arrange the tape can be used - installation behind the skirting board. The room will also be lit with reflected light.
Those who use the tape in suspended ceilings need to know that it is fixed 20 mm from the cover.
For aquarium
The use of LED lamps has a significant advantage. For their installation does not require a large investment of time and effort, their cartridges will fit almost all types of socles. You can use such lamps in a damp room, as well as in water, if they have the appropriate protection. There is no likelihood of a short circuit - the tapes are fireproof, so they are perfect for containers with water.
It’s quite easy to connect LED aquarium lighting with your own hands. To do this, you will need the most ordinary tapes, which must be filled with plastic. They must be installed in the lid of the water tank. The resulting joint with the cord must be filled with aquarium silicone. This procedure is performed so that water does not get on the cord from the power supply. Due to the fact that the tapes are very plastic, LED lighting with your own hands for the aquarium can be made as original as possible. It is better not to experiment with light bulbs of different colors, because of this, the health of the fish may deteriorate. LED power should not exceed 1 watt.
How many lamps will it take to make an LED aquarium lighting do it yourself? For a 200-liter tank, you will need a strip with 30 light bulbs, each with a power of 0.3 watts. Such lighting very favorably affects not only the color, but also the health of the inhabitants of the aquarium. In addition, this light performs a good effect on plants. In order to achieve maximum lighting quality, you can use several lamp models at the same time and combine them with ribbons.
Using LEDs on the street
Thanks to the rapid development of modern technology, LED street lighting has come into daily use. It is often used in places where there are shopping and office centers, industrial buildings, parks, gas stations and many other crowded objects. The streets on which such lighting has already been installed are beautiful. The main advantage of this light is that manual adjustment is possible, and it can also be operated according to the specified settings, with the help of which even the smallest LED illuminates a fairly large area.
LED street lighting is much more economical than its predecessors, and the LEDs themselves are very durable - they serve at least 10 years. Thanks to such good indicators, the funds spent on lighting are used rationally. Doctors also respond positively to such a light, because by its characteristics it is very close to daylight, does not hurt the eyes and does not fill the space with infrared waves.
LED strip operation rules
1. Do not connect tapes with a length of more than 5 meters in series. Only parallel connection from segments is possible. If pieces of more than 5 meters are mounted in series, significant voltage drops will occur, and the current on the tracks will increase. As a result, this will lead to serious damage to the tape, and it will fail.
2. It is not allowed to turn on at temperatures above +40 degrees.
3. It is forbidden to get liquid and moisture, as well as the formation of condensation in open areas of the tape, if they are not provided for this.
4. Do not submerge devices partially or completely unprotected with sealant or body.
disadvantages
LED lighting, perhaps, has only one drawback - this is the high cost of light bulbs. But if you look, it becomes clear that a long life, as well as a low level of energy consumption, justify and pay for expensive investments.
Tips while connecting
The LEDs themselves, as well as the tape, must not be subjected to different mechanical stresses. When assembling LED lighting with your own hands, be careful not to cause any damage, as this will cause the tape to burn. At the time of installation of long sections, only parallel connection must be used. If you use a sequential one, you can overload the conductive tracks, which ultimately leads to burnout of the entire tape.