How to make LED strip at home?

Светодиодная лента своими рукамиРазновидности лент и светодиодов

It is easy to make an LED strip with your own hands, taking into account personal preferences. To do this, select the necessary materials and tools, and then follow the step-by-step instructions for manufacturing and connecting the product.
DIY LED strip

Necessary materials and tools

To make your own LED strip, you will need the appropriate set of tools and materials. It may vary if any items are missing or based on personal preference. During the manufacturing process, the following materials will be required:

  • Strips of textolite or getinaks . Foil textolite (a flexible strip coated with copper sputtering) will significantly help in the work. If LED chips (SMD LEDs) are used, then they can be soldered directly to the foil textolite, which will help get rid of drilling holes and soldering additional wires.
  • Diodes . It is better that the operating voltage of the LEDs be less than 3 volts. You can use round diodes with legs or in the form of chips in accordance with the production technology. For example, round LEDs – white transparent 3014UWC, 5AW4QC, 10003UWC, ARL2-3214UWC (manufacturer ARLIGHT); SMD diodes – BL-LS3014A0S1UW2C (manufactured by Betlux Electronics), KA-3528PWC-A (manufactured by Kingbright). The total number of diodes is affected by the voltage of the power supply (12, 24 V) and the choice of brightness. A multi-colored RGB tape requires diodes of three colors (red, blue, green), and when using SMD diodes, you can use three-color RGB LEDs.
  • Resistance (resistors) . Limit the amount of current flowing through the LEDs. The required resistance is calculated using Ohm’s law (R = U/I). Using an example, one can imagine the calculation of the resistance of a resistor when three diodes of 3 V and 20 mA are connected in series from a current source of 12 V. In this case, with a total voltage of 9 V, a limitation of 3 V is necessary, the calculation of the required resistance is performed using the formula: 3 V divided by 20 mA (0.02 A). As a result, a 150 ohm resistor is needed.
  • Wires with any cross section, but preferably no more than 0.35 square meters. mm . Using thicker and stiffer wires will be less convenient to use.
  • Heat shrink tubing . Makes the tape more aesthetic and performs insulating functions.
  • Strips made from plastic bottles or similar material . Used to change the color emitted by diodes.
  • Sealant or compound (resin) . Use if you need to seal the fixture to make it whiter moisture resistant.

DIY LED stripIn the process of manufacturing an LED strip, you will need the following tools:

  • soldering iron with rosin and solder;
  • drill or cutter (for cutting strips of getinax or textolite), you can also use ordinary scissors;
  • a screwdriver or drill with thin drills, but you can replace them with an ordinary awl;
  • building hair dryer or regular lighter to heat the heat shrink tube.

LED strip manufacturing

It is extremely difficult to accurately copy a factory-made LED strip. This is a printed circuit board with a flexible base, on which diodes with SMD resistors are mounted. In a home workshop, instead of these materials, you can use a textolite strip and simple LEDs. You need to do the following:

  1. Draw up a concept.
  2. According to the rated voltage and current of the LEDs, connect them in series in groups with a current limiting resistor.
  3. For the flexibility of the tape, it is necessary to layer the textolite separately in layers. You only need to leave a layer on top with a copper coating.
  4. Cut off a 6mm wide strip so that it is convenient to fix the LED chips and insulate the strips.
  5. Using a ruler and a pencil, make markings into two equal parts of 3 mm.
  6. With a cutter or drill, cut the strip along the line to the depth of the copper layer in full length. It is necessary to use the length and width of the strips, sufficient to accommodate all the elements of the circuit on them.
  7. Before soldering the two parts, it is necessary to cover the strip with flux.
  8. With a soldering iron, you need to cover two parts with solder, but do not allow the solder to flow to the adjacent strip. On these two resulting tracks, LED chips will be mounted.
  9. Solder the diode chips with a soldering iron in a parallel direction to each track. Attach diodes in a row at an equal distance from each other. When making an RGB strip, alternate the colors of the diodes while they are being fixed.
  10. When using an LED strip at a voltage of 3-12 V, you must use limiting resistors. They should be located on the sides, between the diodes, or on the back according to local conditions.
  11. Solder the strips to connect the diode strip.
  12. Solder wires.
  13. To make the device look more aesthetic, place the diode tapes in a transparent heat-shrinkable tube along with a cut-out strip from the bottle (placed on the back side).
  14. Heat the heat shrink tube with a hair dryer to pull all the parts together.
  15. If there is a desire to create a structure for an aquarium, then at the ends it must be sealed with silicone sealant, which will make the product waterproof.

Watch a video tutorial on making a DIY LED strip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0_pw67W60U

Installation and connection

Connecting an LED strip is a simple process. With an operating voltage of the manufactured device of 12 V, you will need
a power supply that converts 220 Volt variables in the outlet. The most important thing is to respect the polarity. When using a standard power supply, at the input you need to turn on the phase and zero from the outlet, and at the output – a red wire “+”, blue “-“. If you want to control the color level, a dimmer is connected between the strip and the power source (observing the polarity). The finished structure is fixed by various methods:

  • using plastic clamps;
  • the structure in a heat shrink tube is glued with double-sided tape;
  • a leaky textolite strip is attached to self-tapping screws or screws through pre-drilled holes;
  • using silicone sealant or liquid nails.

If heat shrink tubing is not used to attach the tape, a neutral sealant should be used.

You can use a special aluminum profile, which is fixed with screws to the wall, and the tape is already glued to it.
Profiles for LED stripsare complemented by a plastic diffuser that hides the diodes and contributes to the creation of a more uniform light flux. Manufacturers place fans inside large power supplies, which can become a source of noise and will greatly interfere. In such a situation, the power supply is removed to another room where it will not create inconvenience. See detailed instructions for connecting and installing an LED strip with your own hands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKWm6RBg6wM A self-made LED strip can become a complete replacement for the finished product, and in some situations even be more preferable. When installing the LED strip, safety precautions must be observed and the possibility of partial or complete dismantling must be foreseen.

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  1. Василий

    Я два раза пробовал самостоятельно изготовить светильник из светодиодной ленты. Достал старую, но вполне рабочую и притащил ее с работы, из торгового центра где ленты меняли на новые. Мне на пальцах электрик рассказал как делать, но два раза пробовал и ни чего не получилось. Посмотрел ваше видео и понял в что я дела не правильно. Светильники делал для выращивания рассады, для их подсветки в темное время суток. Лампы накаливания много берут энергии, а когда горит светодиодная лента счетчик крутится на порядок меньше))!

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  2. Наталья

    Большое спасибо автору за полезную статью! Я давно мечтаю о зеркале с подсветкой, но цены, мягко говоря, кусаются. Здесь же бюджетный вариант, материалы доступные, да и порядок выполнения работы расписан до мелочей. Так что, нашла мужу занятие! 🙂 Есть также видео, чтоб справился “наверняка” даже не совсем разбирающийся в электрике человек, главное – следовать инструкции.

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  3. Бро

    отличная статья, давно хотел сделать что то подобное в гараж. На выходных буду пробовать!))

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  4. Кирилл

    Статья интересная, но почему только диоды красный, зеленый и синий? Ведь можно и белые ( желтые) диоды применить, ведь так? Это же все на вкус изготовителя. Но статья интересная, особенно тем кто только начинает заниматься изготовлением самодельной светодиодной ленты дома. Полезны представленные расчеты, полезны советы по применению простых материалов которые легко можно достать и стоят они копейки. А так же посыл автора для полета фантазии тех, кто хочет что то делать своими руками). Все коротко и ясно).

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