White LED strip 12V is a specific printed circuit board, which consists of series-mounted LEDs, as well as resistors, playing the role of resistance elements. Let's look at the features of connecting and installing the specified lighting means.
Choosing a profile for installing LED strip
The white LED strip is mounted on profiles of a separate type. The latter facilitate the
installation of lighting . When assembled, such kits allow you to give the interior a complete attractive look.
The installation of LED strips on the profiles promotes efficient heat dissipation. This approach to installation makes it possible to avoid overheating and eliminate the additional costs of repair work.
Aluminum profile
Using a profile made of aluminum, the white LED strip can be firmly fixed in the mount system. Similar devices have been developed to provide the simplest and fastest installation of lighting equipment in any interior.
Corner profile
In some situations, using a standard direct profile, it is quite difficult to install an LED strip in hard-to-reach places. To highlight furniture, structural elements of the interior, it is rational to use an angular profile as an alternative to the ceiling plinth. When using such a convenient tool opens up the widest scope for the implementation of original interior ideas. Due to the small dimensions of the angular profile, a white LED strip can be installed in the most non-standard places.
Embedded Profile
The built-in profile made of metal is resistant to external influences. This solution allows you to give the lighting a more voluminous appearance. Installation of structures of this category is possible due to landing on glue or fixing using special fasteners.
How to split the LED strip?
Any white LED strip will keep the designation that marks the place for cutting. Even in the event of a mistake, the user in the worst case loses a plot the size of several LEDs. In this case, the remaining parts of the divided product will continue to function properly. It is convenient to use scissors as a cutting tool.
What is required for installation?
In order for the bright white LED strip to have the ability to adjust the saturation of lighting, it must be equipped with a special dimmer. Subsequently, the setting will be made using the remote control.
To implement the scheme, you need a power supply. The latter will play the role of a step-down transformer. When choosing it, it is important to correctly calculate the power ratio, since each white LED strip has individual parameters.
Mounting
In schemes where a single-color LED strip is used (neutral white), a power supply is involved. As noted above, to adjust the saturation of lighting resort to the use of a dimmer.
The standard power supply is equipped with a power cord and several single-color electrical conductors, marked with the letters "L" and "N". Such wires are used to connect the tape with a dimmer. Additional conductors are also contained here: red - plus and blue - minus.
The connection procedure involves connecting the tape with a low-voltage output of 12 V and a power supply. This completes the process of joining a standard tape. However, this method is relevant only for a solid reel a few meters long. But what to do if you need to mount LED lighting around the entire perimeter of the ceiling? In such situations, you have to resort to the connection of individual segments. To accomplish the task, special connectors will be required. These connectors can be either round or flat. In each specific situation, it all depends on the features of the tape used.
Individual pieces of tape can be connected in series. However, this method has some disadvantages. First of all, a certain voltage drop will be observed in each segment , which will affect the uneven brightness of the tape. Secondly, in this case, too much current will flow along the tracks, which is fraught with excessive heating of the LEDs and, accordingly, a decrease in the life of the tape.
You can get out of the above situation by connecting pieces of tape in parallel. This will require the purchase of additional conductors with a cross section of the order of 1 mm. Using the last pieces of LED strip spliced by soldering. The considered option looks relevant in situations where there is an opportunity to hide the massive power supply behind floors or interior elements.
Safety requirements
When installing LED strip, you must adhere to the following rules:
- when creating joints by soldering, avoid damage to current-conducting tracks on the circuit board;
- power connection should be made in accordance with the requirements of electrical engineering;
- during installation of lighting it is necessary to observe the polarity;
- when installing LED strip, serial connection is not recommended (uneven distribution of voltage can lead to overload of electronic elements and damage to the product).
Benefits of creating LED lighting
Bright white LED strip has the following advantages:
- Installation of such lighting is particularly simple. Most products are equipped with double-sided adhesive tape, with which it is convenient to stick the product to the ceiling or a special profile.
- The operation of LED strip is accompanied by low energy costs.
- The service life of the LEDs is the longest among all household lighting sources. In the case of proper operation, the tapes do not burn out at all.
- The flexibility of the board on which the lighting elements are located contributes to the implementation of the most original design ideas.
The disadvantages of LED strips
Like any lighting device, LED strips have some disadvantages. So, to achieve a power equivalent to conventional lighting devices, much more energy will have to be supplied to the tape. Due to significant financial costs, such funds are used only as auxiliary decorative lighting.
Finally
As you could see, assembling the components, connecting and
mounting the LED strip on the ceiling is not particularly difficult. However, the work must be carried out carefully, since making mistakes in the configuration of the circuit may render the lighting equipment unusable.
It is also worth noting that the place where the LEDs are planned to be installed using double-sided adhesive tape should not be contaminated or dusty. Otherwise, the illuminant will not be sufficiently reliable to keep on the surface.