Despite the fact that in our shop today you can buy anything, after looking at the prices and quality of the goods, the thought comes to mind: you can do it yourself. For example, how to make LED chandeliers with your own hands? As it turns out, this is on the shoulder of home craftsmen.
The popularity of LED lighting
Why is such lighting so firmly embedded in our lives?
There are only two reasons:
- It is economical. Despite the high price, diodes do not consume as much energy as incandescent lamps. Thus, the counter at the end of the month gives numbers that please the soul.
- These lamps last much longer. If you count how many ordinary light bulbs you have to buy in a year, then the question also disappears. An LED lamp consumes ten times less electricity, and shines no less than an ordinary lamp.
LED strip is also gaining momentum. At the moment, it is used as additional lighting or temporary replacement, but the technology does not stand still. At the same time, its flexibility and color scheme make it possible to create real masterpieces. That is why more and more often masters are wondering how to make an LED chandelier with your own hands.
Decide on the design
So, to think over a design that will match the interior of the decorated room is not just a whim. A chandelier in the room that hairstyle for a woman. It can give a unique atmosphere to a simple room or spoil the view of the most beautiful hall.
Of course, if this is a room for ceremonial use, then you should not decorate it with plastic dishes. Despite the amazing designs, such chandeliers look cheap and unworthy. Plastic is best left for a summer residence or summer kitchen, if one is available. The hall, living room or studio should be professionally lit. Lamps should look expensive, and, therefore, you will not find materials for them in the trash. At the same time, lighting an entrance hall or kitchen is not difficult.
Differences lamp and tape
If you take on the manufacture of an LED chandelier with your own hands, then first you need to decide how it will illuminate the space - with a lamp or ribbon. This issue must be solved even before you come up with a design, since for a lampshade made under a lamp, installation of a tape is not always suitable. In addition, the lighting connection itself is very different. Working with electricity is not only a laborious and difficult process, but also a dangerous one. If there is a desire to light the house yourself, but there is no education, then you need to carefully study articles on this topic, communicate with a specialist in person or on the forum.
If we use a lamp
Consider the first option. When the design is ready and it is decided to use a lamp in the ceiling, then for the installation of such a chandelier we need:
- a wire suitable for connection to the main line;
- a hook in the ceiling that will hold the entire structure;
- insulating material;
- cartridge and suitable lamp.
Currently, this can be purchased at any electrical store. If the chandelier is installed for the first time, there is no line allocated for it, then you must also purchase a switch. And for a wire that goes from power to the switch, and then to the chandelier, it is advisable to purchase a box as well. It primarily protects the electrical structure from external influences and mechanical damage. So this is not just a designer find, capable of covering up ugly wires with itself.
Simple calculation
The most difficult part in this process is not to be deceived in choosing a wire that will be connected to the main network, and in calculating its length. Electricians say that under no circumstances can copper and aluminum be joined together. This is most often the cause of short circuits, which can lead to fires.
In addition, the wires vary in thickness. And this is not just a manufacturer’s decision to spend more material. They differ in the number of veins inside and in cross section. If the chandelier is not overloaded with a dozen lamps, then you can purchase the simplest wire, where there is a plus and minus.
Having picked it up, we need to know how much it needs in meters. Measure length easily with a tape measure. In addition, it must be remembered that each connection requires stripping of the ends by one and a half to two centimeters. In order not to suffer too much, get an extra meter of material. The rest will always come in handy on the farm, but if there is not enough wire, you will have to go to the store again and make another connection.
Where difficulties begin
If problems hinder the fulfillment of the task even at the stage of selecting the material, and at the stage of laying the line to the chandelier, each step is accompanied by a question on the Internet, then it is worthwhile to complete independent work and invite an electrician. For a real master, difficulties begin in choosing improvised materials for decorating a chandelier, since there are many ideas, I want to realize everything, but I need only one lamp. If there is a desire to continue working, then here is a step-by-step instruction:
Connecting the switch and output to the chandelier, connecting the lighting system:
- First, we take the phase wire coming from the shield (red by default) and connect it to the one going to the switch (if there is also a leaving wire that goes to power other rooms / outlets, then you need to include it in this connection).
- The second wire coming from the switch (as well as others if the switch is double or triple) in the circuit is phase and it must be connected to the phase wire (wires) going to the chandelier.
- Then we take the zero wire (by default, blue), and connect it to the zero wire coming from the chandelier, and if there is a wire going to other rooms / outlets, include its zero wire in the connection.
- If there are also grounding wires, then they just need to be connected together (from the chandelier, from the shield and leaving, if any).
It is not difficult to turn on the socket in this circuit, for this you need to include the same ones from the socket in the connections in which the phases and the neutral wire from the shield are involved. Grounding connect with the rest of this type.
Jewelery - to business
In the photo, the DIY LED chandelier is made of ordinary glass bottles. Here is how the wizard describes his work:
To make a chandelier from bottles with your own hands you will need:
- large bottles - 3 pieces;
- protective gloves, goggles and a mask;
- bottle cutter;
- sandpaper;
- a small lamp on a long wire with a switch;
- screwdriver;
- dark wire.
The work is carried out as follows:
- Clean the bottles of labels, dry them well.
- Fix the bottle in the cutter, place the glass cutter at the level you want to leave on, put on protective clothing. Gently rotate the bottle for a smoother cut line.
- Pour cold water onto the bottle, then hot. Alternate like this for several minutes, and the bottom of the bottle will fall off along the cut.
- Place the bottle upside down on sandpaper and scroll for a few minutes until the edges are even and smooth.
- Carefully disassemble the lamp with a screwdriver, carefully remove the wire. We pass it through the hole, collect the lamp and check if it works.
- Now, to give the almost finished chandelier originality, we take a dark wire and, starting from the neck, we wind it onto a bottle. You can give the wire any kind of discretion.
In addition to this option, you can choose boring wine glasses or tea cups. Metal kitchen items will be amazing to the place in the kitchen. And unusual figures from carefully crafted wooden snags or antlers of deer and moose will add originality to your hallway. Good craftsmen use threads, old cd disks, and chains from a bicycle or chainsaw. And if somewhere the frame from the old chandelier is littered, then the masterpiece is definitely provided.
Cardboard, paper and plastic can also be involved. But, as mentioned earlier, such structures are appropriate where you can do without a chandelier.
Mounting and connecting the chandelier
When the ceiling is made, it must be combined with the cartridge. And for starters, the latter needs to be powered, so that later it can be connected to a shared network. This video shows very well how to do this.
Combine the cartridge with a lampshade. This is done with the help of a special mount, which you can purchase or make yourself from old ceramic covers from teapots, discs and other devices. When the chandelier is ready, you need to install it in place.
Do-it-yourself LED chandelier for 220v is assembled in this way.
We use a tape
Such material is rarely used for high-grade lighting devices. Most often, this is auxiliary material. But it also needs to be able to install. In this case, you need to carefully select the tape. Cheap is not suitable, as it is attached directly to the surface. Consequently, the base may ignite from heating the bulbs.
To make a beautiful chandelier from an LED strip with your own hands, you need to consider connecting to the smallest detail, starting with the purchase of material. What color would you like to get? It should be one or more, bright or not too much. But everything should be in moderation.
Examining a do-it-yourself chandelier made of LED strip in the photo, it seems that any amateur can do it. And only after carefully studying the instructions, you can understand how this is a laborious and responsible process.
What is needed
For DIY installation of the LED ceiling chandelier you will need:
- the tape itself;
- Power Supply;
- controller;
- switch;
- a wire connecting it all;
- connectors with which parts of the LED strip will be connected;
- scissors for cutting tape into fragments;
- knife for stripping contacts;
- shrink insulation.
The order of feeding a similar design is as follows:
For all tape standards, connectors of the appropriate size are available, for example, z10 / 2 provides a connection of tapes 10 mm wide. The number 2 denotes a two-sided group of contacts fixing the connection of sections of the circuit on both sides without bolting or soldering.
Before inserting the ends of the tape into the connector, the contact tracks must be cleaned from the varnished coating. For these purposes, it is convenient to use a small file, fine abrasive sandpaper or a simple mounting knife. When inserting the tape, make sure that the polarities match, on the “+” connector is red, the tracks of the tape have a “-” sign, the plus track is identified by the designation “12”.
The tape is inserted under special grooves, after which the cover can be latched. The second piece of tape is inserted exactly the same, but on the other hand.
Connect the tape to the power supply voltage of 220 / 12V or 220 / 24V and check the operation. The connection can be made using a one-way connector: on one side, a tape is inserted, on the other hand, wires to the power source. This is a very convenient technology.
Decorate or not worth it
It is also necessary to decorate such a chandelier with taste, since excess decor can damp dim light or spoil the appearance. It should be transparent or reflective, and even better - elements that enhance light output. Mirror, glass, discs, foil and metal will emphasize the individuality of the plan.
Counting costs
So, let's see if it is such a profitable manufacture of a LED chandelier with your own hands. If in the workshop all of the above lay idle, and was attached to a home-made masterpiece without labor and problems, then, of course, this is beneficial. If all this was purchased in a store specifically in order to hang a structure of dubious quality in the kitchen, then this is unlikely to be justified.
According to experts, if you compare the lamp for two to three thousand rubles, it is hardly possible to save by collecting it yourself. The more expensive the chandelier, the more functional and technological it is, therefore, not even every master is able to reproduce something similar at home. And talking about quite expensive is simply not worth it. The material used for their manufacture is unlikely to be littered in waste in a handicraft workshop.
DIY LED Chandelier Repair
Everything that is ever done has the property of breaking. No exception and LED chandeliers. The main cause of their malfunction is incorrect assembly. When powering the lamp, often masters make gross errors that can render even a factory product unusable. Inattention or dishonesty quite often causes burnout of contacts or accompanying devices - blocks, controllers, relays and all kinds of sensors.
Such situations often push the owners of the products to fix LED chandeliers with their own hands. If you just need to replace the lamp, then everyone can do it. But if the situation is more serious, then it is impossible to do without special tools. Therefore, it is better to call a master from a trusted company who will correct the mistakes of the previous electrician and improve the current situation.
If the company sends a specialist, it is under an agreement to provide a guarantee period during which it will be clear how faithfully the master did his work. It costs a little more than calling an electrician alone. However, the safety of the home is even more valuable and this is not worth saving.