Led Strip lighting

Tags: #<Tag:0x00007fa49600a478>
#1

Hey everyone! I’m wondering if anyone can help me out with a lighting query.

I’m attempting to make a light using led strip lighting which uses batteries and is controlled remotely. My design is currently cut into 3 compartments which slot together and is divided by solid blocks of wood so I’m looking for strip lighting which breaks apart but works simultaneously (for some reason I recalling seeing this somewhere). If I’m talking rubbish please say so.

Has anyone used strip lighting before or an alternative remote powered compact lighting fixture? Any help is appreciated!

Cheers
Fin

#2

Hi Fin, I use strip lighting a fair bit. Unfortunately I’m struggling to picture what you’re trying to go for here. Maybe a sketch or a link to the product you’re trying to replicate?

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#3

What variant of strip lighting are you planning to use? RGB? White? RGB+W? Within wach of those types there are several choices, from plain 12VDC on each color, to digitally controlled by sending data along with power (5 VDC, typically). Most of the strips I’ve used can be cut either every LED, or every 3 LEDs. You can just bridge around the dividers with (usually) 4 wires, possibly by just drilling a hole through the blocks. And lastly, there are controllers for most types. So, are you looking for an IR remote, like a TV, or a WiFi controllable strip?

Lots of things to consider. And we haven’t even talked about what kind and size of battery …

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#4

Hey Roger, thanks for getting back to me. To answer your questions I don’t have much of a preference for colour but I suppose RGB+W covers all bases and probably an IR remote.

Do you happen to have a link to an RGB+W LED which you’ve used before? Also, could you expand how to ‘bridge around the dividers’. Do you mean I’d have to rewire them so they stay connected? Also, if I were to cut at each LED or 3 how long would each be?

Appreciate the help!

Fin

#5

“Just” RGB would be simpler, so it depends a lot on how well you want the white light to be neutral. You can get white from RGB, but it typically has a slight tint to it because the output is not well balanced.

I usually just scan AliExpress for LED light strips. Key things to look for are number of LEDs per meter, white or black background, waterproof or not, and operating voltage. If the listing isn’t for a package, you’l have to find the matching remote control box and power brick.

Most of them have places where you can cut the strip between LEDs. For your application, you would find a number of LEDs that fit in an opening between spacers, cut to that length, then cut the next piece. Then you’ll solder wires between the copper tabs on the cut ends. It takes a little practice and good flux. There is an alternative though: they make clamp connectors that clamp onto the copper contacts, but I have not used these yet and I do not know if they have pre-made connectors the right length for your light.

Here’s an example listing from AliExpress:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804698476408.html
The bottom example in the photos is the RGB+W. These appear to be 60 LEDs/m, but that’s 30 white and 30 RGB. I can’t tell from the photo how many LEDs there are between the cut points. In the top one, there are 3 LEDs between cut points. These are 12V strips. You can likely find 5V strips if you look around. How are you planning to power this light? Typically it would be with a 12V or 5V power pack that you plug into a wall outlet. You would plug the power brink into the remote control box, that you then plug the LED strip into.

This will take some planning on your part when you order the parts. I think the electronics lab at SLMS has the tools you’ll need. If you get the clamp connectors, make sure they have the same number of conductors as the strips you order. They range from 4 to 6 in my experience. The example here has 5. Example connector listing:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802190685034.html

Hope that helps. Since I live in the US (I’m a guest on the SLMS discourse), I can’t help you in person. I’m sure there are folks at the space who can though. Or you can visit i3Detroit … :slight_smile:

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#6

I have some experience with these LED strips from high school theatre and my Dad’s over-the-top Halloween displays. if I remember correctly, you can get connectors that clip two strips together seamlessly and ones that kind of cap it off and let you clip wires in to connect to other strips or a control box. we were able to do everything with just the clips or splicing and taping the wires together but if it’s meant to be permanent you miiight want to think about soldering? I have no experience on that end. everything I did was meant to be torn down easily and the parts and components reused.

generally, the control boxes we used let you select from a few color patterns or define an RGB value directly from the box. they also had ethernet ports that let you connect them with other boxes and sync colors. we also had a control box that let you use a DMX cable to assign each color to a channel on a light board or anything else that uses DMX I guess. unfortunately, I don’t remember what brand any of this was as it was over four years ago and we sold everything when we moved to the UK.

again, I don’t know much about building electronics, just ducktaping them together for theatre stuff. but @fin_wells if there’s anything I can help with I’m happy to!

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#7

This is a massive help! You’re right, it’s taking a lot of planning on my part. I’ll definitely get back to you when production is under way.

Thanks
Fin