Multiple LED Strips are useful for decorations to give your room a unique ambiance, but it can also be useful as light to the steps of your stairs to avoid the danger of falling. This is very beneficial, especially if you have kids who love to go up and down the stairs even when the lights are off. Learning how to connect multiple led strips to one power source can be a big help. So, you can install it by yourself. Let your kids be guided with a long series of lights and keep them safe.
Types of LED Strips
Before you learn how to connect multiple led strips to one power source, you must first determine the types of LED light strips that match the area you intend to place them.
- White LED Light – Most users prefer to have white LED lights because it gives natural lighting that is not harmful to the eyes. There are two types of white LED lights: the warm and cool LED lights. There is no standard as to where it is appropriate to use, but the choice will depend on your preference. If you want to have the traditional yellowish glow, pick the warm LED lights. This is usually the type you typically see in hotels as lighting decorations. But if you want something to give light to your house during the night, you can have the cool LED lights, because it gives you a brighter and cleaner feel.
- RGB LED Strips – RGB LED lights are one of the choices when you want to decorate your house. Per meter of the strip has 30 to 120 LEDs. There are two basic types of RGB LED strips: the analog and digital types of strips. With analog, the LEDs are connected in parallel. While in digital, each LED has a chip that receives coded data. This means these LEDs can be controlled and operated individually. While this can be ideal to use for decorations, it is more expensive than the white LED lights.
Connecting LED Strips
If you are targeting to use LED lights as a lighting system in your home or business, you have to learn how to connect multiple led strips to one power source. LED light strips operate on low voltage. It usually has 12V and 24V. You must ensure you don’t oversupply with electric power as it will burn the LEDs. Undervoltage LEDs, on the other hand, will also produce low brightness to no light. The power supply capacity should be sufficient for the total length of strips you intend to connect. Calculate it using the LED strips specifications. Once you have set the voltage and the capacity, you can start then start connecting them.
Connecting LED Strips with Clip-on Connectors
- When you understand how to connect multiple led strips to one power source, you would know that every end of the LED strips has copper pads. Series of strips can be connected with the use of clip-on connectors. This connector can be purchased in any electronic stores. You fit in the clip-on by positioning the negative and positive signs. Fit the red wire over the dot with the positive sign (+) and the black over the negative sign (-).
- Use Screw-on connectors to cover loose wiring. Check the terminals and see which ones are marked positive or negative and match it with the appropriate terminals. Once you place the wires, screw them to secure.
- Connect LED strips to a power source using a LED splitter. The LED splitter has several wires on one end, and the opposite will fit on the power supply plug. The power supply plug can then be connected to a power adapter.
Soldering LED Strips
- Select the wire with red and black colors. Since LED light coppers pads have only two terminals, you need to choose also two wires to connect. You can have the one with a maximum diameter of 0.04 inches.
- With the use of a wire stripper, remove at least ½ inch casing to expose the wires.
- Heat your soldering iron to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once it reached its required heat, solder the wires to its appropriate copper pads in the LED strips. The red wires must be solder to the positive copper cups and the black to the negative ones.
- Once you have attached the two wires, wait for at least 30 seconds for it to cool down.
- Place a shrink tube over the exposed soldered part to prevent electric shock. Heat it using a device with a low heat source like a hairdryer for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Once everything is set, you can have the other end connected to a screw-on connector and plug it to a power supply.
Conclusion
LED Strip lights are a versatile form of lighting. You can use to light up the individual steps of your stairs for safety. You can also use it to decorate your room. These LED strips are consisting of individual emitters in a narrow circuit board. So, if you have a wide area to cover that needs more than one strip, you must know how to connect multiple led strips to one power source. Here’s how to learn more about LED Strip Lights.