Split the Sub-strips. I cut the squares into thirds to get get long, thin strips that were roughly the same width as the cable. I've been adding more "smart home" type gadgets to my house, and one of the things I've been playing with is the Philips Hue Lightstrip. ÚøM@z±#✇vK„k€éŒ;ðÕiÖẂïÀrð…“ŽžD_܄Phf&§ëQ~ÛwêL@æc»#. LED Strip Splitters: These LED Y-Connectors make it so you can plug in one power source and connect multiple LED runs off it with a simple plug in connection. The starter kit that I got came with a 80 inch (2m) strip of lights that can do white or colored light with adjustable brightness. Use the wire to strip light connector. To connect two cut lightstrips together with a Litcessory Extension Cable, you will need to do the following: Connect a 6-Pin to Cut-End Connector to the first cut lightstrip. Once the joint is exposed, remove the solder from the joint and separate the two strips. For pairing with remote you need to follow: Switch ON your strip light and press power on/off button from remote 3 times & your strip light is paired. No problem! These sub-strips can be separated and then re-connected using cables, which will allow our installation to span gaps and turn corners. With LED that you would need to put live AND neutral to the very same facet of the same socket, which may perhaps not operate. Whether you’re using the LED lights to border a room, light up a vanity, or decorate a window, you’ll need to measure the perimeter of where you plan to place them to know how long of a strand to purchase. The open side of the connector should be flat. By using the same connector, we retain the ability to connect an extension. Important: The first sub-strip is connected by a ribbon cable to the control unit. On your Philips Hue Lightstrip you will find a scissors mark which is next to the six silver soldered connection points. Instead, pull out the seventh pin and cut the header in the space where that pin used to be. Decide where you want to mount each of the strips. 5 months ago. I'm not sure how to tell which version I have. Fit For:The Connection Of RGB Led Strip … It will still work if you get it backwards, but the connectors won't sit flush while mated. If you're an octopus or if you have an assistant, you can probably solder these the traditional way. Cut the cables to whatever length you need, strip the ends, and solder them onto a six-pin male connector. Once the blobs melt and the connector sinks in, remove the soldering iron and everything will solidify in place. Let's assume we connect this resistor to each of the negative ends of LED strings. Im trying to figure out how to hook 5 led strips together on my trike i took the strips off of my 750 i have a switch i want to be able to turn them on and off. Both your light strips and your cables have exposed solder connections. It's much easier if you can hold the strip level and flat while you're working on it. Important: The first sub-strip is connected by a ribbon cable to the control unit. You just need to kn… Also make sure that your cables are connected straight-through. The second is to use a wire clip to bind parallel LED ribbon lights together and to … After you get your light strip, measure the connector that's preinstalled on the far end of the strip. Instead, there's a soldered connection next to the cut line that we're going to remove and replace with a connector. I tried a square pin header initially, but it didn't fit very well (your classic "square peg in a round hole" problem). I wanted to install these as under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen so that when my hands are busy cooking, I can yell at my Google Home to turn on the cabinet lights. Hold the connector using needle-nose pliers or tweezers and gently press the connector down onto the pads while heating the solder blobs. LED Tutorials - Soldering Wire to Waterproof Strip Light. We need to insulate these connections to protect your equipment against accidental shorts and to protect your humans against accidental shocks. If you can power it up and both sub-strips light up, then everything should be working. Lightly pull the black plastic lock out from the solderless connector. View our tutorial in which we will teach you how to cut and connect two light strips together. If you're using ribbon cable like I was, be very careful when splitting the strands and stripping them. Use a male connector to connect one of the sub-strips to the first sub-strip (the one that's still connected to the control unit). Hopefully those looking for practical information on electrical circuits and wiring LED components found this guide first. There are two basic kinds of LED strips, analog and digital. Any help would be thankful. Enjoy your new lighting system. From what I read, the lights have gone from a six-pin to a mini-plug, but I don't know if this process will still work. Heat shrink tubing would have been a better option, but I didn't have any that would work on a connection this size and shape. I decided it was safe to use here because the lightstrip connects to the control module by a similar ribbon cable, and my cable was rated for voltages beyond what this lighting system would ever see (it's actually labeled for "appliance use"). Use a helping hands tool to hold the strip (grip it close to the area where you're working) and apply a blob of solder to each of the pads. It is located mostly in between the power supply and the LED strip. Analog. Leave this connection intact. In this tutorial we will teach you how to connect two of your led light strips. Answer That wasn't acceptable because it would be wasteful, extremely expensive, and would require a separate power outlet for each strip. I had to heat up each individual pad with the iron while using an X-Acto knife to gently pry the two strips apart (it's easy to tear/cut the strips while doing this). I suspect that my cheapo soldering iron was not hot enough to melt this particular solder effectively. If you like, you can connect it to a virtual assistant for hands-free control. You have to hold the strip and the connector in place, plus have free hands to hold the solder and soldering iron. Thankfully, we don't have to invent a connector system to use here. Any info would help! Note: While strictly optional, my helping hands tool was invaluable here. There are actually marks designed in LED strips that direct you where to cut them. The answer to that is NO. To add splendor to space. The strips are versatile so they can be placed nearly anywhere you have an electrical connection. I was looking to order some and they appear to be v4 (the Bluetooth upgrade). One of the most popular is a brick style adapter, similar to the ones used by laptops. After this, you can begin joining the common positive ends of the LEDs together, and the negative ends or the resistor ends of each series together. ]qsh÷„iaÊÆ ŠƒÞZ‡nsËÄ­0‚6„h͍ºÐ eڎsœ#„ðâúÀ±ãÆüáTxŽ„ùÑê×M»ïLË«÷_˜îg¿`®Ø9ÇÒç$ÿ%ü©»¹þ‹ØzV¶°„™”ŽŠPºFy)‡™I2! My main problem was length. Double-check that you haven't bridged any of the pads. It is best to outline your whole project to see how many feet of strip you will be … Make some cables to run between the sub-strips. If that happens, cover it with electrical tape or cut the end off of the cable and try again. on Introduction. When determining how many strips you want to connect together, remember that with wire, resistance increases with distance. Connect RGB Led Strip Lights With RGB Led Controller. Congratulations! HitLight's connectors and wiring are used to connect and wire your LED strip lights to each other or to other accessories, such as a dimmer, a controller, a power adapter, smart lighting options, etc. If your connector's pins are spaced more closely than that, you'll have to locate a similar connector with the correct pin spacing. 0. ruth8888. If that happens, remove a little bit of the solder and re-heat the joint to clean it up. However, you cannot cut them just anyhow as you might damage them by accident. After you've added connectors to all the sub-strips, give them a quick test before continuing. How To Connect LED Strips in "Parallel" The alternative to connecting multiple LED strip sections together is to wire them in "parallel." Ask for help. Use a measuring tape to measure your intended lit space, writing down the measurements so you don’t forget them. Philips sells extensions to make your light strip longer, but making them shorter was a problem. Hi there. That means you can have 144 light strings connected together if they’re LED! Using the same connector enables us to seamlessly add extension strips if needed. Like always we wanted to leave you with some helpful parts that will really make connecting strips together a whole lot easier. There is also solder between the strips and running through the holes in the connection pads, so I used some solder braid to remove most of this. I'd have to buy multiple kits and cut each of them down to size. Even with no visible solder the strips were still stuck together. Strip Back the Wiring. LED strips are common light sources since they last a long time and use up very little energy compared to incandescent bulbs. Question Whether you need to add extra lighting under cabinets or in your car, you can install LED strips with ease! It works best to place this one first. The important part about these connectors is that they are "machine pin" style, meaning that the pins and sockets are round. You want the entire length of the joint exposed, plus a bit extra to give you some room to work. Using a sharp knife, cut away the rubber casing to expose the solder joint between sub-strips. The first strip is connected to the control unit and must be near a power outlet. So, in a sense, they were made to be cut. Or switch on & off strip light from switch 3times continuously . The desoldering work was the hardest part of this project for me. You don't truly own something until you've voided the warranty. A proper desoldering tool - or even a temperature-controlled soldering iron - would likely have fewer problems with this. The tail end of the lightstrip already has a connector that's used for connecting to an optional extension strip. Take extra care to ensure that you're connecting to the correct end of the strips. An LED controller is needed to control the colors existing beneath its function. I wrapped mine with electrical tape, which worked well enough. Strip light will start flashing ,then keep pressing on/off button from remote & it will be paired. The key to this project is understanding that the lightstrip is actually six smaller sub-strips connected together. Finally apply 12 volts … How to install Solderless connectors for LED strip lighting: Cut along the mark line, and tear a little bit of 3M backing tape from the mark. You can substitute something easier to solder if you wish. Instead of having a single connector on the very end, we're going to replicate that connector on the end of each individual sub-strip. ?æ#ðÃ&á4. If the connector's pins are 2mm apart, then you can use the specific parts that I mentioned above. LED Light Strips, Modules and Light Bars all need to be connected to something. You can search for them online or at LED strip supply manufacturers. My cabinets aren't contiguous and they turn a corner, so I calculated that I'd need 4 shorter strips to cover everything. After cutting the led strip light , we need a wire to strip light … The light strips come with an adhesive strip on the back. Make sure you attach the wire to the side of the connector that has the barrel-shaped protrusion. Profile image by Achim Grochowski (via wikimedia project), Simple Extruded Aluminum Frame for LED Panels, "Helping hands" tool (optional, but highly recommended), Foam mounting squares or double-sided tape. Measure your space to see how much lighting is needed. Did you make this project? Important Note: This project will almost certainly void your warranty, but that's true of most good projects. 5050 RGB LED Strips can be paired either by remote or by app. This is where the manufacturer says to cut the strip to make it shorter. Soldering the connectors is a bit tricky. 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