Choosing an LED strip for kitchen lighting: tips and warnings. LED lighting for the kitchen: the secrets of choosing a tape and installation nuances

Description. Service life 3-6 months. Loses brightness quickly. LEDs often burn out. Scotch tape is weak, easily peels off. The light is unpleasant, no joy from it. Not suitable for lighting ceilings (therefore, we do not have economy class LED strips).

How to recognize? Low cost (50 - 100 rubles / meter). There is no manufacturer's name on the packaging and on the tape. And she herself is thin as a rag.

2. LED strip "Standard"

Description... Good, reliable tape. Will last you 3 years and will not lose brightness. The tape produces pure base colors (red, blue, green). But, unlike expensive luxury tapes, it mixes them badly. You will not get pleasant, soft halftones with this ribbon.

For example, no yellow... Instead, green. There is no cozy candle shade (everyone likes it) and other pleasant shades. Therefore, there is no point in using an expensive 60 color controller for this ribbon. There is a white lighting mode. But the light has a blue tint.

Application.If 7 colors are enough for you. If you do backlighting for no more than three years. If you have a chandelier and you don't need a white light mode. Then feel free to purchase Standard tapes.

How to recognize? The manufacturer is indicated on the packaging and on the tape. There is a 1 year warranty. When you take it in your hand, there is a feeling of goodness. Those. this is not a "rag" that you are afraid to accidentally tear.

3. LED strip "Lux"

Description.Compared to Standard tape, the light is much more pleasant. Brighter, more saturated, diffuses well and spreads gently over the ceiling. I just want to sit on the couch and admire this beauty.

In addition to the basic colors (red, blue, green), the tape perfectly conveys halftones (pink, orange, yellow, blue, etc.). Due to good mixing, the colors are juicy, saturated.

The most important thing! There is a candlelight (very pleasant, everyone likes it). For his sake alone it is worth acquiring it. Remember how in childhood the lights were sometimes turned off and the parents lit candles. There was something magical about it ... Ordinary LED strips have either no candle tint, or pale and not so atmospheric.

In white lighting mode, the light is really white, there is almost no blue (for ordinary ribbons, instead of white light, blue). Service life 10 years.

How to recognize? The packaging looks premium. Manufacturer indicated. Inside there is a passport in Russian. The title contains the word "Lux". 2 year warranty. The tape is thick, the wires are thick. There is a BIN color code on the packaging and on the tape.

White light mode

All multi-color ribbons have a white light mode. However, the light is not pure white, but a mixture of red, blue and green. Because of this, it has a bluish tint. Here's a photo where we compared white light from different LED strips.

Multicolor Standard has a blue tint in white mode. The suite is almost white. But she is significantly inferior to White Lux. The white tape gives light that is closest to natural sunlight. In this light, it is comfortable to read, write, do business.

Conclusion:

For multi-color lighting of the ceiling, it is better to use RGB LED strip of the "Lux" class SMD 5060 - 30 LED (60 LED)... Because:

• Service life 10 years
• Produces 60 pleasant shades and halftones
• Has candlelight (everyone likes it)
• In white light mode, the light is almost white
• Causes joy and improves mood

LED lighting for interiors of apartments and houses is gaining more and more popularity. There are several ways to approach backlighting issues. Some people prefer to contact specialists for the selection of suitable equipment and its installation. Others decide to show their creativity and do it on their own. Due to the relative ease of installing LED backlighting, this is quite possible, but in order to achieve the desired result, some features must be taken into account. The first question that arises is how, among the large number of varieties of LED strips, to choose a strip that suits your desires? We will talk about this in this article.

1) Installation site of the LED strip.

First you need to decide on the room where the LED strip will be installed. For LED lighting of the ceilings of rooms, kitchens, hallways and corridors, an open LED strip is suitable. Due to the high humidity, only a sealed LED strip is used to illuminate the bathrooms. To illuminate the working surface of tables in the kitchen, as well as when installing LED strip at a low height from the floor, for example, lighting stair steps, lighting the floor - it is also recommended to use a sealed LED strip, because during wet cleaning, water can get on it or it can be mechanically damaged. We will talk about the selection of LED strip for specific premises later.

2) Type, brightness and power of the LED strip.

The next step is to select the LED strip according to the required brightness. One of the factors affecting the brightness of the tape is the type of LEDs. The most common tapes with SMD3528 and SMD5060 LEDs (sometimes also called SMD5050). LEDs of the first type have a package size of 3.5x2.8 mm and contain one semiconductor crystal. LEDs of the second type are larger - 5.0x5.5 mm - and contain three crystals in one package. Accordingly, SMD5060 LEDs are almost three times brighter than SMD3528 diodes. Also, the brightness of the LED strip depends on the density of the LEDs on it. There are standard density LED strips, double (2x) and double-row double density (2x2) strips. For tapes with SMD3528 LEDs, these are respectively 60, 120 and 240 LEDs per meter. For tapes with SMD5060 LEDs - 30, 60 and 120 LEDs per meter. The table below shows the most common tapes in order of increasing power and, accordingly, the brightness of the glow.

It is also worth noting that the luminous flux of 1 W LEDs is approximately equal to 100 lm, i.e. LED strips with a power of up to 10 W per meter are well suited for backlighting. And LED strips with a power of more than 10 W per meter are already suitable as a main light or for illuminating dark surfaces with low reflectivity.

3) The color of the LED strip, the type of its connection.

We decide on the backlight color - whether we want the backlight to be white or some one constant glow color. Or do we want to change the backlight color depending on the current desires and preferences?

If we need white backlighting, then we also need to decide which one. The fact is that white light can be of different shades (with different, so-called, color temperature of luminescence) cold white (10000K-6500K), white (6500K-5500K), day white (4500K-4000K) and warm white (3500K- 2700K).

For decorative backlighting, a colored LED strip is more suitable, it can be monochrome (one-color) or multi-color (RGB). Note that RGB LED strip can only be used with large SMD 5060 LEDs.

To connect a single-color LED strip, you only need a power supply and the strip itself. If you want to adjust the brightness of the glow, you will need another additional device - a dimmer for the LED strip. To connect a multi-color RGB LED strip, you will need not only a power supply and a strip, but also an RGB controller that controls the color and brightness of the RGB strip.

The power supply unit must be selected in accordance with the supply voltage of the LED strip (12V, 24V, 36V), its power and length.

To calculate the required power of the power supply, you need to multiply the length of the tape connected to the unit by its power consumption per meter and add a power margin (10-25%). The reserve is necessary for the reliable operation of the system. For example, (10m x 7.2W) x 1.25 \u003d 90W. Since there is no power supply unit for an LED strip with a power of exactly 90 W, a unit with a higher (but in no case less) power of -100 W is suitable.

How to choose an LED strip for a room.

Usually, LED lighting in different rooms in an apartment or in a house has different purposes, for example, lighting a room is mainly decorative, and lighting a kitchen is practical.

The most common use of LED strip in a room is eaves or stained-glass ceiling illumination, illumination of walls, floors, niches or curtains. Such rooms have normal humidity, therefore, an LED strip without moisture protection is used here. The purpose of such backlighting is most often decorative, so almost any type of LED strip can be used and the choice depends only on the required brightness and color. The backlight will look spectacular using RGB LED strip and RGB controller.

How to choose an LED strip for the kitchen.

The use of LED lighting in the kitchen is quite wide. It is not only decorative, but also practical. In addition to all the applications in ordinary rooms, which we wrote about above, the illumination of cabinets and the kitchen work surface is used. An interesting and unusual option for using LED strip in the kitchen is LED illumination of the lower (floor lighting) and upper parts of the cabinets. Floor standing cabinets are usually installed on legs, which are then covered by a panel or left open. The LED strip is attached to the bottom of the cabinet and illuminates the floor. For such a backlight, you need to use a sealed LED strip, because water can get on it, for example, when cleaning.

To illuminate the top of the cabinets, you can use an open LED strip, because it is attached to the top of the wall cabinets and is practically not exposed to external influences.

Now let's talk about the practical and functional LED lighting. You can illuminate not only the space above and below the cabinets, but also inside them, which is not only beautiful, but also functional. The LED strip for lighting cabinets from the inside can be connected in such a way that it turns on together with the main kitchen lighting, or it can be used together with special sensors. There are several types of sensors, among them sensors that respond to the opening of the cabinet door, to touch, and even non-contact ones - to turn on or off the light, you just need to move your hand next to them, which is very convenient if you have wet or dirty hands.

Work surface illumination is even more practical. Usually, when cooking, the light source is located behind your back, so the work surface is closed from light, so the LED illumination of the kitchen work surface will come in handy. It is installed under wall cabinets. It is important to position the LED strip so that the light falls directly downward, or at an angle and does not directly enter the eyes.

There are several ways to organize the illumination of the working surface:

1) Sealed LED strip that is simply glued to the bottom of the wall cabinet.

2) Ready LED. They are simply mounted using clips or double-sided tape, have a touch switch and are easily connected to each other, forming a chain of lamps. Inside the luminaire there is an LED strip, on top it is covered with a plastic screen, which can be matte or transparent. We recommend choosing a matte screen as with it, the LEDs are not so visible, the light is more diffused and will not irritate the retina.

3) Assembling the LED lamp with your own hands. To do this, you need an LED strip (or LED strips) and. Our catalog contains a wide selection of aluminum profiles of different shapes and screens for them.

White LED strip is used to illuminate the working surface. But it should be borne in mind that the products look as natural as possible when illuminated with daylight white light, and when illuminated with warm white they look even fresher and better than they are. Food looks less appetizing under cold white.

How to choose an LED strip for your bathroom.

Due to the high humidity and the risk of water entering the bathroom, a sealed LED strip is usually used.

Bathroom LED lighting is most commonly used to illuminate ceilings and walls. But there are other options, such as lighting niches and mirrors. Illumination of the mirror can be either background (backlighting behind the mirror) or illuminating the space in front of the mirror. In the second case, the illumination made behind the mirror looks spectacular, on which the amalgam layer (reflective surface) has been partially removed.

How to choose LEDs for a nursery.

When choosing a design for a children's room, parents usually strive to create an environment that will bring an atmosphere of joy, warmth and comfort to the child's world. In this case, much attention should be paid to the lighting of the nursery. For a child's room, bright, but soft light, psychologically comfortable and at the same time not harmful to the baby's eyes, is best suited. And if you have chosen LED technologies for lighting an apartment, pay attention to LED strips of white glow in warm and moderate colors. To adjust the brightness of the glow, you can use a dimmer - an electric power regulator. There are devices of both the classic model (a mechanical regulator built into the wall in the standard size of the switch), and modern dimmers with an electronic control system and remote controls.

Colored LEDs can be a separate joy for the baby. If instead of conventional white LEDs, multicolor RGB + W LED strips are used as the main lighting, the possibilities for decorative lighting of the room will be truly endless. By experimenting with the RGB controller remote, you and your child can create a wide variety of color combinations, turning the room into a children's fairy tale. And white LEDs, also present in the LED strip, will help to use it for its main purpose. Also in the design of children's rooms, monochrome colored LEDs are widely used, which can be used to illuminate furniture and interior elements.

LED strips for corridors and walkways.

Places in the house such as corridors, walk-through lobbies, staircases do not need constant bright lighting. After all, people are not constantly in these places. However, often residents of a house or apartment have to cross such zones in order to get into a particular room, kitchen or bathroom. And it is quite inconvenient if an unlit corridor is waiting for you every time on the way. What to do in such cases? Some people prefer to burn light around the clock in walk-through areas, while others usually leave these areas dark.

However, the best solution to this problem is to use economical LED technology. LED strips are the most economical light sources; they consume several times less electricity than conventional incandescent lamps. Place a moderately bright LED strip along the corridor or along the perimeter of the walk-through room, creating uniform illumination of the entire area. And to save even more energy, use a dimmer. This device will help to reduce the brightness of LED lamps to even a barely noticeable glow, which can be suitable for night illumination in an apartment.

Bedroom lighting with LED strips.

When lighting a bedroom, LED strips can be used both as an additional illumination and as the main lighting. To create a cozy atmosphere, many use colored LEDs as wall lighting, backlighting for mirrors and wall decorations, as well as lighting the ceiling area hidden under cornices or using multi-level ceiling architecture. You can choose a wide variety of colors for illumination, limited only by matters of taste - modern LED technologies today make it possible to produce light sources that work in almost any spectrum. With the help of LEDs, you can also make original lighting of furniture or built-in lighting for cabinets.

A chandelier can be used as the main lighting in the bedroom. However, why not use super-bright LED strips for this purpose? Today, LEDs are able to create comfortable, natural lighting for the bedroom with flexible customization options. These are both white LED strips and multi-color RGB LED strips. Using dimmers and advanced RGB controllers, you can control the lighting in your bedroom however you want.

LED technology for the living room.

The living room is the heart of your apartment, a place where family rests, relatives and guests gather. That is why many people approach the design of the living room especially carefully. As a rule, this is the most spacious room in the house, so a variety of ideas for interior decoration find a place here. This also applies to the issue of lighting.

If you decide to use LEDs for lighting your living room, you should know: you are not mistaken with your choice! With their help, you can create a powerful stream of natural white light, and a fancy backlight hidden in the depths of the multi-level ceiling or under the cornice system. It is also a good idea to design interior lighting with LED strips. And if you use the living room as a room for family celebrations, you should think about purchasing multi-color LED strips for this room, which, if desired, can easily create a party atmosphere in the living room, being controlled by the owner, which he carries out using an RGB controller. You can also use dimmers for white LED strips so that you can control the brightness of the light by choosing your comfort zone yourself.

Increasingly, modern apartments use LED lighting of all stripes. It is understandable why - the ceilings decorated with diode systems seem higher than they actually are. At the same time, the minimum amount of space is hidden.

LED strip is especially popular for backlighting. Such lighting may well be used for zoning or decorating rooms. Using ribbons of different colors, with high or low intensity of luminescence, you can effortlessly change the appearance of the room beyond recognition - especially for those who like frequent changes in decor.
For installation on the ceiling, models with an adhesive backing are very convenient, it is enough to remove the protective film and apply it to a surface free of dust - the installation is complete.
The aggressiveness of the indoor environment must be taken into account. So to illuminate the ceiling in the bathroom or in the kitchen, it is recommended to use tapes in sealed covers made of silicone or plastic. Otherwise, the boards and crystals of the diodes will damp, oxidize or become covered with a layer of fatty soot. Therefore, when choosing a suitable model for wet rooms, be sure to pay attention to the IP marking (dust and water resistance index); the higher the value on the right, the higher the degree of protection. For the rooms mentioned, it will be enough to install products with IP 44 - everything that is above will simply be an unjustified waste of money.

Conscious selection

Manufacturers offer us a lot of LED products and the build quality of them often varies greatly, it is difficult to navigate. How to choose the best option for "price-quality"?

LED strips

There are several basic types of diode strips on the market today. Monochrome: SMD 5050, SMD 5630, SMD 3028, SMD 3528, RGB color SMD 5050 and others. These numbers indicate the dimensions of the luminous elements - for example, the marking 3038 indicates the dimensions of 3.0 by 2.8 mm. Model 5050 has large diodes and therefore shines much brighter, see for yourself:

Dimensions of diodes on the tape

Colored tapes contain three diodes: red, green and blue. Don't think that this is not enough, when mixing these base colors you can get millions of combinations of different shades. Buy better systems with three crystals, they are almost three times brighter than single-crystal. They can be identified by six "legs" going to the board. This is how they look when zoomed in:

Pay attention to the "landing" frequency of the diodes on the flex board. The performance of the tape directly depends on this - the more there are, the brighter it shines. Modifications are usually offered with 15, 30, 60, 72, 120 and 240 diodes per meter of tape.

To illuminate ceilings, it is best to choose products marked SMD 5050 (with three crystals), having a landing of at least 30 LEDs per meter (or better, more).

However, you need to remember that if you decide to install a powerful LED strip, you will need a more efficient power supply for it, and it is oversized, and it will be problematic to hide it on low ceilings.

It is better to spend a lot initially and choose a universal RGB tape. It is bright and durable, plus everything significantly expands the operational capabilities. As a more budgetary solution, monochromatic diodes with a warm white glow will be optimal.

Inspection and purchase

First, check the quality of the ribbon in the reel by eye. All board elements must be attached evenly and symmetrically to each other. The soldering should be neat. In the most advanced cases, it is only in appearance that a low-grade counterfeit can be detected.

Ribbon quality

The marking must be present on the plastic reel, indicating all technical parameters, information about the manufacturer and its warranty obligations.

However, even an externally perfectly designed product may turn out to be a low-power "fake". Therefore, if you take a large batch for the first time, do not be too lazy to ring it with the device. Often, the output parameters are very low. This is because morally obsolete weak crystals are installed in handicrafts - they are cheap, and it's not a problem to get them. In terms of power, they are several times inferior to original products, and their service life is an order of magnitude shorter. Therefore, the game is not worth the candle.
Sometimes, under the guise of more expensive colored ribbons, they slip in cheap "one-color" ones. The main distinguishing feature is the color of the upper luminous part of the diode. The yellow coating is a phosphor that enhances the original light temperature. It covers only one-color white diodes, multi-colored such a coating does not have, so as not to distort the emitted spectrum when mixing colors.
An important criterion for the quality of tapes is their cost. Often a solid original product in appearance and indistinguishable from a fake. However, the quality of the latter's work does not stand up to criticism - buying such LED-systems, you are simply wasting money. They will not provide you with the vaunted long-term performance, nor even bright backlighting, nor the minimum power consumption. The only justification for such a purchase is the desire to try out the LED blank in action, to learn how to properly assemble the chains, without fear of ruining expensive equipment.
Qualitative models are offered by: JAZZway, Gauss, Philips, etc. - it is clear that they are expensive. If you want to buy a reliable LED strip in the middle price segment, feel free to take the products of Camelion or Navigator certified in Russia.

Camelion and Navigator

They are suitable both for the ceiling and for highlighting any other surfaces in the house: floor plinths, furniture, niches in the walls, etc.

Without components - no way!

The choice of the necessary components plays no less important role than the selection of the LED strips themselves. The light intensity and the duration of the assembled circuit will directly depend on their quality. Having decided on the length and power of the LED strip, calculate what power supply unit will be needed for uninterrupted operation.

To do this, multiply the total length of all segments of the tape by the power declared by the manufacturer (indicated in W / m on the tape packaging), not forgetting to provide a margin of 25-30% so that the unit does not work at the limit of its capabilities.

Connection diagram

An important point - check the power supply for noiselessness, if anything - at night or during rest, it will be uncomfortable to sleep with such a quiet buzz.
If you intend to install a long LED circuit - around the entire perimeter of the ceiling, be sure to use special amplifiers that evenly distribute currents between all segments connected together. Take care of a set of wires of sufficient length so that you can easily tie several pieces into a single chain. You also need high quality clamping terminals.

Nuances

Arrangement of multi-colored LED ceiling lighting will cost an order of magnitude more than installing a single-color one. This is because you need to add a more expensive LED strip and a special RGB controller to such a circuit. It allows you to set any color. Moreover, you can set both a constant glow and automatic change of all colors of the rainbow.
For greater ease of use, the controller is equipped with a compact control panel. With its help, with a simple touch, you can change the atmosphere in the house: make it soothing, romantic or fun - for parties. By the way, even models are offered that respond to sound. They pulsate to the beat of musical compositions - it turns out to be such a ceiling light music.
It would be nice to install a system with a built-in dimmer. It allows you to smoothly adjust the brightness of the diodes. Again, there are models with a remote control, and some can be built into the wall like a regular switch.

Connection diagram

An important nuance - it is not recommended to use a tape longer than five meters, as this will lead to an uneven distribution of currents along the entire length. The diodes remote from the power supply unit will shine dimly, and the nearby ones may even burn out. Therefore, if the perimeter of the ceilings in the room exceeds 5 meters (which is how it happens most often), it is recommended to use another roll of tape with a separate power supply unit.

To connect it to an existing circuit, you will need to add a special RGB amplifier, and the controller can be used one for all, etc. In this case, the coherence of the glow is achieved under different operating modes and the uniformity of illumination along the entire length of the tapes.
For beginners, ready-made LED kits greatly simplify the installation task. They contain all the necessary elements, assembled and tested for performance by professionals. And you don't need to call strangers into your house, overpaying 20-50 percent of the cost of materials.

Ready-made LED set

Whichever LED strip you decide to choose to illuminate the ceilings in the house, remember the tips presented above - and then you will succeed!

Secrets of choosing halogen chandeliers with a remote control

The right lighting is one of the ingredients for an effective design in any room. It is especially important in the kitchen, where the correct distribution of light flux makes cooking a pleasant and comfortable process. All that is needed for this is a design and lighting calculation. One of the most interesting options in modern interiors, which you can do yourself, is LED strip lighting.

LEDs are special semiconductors that emit light when electrical energy is passed through. LEDs can have different chemical compositions, which is why the brightness of the light they generate differs. There is one more nuance - the installation of LED backlighting is never carried out directly, since this way the tape can overheat and break. A prerequisite for connecting LEDs is the presence of a stabilizer.

Benefits of LED lighting

LED backlighting offers a number of obvious advantages:

• Resistance to external mechanical damage;
• Durability - kitchen lighting tape can work for 14 years or more, even when working more than 15 hours a day;
• Various colors - lighting for the kitchen under the cabinets can be made in white, red and orange, green and blue, purple and yellow. You can also choose LEDs operating in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum;
• Excellent brightness of illumination, and the device does not take time to warm up;

• Affordability (thanks to distribution and popularization);
• Possibility to use tape with different radiation angle;
• Safety;
• Environmental friendliness;
• Undemanding to room temperature.

Methods and places for interior lighting in the kitchen

The number of crystals directly affects the number of colors in the ribbon. In general, LED strips can provide 15,000,000 shades - if crystals of different brightness are combined in them.

You can make LED backlighting for the following purposes:

• Combined lighting for zoning, highlighting cabinets, niches;
• Highlighting pictures or other decorative elements of the interior;
• Backlighting a kitchen apron, the backlight looks especially impressive if the apron is made of glass;

• Lighting inside drawers and cabinets;

• Highlighting stained glass or clear glass shelves;

• By installing the lighting at the bottom of the bedside tables, that is, under the cabinets, you can create the effect of "floating furniture";

• Lighting of several ceiling levels;

• Bar counter lighting with LED lighting creates the atmosphere and style of a real bar.

The installation of warm-spectrum LEDs is carried out for classic interiors, and in a high-tech style, cold light will be more appropriate.

Choosing the right LED strip - classification and comparison

Most often, the installation of LED backlights is performed from SMD LEDs. They are classified according to a number of characteristics:

• The number of crystals is from 1 to 4;
• Glow type - full color or monochrome;
• Sizes - in the range of 1.06x0.8 to 5.0x5.0 mm.

Before you buy an LED strip, you need to decide what type of lighting you want to do. The following guidelines exist here:

1. SMD tape 50x50 with three-crystal LEDs is perfect for illuminating the working and dining areas and can provide an even bright light.
2. For decorative lighting, a single-chip SMD 35x28 tape is suitable.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a series of small LEDs located within the same plane. It can also have several varieties, depending on the density of the LEDs:

• 30 pcs / meter;
• 60 pcs / meter;
• 120 pcs / meter;
• 240pcs / meter

The power consumption and the level of brightness of the generated lighting depend on the number of LEDs.

The tapes are divided into groups and according to the degree of moisture protection:

• IP20 - not suitable for the kitchen, as it cannot withstand high humidity;
• IP65 - medium level of moisture protection, can be used in the kitchen;
• IP68 - full moisture resistance - even a pool can be illuminated with such a tape.

How to choose a power supply

Power supplies come in different capacities and therefore sizes. We need to determine the best option so that the power of the transformer is sufficient with a margin, but at the same time, so that it is not too large.

We multiply 12 W by 5 m (the length of the tape), totaling 60 watts. But since we need a margin, we take into account the coefficient equal to 1.25 - it turns out 1.25 × 60 \u003d 75, therefore, we need to buy a 75 W transformer.

How to illuminate the tabletop, dining area with LEDs

A device with an average degree of moisture protection is suitable for the working area - it has a special protective layer that protects against vapors and dirt, water and other liquids. This means that if you need a wet cleaning, you can wipe the cabinets along with the lamps.

Mounting the tape to the table involves attaching a special aluminum profile. It is necessary to hide the wires and make the lighting aesthetically pleasing. You can also make the backlight from self-adhesive tapes. By the way, by installing additional devices, you can create a backlight that will change the brightness and / or color.

Advice! The warm white color of the LED strip is ideal for the desktop, as it will not change the natural colors of food.

Additional lighting can be made from LED strips in the work area. It also needs structures with high moisture protection. The tapes are installed here with double-sided tape. Multiple ribbons can be used to create a dramatic decorative effect.

What do we need for installation

Self-assembly of LED backlighting will require the use of the following tools and accessories:

• The set itself: a coil of tape (12W), an electric cable with a cross section of 0.74 mm square;
• Transformer - 12W power supply and dimmer with a control panel (if any);
• Solder with rosin;
• Soldering iron;
• Scissors;
• Double sided tape;
• Insulating tape (or heat shrink tubing with a construction hairdryer);
• PVC corner and or aluminum profile for LED mounting - if necessary;
• Drill - if necessary;
• Electrical Mounting Brackets - if required.

We make installation

So, all the tools and materials are ready, you can start installing the diode backlight with your own hands.

Installation is carried out in the following sequence:

1. In a reel, the tape is usually 5 m long. Most likely, you need less, so we cut off the excess. The required length is measured with a tape measure and cut off in a strictly defined place, after which the extreme contacts must be carefully exposed from the silicone coating by about 1.5 cm.

1. 2 cables are soldered to the contacts (preferably) or they are connected using connectors (not recommended).

1. Then insulation is performed (tape or tube). To insulate the wires with a heat-shrinkable tube, you need to cut a small piece 2 cm long, put it in the place where the wires are soldered and secure with a construction hairdryer. What to choose - a tape or a tube - is up to you, but it is better to use a tube, as it is more reliable and looks better.

1. Scotch tape is attached from the outside on the corner or profile, and the tape is fixed from the opposite part after removing the protective film.

1. A transformer must be installed near the backlight. This place needs to be thought out in advance. Peeled wires of the cut tape are soldered to it from the low voltage side. On the opposite side, a plug with an electric cable is attached. The LED strip is attached to a previously cleaned and degreased surface.

Advice! To glue the tape exactly, it is better not to press it right away, but first just gently glue the entire tape, and then, if necessary, trim.

1. The wires are connected in parallel and lead to the place where the power supply is installed.

1. The installation of a plastic conduit for wires is certainly carried out, where the wire is fastened with wiring brackets.
2. And then the dimmer is connected, that is, the switch and the final installation of the power supply. A dimmer and amplifiers are required if you plan to change the brightness of the backlight during operation. These devices are mounted together with the power supply.

Well, that's all, the installation of the LED strip in the kitchen is ready.

Today, more and more new technologies are used in the design of premises, and new ones appear every year. One of these new and interesting solutions is the use of LED strips to highlight some elements. The use of LED strip is not limited only to the design of premises, it is also widely used in car tuning, to illuminate swimming pools, facades, shop windows, in short, the use of LED strip is unlimited.

Installing an LED strip is not difficult, and anyone can do it, you just need to know what and how to connect, as well as have a minimal idea of \u200b\u200bthe varieties and characteristics of LED strips.

In this article we will try to figure out how to choose an LED strip, as well as find everything you need for its operation, and in the next article we will talk about how to install an LED strip.

We will not go deep into the characteristics of LED strips, but in order not to clog our heads, we will focus only on the most basic ones.

Glow color of the LED strip
Rather, the color of the LEDs that are installed in the LED strip. By the color of the glow, LED strips are: blue, red, green, yellow, warm white, cold white and RGB strips. With the first four, everything seems to be clear, but I would like to tell you more about white and RGB tapes.

In fact, a white LED is a blue LED, on the surface of which a layer of phosphor is applied, which burns out over time, and the glow of such a tape dims and turns blue.

RGB tape, this is the most interesting solution when using LED strips. The fact is that RGB tape can glow in any color that can be adjusted manually using the remote control. How can this effect be achieved? Everything is very simple, in the RGB tape there are not single-color LEDs, but three-color, in other words, in one LED there are three LEDs of primary colors: R (Red) -red, G (Green) -green, B (Blue) -blue. And as we remember from school from physics lessons - when mixing the primary colors, you can get any color, including white.

RGB strip colors are mixed using controller, which turns on and off one or another color based on the command that it receives from the control panel. Here's a video showing how RGB tape works.

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As you can see, RGB tape is quite an interesting solution. Here you can buy such a kit for ridiculous money. By the way, there are also color music controllers, with the help of which the LED strip will glow in time with the music.

By the brightness of the glow, LED strips are distinguished by the size of the LEDs installed in them... In LED strips, SMD3528 and SMD5050 LEDs are used, with dimensions of 3.5 * 2.8 mm and 5 * 5 mm, respectively. The SMD3528 LED has one crystal, and the SMD5050 has three, respectively, and the brightness of the SMD5050 LEDs is three times that of the SMD3528.

The brightness of the LED strip also depends from the number of LEDs installed on it... As a rule, this is for SMD3528 60, 120, 240 pieces per meter, and for SMD5050 30, 60, 120 pieces per meter. Accordingly, the more LEDs in one meter, the more expensive the LED strip. SMD3528 60 LED and SMD5050 30 strips are used for light backlighting, SMD3528 for 120 LEDs and SMD5050 for 60 for stronger backlighting, and SMD3528 for 240 and SMD5050 for 120 can be used as lighting.

Another characteristic is lED strip IP protection... That is, how protected the tape is from external influences such as dust and moisture. Here you can divide LED strips into three main types: unprotected strips, which can be installed, for example, in a room, protected by epoxy resin, they are protected from moisture, they are installed, for example, in a bathroom, and fully protected, which do not allow moisture or dust to pass through, they can use outdoors or in any premises with high humidity levels. It goes without saying that the greater the degree of protection, the more expensive a meter of tape is.

Supply voltage of LED strips more often 12V and less often at 24V DC. Based on this, it is clear that in order to install the LED strip, you will also need, in addition to the strip itself, a 12V or 24V power supply. Power supplies are also like tape of three types in terms of the degree of protection: unprotected from moisture and dust, protected, they are placed in a plastic case, and completely protected, a power supply in a sealed case that can work in water, although it is better not to do this.


Power supplies are distinguished by their power... The power is selected based on what load needs to be connected to the power supply, in our case, this is the power that the installed LED strip consumes. How much power is consumed by one meter of tape can be found in this table.


For example, we need to install an SMD3528 LED strip with 120 LEDs / meter, 5 meters long. The table shows that the power consumption of one meter of tape is 9.6 watts. We multiply 9.6 * 5 \u003d 48 W, plus a power reserve of about 20%, total 48 + 20% \u003d 57.6 W. You can choose a 60 W power supply (you can do more, you can’t less). When choosing a power supply, you need to proceed from the technical characteristics of the LED strip that you are going to purchase in the store, and calculate the power on the spot, as from different manufacturers parameters may differ.

Do not forget about one more parameter of the power supply, this is its dimensions, that is, you need to determine in advance the place of its installation, and choose the appropriate size

When choosing an RGB LED strip, in addition to the power supply, you will also need a controller. What is a controller? A controller is a device that, based on a command received from the control panel, changes the color and brightness of the RGB LED strip. That is, voltage is supplied to the controller input from the power supply, and RGB tape is connected to the output. The functionality of the controller will determine how the RGB tape will glow.

The controller has three independent outputs R (Red) - red, G (Green) - green, B (Blue) - blue. When receiving a command from the remote control, the controller changes the voltage at one or another output, for example, it can turn on the R (Red) output - red, and turn off G (Green) - green and B (Blue) - blue, then the LED strip will glow red, and if you reduce the voltage at the R (Red) -red output, the brightness will decrease.


In terms of characteristics, controllers, like power supplies, differ in supply voltage 12V or 24V, and the power of the LED strip that can be connected to it. According to their functionality controllers range from the simplest ones with the ability to change the specified color and brightness of the tape, to more functional ones with the ability to smoothly adjust the color (more than 10,000 colors). When choosing a controller for RGB LED strip, you need to proceed from what functions you need.