LED strips are increasingly used in the design of various objects, both inside and outside the room. They help to create both partial and main lighting, emphasizing the details favorably. Connection takes place in a special way. For this, a dimmer is used for the LED strip. It controls the light intensity and can be connected at home. To mount it on tape, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of its installation in the electrical circuit.
LED strip control features
To understand how to install a dimmer on an LED strip, you need to familiarize yourself with the principle of operation of such a system. LED strip is a semiconductor and has a number of specific qualities. One of them is a significant nonlinear current-voltage characteristic (CVC). The current flowing along the tape grows quite strongly, starting from a certain threshold. This may cause the burner to burn out. Even with a small voltage drop on it, the tape can fail. Therefore, you cannot connect to the network directly. A dimmer for LED strip is one of the possible solutions to such a problem.
The control circuit necessarily involves devices that limit the electric current, making it stable and relevant in value to the connected device. Sometimes for such purposes use powerful resistors. But in this case, large electric power will be wasted on it. In order for the circuit to work efficiently, when connecting the LED strip with your own hands, you need to use a low-voltage source of stable current, which is a dimmer.
The principle of the dimmer
A dimmer for LED strips is made as a separate module with an input voltage of 12, 24 Volts.
It has an output current limiter. To choose the right control device, you must correlate it with the parameters of the tape. It must have a suitable input voltage. Optimum operating mode of the LEDs is provided by limiting resistors. They are structurally mounted on the tape itself. The power of the dimmer
control and power supply
unit corresponds to the number
of LED strip
modules .
Manufacturers produce such lighting fixtures of a certain length, which usually does not exceed 5 m. If necessary, the tape is shortened by cutting it at certain points. But in case of need to lengthen it, the next piece is connected not in parallel, but to the corresponding power supply or amplifier. At the same time, the dimmer allows not only turning the lighting device on and off, but also controlling the brightness of its glow.
Types of dimmers by control method
In addition to the fact that the control devices differ in power (there is a dimmer for LED strips 12 Volts and 24 Volts), they differ in the way they are controlled. They are of the following types:
- with touch panel;
- with remote control;
- without remote control;
- built-in touch control;
- Wi-Fi setup from the phone.
To choose the control system correctly, it is necessary to take into account the type of the dimmer itself, its distance from the control panel (it is necessary to calculate the distance from the frequent control place to the brightness adjustment device). The number of devices located in the operating area of the console is also important. There are models in which it is possible to connect up to 10 dimmers. The overall dimensions of the remote control also sometimes play an important role. The mini dimmer for LED strip is sometimes the most convenient among all types of adjustment.
Depending on preferences for the level of comfort, touch, button or portable control devices are chosen.
Management characteristics
A dimmer without a remote control is controlled by a mechanism built into its body.
This is one of the easiest ways to manage. These are most often mini dimmers that are used for LED strip. They look like small switches.
A dimmer with a remote control for LED strip allows you to control the brightness of the product at a distance. This is a convenient way, especially if the tape is high above the ceiling, on the ledge, etc.
If the design of the control device is selected for the hi-tech style or its appearance is especially attractive to the user, built-in touch panels are purchased. They are comparable in size to a light switch. But often they have a set of additional functions.
To control the brightness of the glow at a considerable distance, use special software that is installed on the phone or tablet. This is very convenient for objects with a large number of ribbons located at a considerable height, on the facades of the building, and advertising signs.
Types of dimmers by voltage control method
By the method of adjusting the voltage change, there are distinguished dimmers that control the current through the load, and others through pulse-width modulation (PWM).
More expensive and overall are control devices that change the voltage at the load. They are very rarely used for LED strips, as they are not able to work at low voltage.
Most often, PWM-based dimmers are used in the circuit. They are compact and cope with their tasks quite effectively. At home, implementing LED strip control on the PWM principle is quite simple. It will be possible even for a person without much experience. For this, microcircuits of a small degree of integration are used.
Matching Dimmer to Ribbon Type
A dimmer for LED strips is connected according to the type of device. There are single-channel and multi-channel cord connection schemes that match the lighting tasks. Three- and two-channel dimmers are used to create various lighting effects.
For RGB type tape, a three-channel control device is suitable. This type of cord has LEDs in three different colors, which when mixed produce a white glow. For multi-colored lighting, they can work separately. Two-channel dimmers are used for phosphor tapes. In them, a special yellow layer is mixed with a powerful blue LED.
In single-crystal tapes of a white luminescence, single-channel dimmers are used, which are included in the circuit after the power supply.
Advantages and disadvantages of PWM controllers
In order to understand how to connect the dimmer to the LED strip, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of the PWM controller.
After all, it is precisely this type of control device that is most often used for self-connecting cords.
The disadvantage of this type of dimmers is considered increased flickering at low brightness levels. The eye in this mode picks up fluctuations in the glow. Such an effect can cause a headache and a poor psychophysiological state, and visual impairment.
To avoid such a problem, it is necessary to use special microcontrollers in the circuit. They work in analog-to-digital mode.
Installation of a dimmer at home
To properly connect the dimmer for the LED strip with your own hands, you need to use a printed circuit board, which is made of fiberglass with foil. It has dimensions of 35x50 mm.
Initially installed connector for external circuits, as well as resistors. After that, diodes, capacitors, and a microcircuit are connected to the circuit. At the end of the process, it is necessary to solder the field effect transistor. After this, it is necessary to remove the jumper, which is located on the terminals of the transistor. Otherwise, the entire system will burn out immediately after switching on!
It is convenient to place the dimmer in a special plastic case. For these purposes, a soap box is suitable, in which holes are drilled for the cable and a variable resistor.
Application
Self-assembled dimmer for LED strip can be used for various purposes.
It is well suited for adjusting the brightness of the cord, located in the working area of the workshop, kitchen or other rooms. It is simply necessary during long work. Indeed, bright light tires the eyes and over time negatively affects vision.
In emergency lighting of an object, when the power is supplied from the battery, dimming the glow of the tape can significantly increase the operating time of the generator.
For RGB tapes, three different control devices are made. This will create any shade to give the object an original look. This will replace, for example, a broken old controller.
Having familiarized yourself with a device such as a dimmer for an LED strip, you can easily assemble it at home. Based on the recommendations listed in the article, it will be simple to create unique lighting effects for any object outdoors or indoors.