Soldering is a process in which a metal with a comparatively low melting point (called solder) is used to make connections. This may include adjoining parts, connected cables, etc. The use of solder can also be seen in the connection of LED strip lights.
Metal can be heated to the melting point to make connections, and the solder quickly cools and solidifies, making sure the connection doesn’t move or disturb. This is a fairly common and simple procedure. However, it requires you to have the necessary tools as well as the required material.
So you may ask yourself, how to connect led strips without soldering? You may want to customize your LED configuration. To cut led strip lights to your measurements and connect led strips, the hassle of handling equipment to solder the connections can be a chore.
For that reason, this article will walk you through a few ways you can connect strips without going through the hassle of soldering.
Quick guide on how to connect strips Solderless LED
1. Disconnect power and lights before you begin
2. Before doing any cutting and connecting, make sure you have taken the measurements beforehand.
3. Depending on the location of the size of the LED strip and how you want to connect the LED strips, decide what type of connection you will need (direct connection or a 90o connection)
4. Use scissors to cut the LED light strip along the predetermined cutting line. The copper section is spaced and marked.
5. Each section should have equal amounts of copper section left over. This is important for the connection to work
6. Remove any adhesive from the jumper connection for a clean, uninterrupted connection
7. Insert each of the previously cut sections into the connector piece.
8. Check both sides of the strip lights to make sure the alignment is correct.
9. Connect the power and check if the lights work. If not, check the alignment and if necessary you can reverse the connection and try again
This is a simple answer to How to Connect LED Strips Without Soldering.
Benefits of connecting LED strips without soldering
While soldering is a tried and tested method, there are some benefits to connecting LED strips without any soldering at all. Granted, the extra work may require a bit of experience or product knowledge, but if you’re willing to go that far, some obvious benefits can be seen.
More flexibility: By cutting the led strips and connecting them through other devices, the permanent nature of soldering can be avoided. In short, the circuit can be easily rearranged and quickly rewired without further damage.
Heat Dissipation: LED strip lights alone are relatively cooler. Without soldering the connections, there is more surface area for heat to dissipate, allowing you to use your strip lights for longer if needed.
Greater Durability: Due to better heat dissipation by the entire circuit, the components or lights are less likely to overheat. Therefore, the Durability of led lights can be increased.
Installation: If you are working alone, you may not know how to connect the strips led. No Solder. So the solderless installation process is comparatively easier and you will not need much experience.
Price: It is easier to buy connectors instead of raw materials and burners to connect led strip lights This is also relatively cheaper.
Eco-friendly: Using LED lighting and connecting through other devices instead of burning metal is a great alternative and will also save energy. This can be considered a greener approach compared to burning and shaping metal. It’s also much more efficient in comparison.
Easy ways to connect LED strips without soldering
Dig deeper, there are a few ways to connect LED strips LED lights without soldering. The following points are explained and described in a way that any average person can understand the process.
1. Parallel connection
The easiest way is to connect the strips in parallel. In a parallel connection, all the led lights will receive the same power.This will result in all of them having the same output intensity. Therefore, any singular led will not emit more light than others. This reduces the flexibility of the layouts, but will get the job done.
2. Using Jumper Wires with a Breadboard
Temporary connections can be made using the jumper wires and the breadboard. Use the same number of strips and make sure no wires cross each other when wiring.
3. Using a Ribbon Cable
A ribbon cable can be used to connect approximately two LED strips together. This may not be the strongest bond, but it’s good enough to avoid the hassle of soldering altogether. In addition, ribbon cables can also be color coded.
4. Using the Extension Cord
An extension cord is easy to use and set up. It can be used to extend the connection over a longer distance. So you can avoid soldering your connection and extend it.
5. Using the Gapless Pin Connector
A gapless connector will allow you to make a continuous connection while avoiding unnecessary gaps in between. You can mostly make do with a 4-pin connector, but certain brands may use other variants as well. Take a look at your own LED light before you buy one.
6. Using the Jumper Wire Connector
Jumper wires are formable components that act similar to gapless pin connectors. However, these leave a smaller wiring gap between the light strips. However, these gaps can be useful in circuit design, since a truly gapless connector cannot be easily bent. Smaller wire gaps can be used to bend the circuit as needed.
Process: How to connect LED strips without soldering using a connector
When answering the question of How to connect led strips without soldering, you will be surprised to see how easy the job can be. The job is quite easy and no soldering, it can be done by hand with a bit of finesse.
Step 1: Gather the essentials
- LED Strip Lights
- Scissors
- Preferred connectors (4-pin/ 2-pin/ 5-pin)
- Adhesive remover if needed
Step 2: Take LED Strips
LED strips are the main components. At first, you need to collect the LED strip lights and decide where you want to put them. Accordingly, you’ll design your circuit or overall preferred LED layout.
Step 3: Measure the LED Strips
After designing your circuit, you need to measure the number of LED lengths. that you will need. This also includes measuring the length and width of each of the strips you will make. This falls into the planning process before moving on to the actual cutting process.
Step 4: Cut to the Appropriate Sizes
After calculating the required space needed and your preferred connection style, you will need to carefully separate the LED strip lights using the markers indicated on your LED strip light. The mark will help you cut the LED light strips the right way.
Step 5 – Connect the strips with the connector
Using the exposed ends copper, you will need to add both ends into one connector. Considering that it has a 4-pin connector, the device will have two different ends for two input headers. Slide the ends into either side of a connector to make a connection.
Step 6: Install the power supply
Finally, plug in the complete circuit with power and enjoy your power strips! solderless led lights !
Tips
It’s a good idea to use an accurate wire color to make connections. This will help you both identify future wiring and add to the aesthetics of the design.
It is best to fully plan the entire layout and circuit before cutting the wires and connecting them. .
Make sure you are using the correct shape of led strips. RGB-IC strips cannot be cut and connected to a circuit using connectors. So keep an eye on that.
FAQ
Enjoy your lighting
It’s that simple, you’ve learned how to connect led strips without soldering. The concept may have sounded a bit technical at first. Actually, the job is quite simple. The connectors are made to ease the transition and avoid the hassle of soldering them all together.
LED strip lights are used for aesthetic purposes. So connecting them across the room is the obvious choice.However, the long strip cannot be installed beautifully, and therefore there is the possibility of cutting and gluing the strips as needed.
This article explored the options where a consumer would go down the same path and feel overwhelmed with work. Hopefully, you can understand that the job isn’t that hard, and this may even motivate you to install more LED lights.
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