How to choose LED strip for lighting the ceiling

LED strips are new and slightly unusual lighting devices. Initially, they were used to create outdoor advertising, as well as in interior decoration (illumination of niches, multi-level ceilings and openings). But now they are ready to completely replace the boring chandeliers and sconces in our homes. The benefit of such a solution is obvious - the diodes consume very little electricity, and they shine brighter than other "Ilyich's bulbs". It remains only to choose the right type of LED strip and calculate the required luminous flux power.

The best LED strip manufacturers - which company to choose

CD tapes are at the peak of interior fashion today, so they are produced by everyone and sundry: from popular brands to little-known manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom. This technique is simple and quite reliable, so there is always a chance to find a good diode tape at a modest price that will last you more than one year.

But if you do not want to play this lottery, it is better to immediately choose a device from a well-known European or Russian manufacturer.

You will receive guaranteed high quality LED strips if you purchase products from the following companies:

  • Sveteco;
  • Joliet Technologies;
  • LEDCraft;
  • Cree;
  • Arlight.

We will consider the best samples of CD tapes from these companies in a separate article. In the meantime, let's figure out what this technique is, and what characteristics you need to pay attention to when choosing it.

An LED strip is one solid flexible board with a row of diodes soldered to it. They are located at the same distance from each other for the most uniform light scattering.

The board is connected to a special power supply that supplies the LEDs with a voltage of 12-24 V, lowering the 220 received from the network. The tape itself can be placed in a transparent polymer tube or have a self-adhesive layer to simplify installation.

All tapes come with contact pads that allow you to increase their length and assemble a chain from individual pieces. You can also cut a flexible “lamp” along them to get short strips. The platforms are connected to each other by soldering or in a more civilized way - using an LED connector.

The ultra-thin tape is easy to install, because its width is 8-10 mm, and its height is only 3, which allows you to install LEDs even in hard-to-reach places and with minimal "loss" of space. In addition, LED strips consume very little energy, but produce enough light to fully illuminate the room.

Types of LED strips

SMD LED strips are the most common, and their cost is usually lower than that of multi-color diodes. SMD can give red, blue, green, yellow glow.

Also today there are products of intermediate tones - for example, purple or orange. And those that come in white (CW) allow you to additionally choose any of three shades: warm, cold or neutral.

The color of the tape depends on the color of the crystals that are used in the LEDs. And by the way, there are no white ones among them - to obtain a natural glow, manufacturers simply apply a phosphor to a blue crystal. Over time it fades and the "white" tape shows its true color.

Pros:

  • Good choice of shades;
  • Compact size and easy installation;
  • Availability of tapes of various capacities;
  • Economical energy consumption and long service life;
  • Possibility of use as an independent light source;
  • They cost less than multi-color RGB tapes.

Minuses:

  • There are many low-quality Chinese fakes on the market;
  • Good tapes from well-known manufacturers are expensive.
  • The wrong color can spoil the impression of the interior.

RGB ribbons emit thousands of different shades when lit. Here, each LED contains crystals of three primary colors: blue, red and green. It is enough to "mix" them in a certain proportion - and you will get any shade you want.

A special controller is responsible for combining and changing colors, which regulates the saturation, intensity and brightness of the diodes. It is thanks to him that RGB tapes are able to work in the mode of cyclic color change, flickering or “treadmill”.

Pros:

  • Bright, varied and rich shades;
  • The ability to automatically change colors or enable "special effects";
  • Still economical energy consumption;
  • Easy to set up with remote control.

Minuses:

  • The cost of RGB tapes is 2-3 times higher than monochrome ones;
  • Not suitable for basic lighting.

Multi-color LEDs make it possible to decorate the house inside and out, illuminate cars and even advertising signs, if you use tapes with a good degree of dust and moisture protection.

Lighting power (brightness)

By the four-digit index on the marking, you can determine the brightness and quality of the glow of the tape.

In accordance with this parameter, several types of diodes are distinguished:

1. 3528

Not very popular tapes with a low luminous power (up to 4.5-5 lm). Such SMD-devices are used only in decor: as illumination of the ceiling, shelves, wardrobe or the working surface of the kitchen table.

They can also be installed as auxiliary lighting paired with other lamps in living rooms. As an independent light source, 3528th tapes are not used due to too weak and muffled glow.

2. 5050

Tapes with this power (as well as their counterparts 5055 and 5060) are much more common. According to their characteristics, they practically do not differ from each other, except that the 5055th and 5060th diodes are slightly longer, but they give the same luminous flux of 12-14 lm.

In general, such lamps are bright enough to perform the functions of not only auxiliary and decorative, but also the main lighting in the room. If you chose the latter option, remember: for every 8 sq. m of the room you will need 5 m of the 5050th tape.

3. 2835

Very bright diodes (24-28 lm) are used here, and the tape itself gives a narrowly focused and more powerful stream of light compared to its predecessors. Because of this, 2835 is more often used to organize full-fledged lighting of rooms at the rate of 5 m of tape per 12 sq. m.

Here in the decor, such models do not look - too bright light emphasizes minor flaws in the interior and hurts the eyes. However, in spacious rooms, when using color SMD versions, these problems can be avoided.

4. 5630 (5730)

Under this marking, the brightest and most powerful diodes are sold. Such tapes are often used as the main lighting in shops, offices - any large area.

Diodes give out up to 75 lumens of a narrow beam of light and at the same time they themselves noticeably heat up, so experts do not recommend mounting them on an aluminum profile or under a polymer stretch ceiling.

Protection level

Another important factor when choosing an LED strip is the level of its protection from dust and moisture:

1. ip20 - the cheapest open tape designed for dry and clean rooms (bedrooms, children's rooms, living rooms, large halls).

2. ip23, ip43, ip44 - here the level of dust and moisture protection is already more serious, which allows you to use the LED strip in damp rooms or unheated rooms like a loggia. It can also be installed on the floor and in skirting boards.

3. ip54, ip65, ip68 - sealed tapes hidden in a silicone cocoon can be installed in rooms with high humidity, as well as used in outdoor lighting. With a good level of protection, the LED strip is able to operate in the temperature range of -25..+60 °C.

Controller type

The controller is required to control the operation of multi-color RGB tapes. Its main task is to change the colors, saturation and brightness of the selected shade on command from the remote control or in accordance with a given program. It is placed between the tape and the power supply.

There are following types of controllers:

1. Without a remote control - the simplest and cheapest, having one "wired" program for a smooth change of shades.

2. With an IR remote control - these options have more settings, but the controller itself will have to be placed in the “visibility” zone of the remote control. The price of such a device directly depends on the number of built-in functions.

3. With a radio remote control - a signal can be sent to such a controller even from another room. The beauty is that there are always a lot of options for glow settings - you will have about 10 thousand shades and a huge selection of various modes at your disposal.

Occasionally, controllers that work via Wi-Fi are on sale - they are controlled through a special application on a smartphone. But in terms of functionality, such devices are no better than radio models, so there is not much point in overpaying for them.

The main thing is to choose the right controller power from the standard range (72, 144, 180 or 288 W). If it turns out to be lower than your LED strip requires, the device may soon fail.

Power Supply

For the correct and long-term operation of diode lighting, it is necessary to select the appropriate power supply. It usually does not come with the kit, so it will have to be purchased separately.

PSUs are selected according to the length of the tape and the amount of energy consumption per linear meter, simply multiplying these values ​​​​and rounding the result up.

The power of the LED lamp, in turn, depends on the density of the chips and the intensity of the luminous flux emitted by them. For example, a 3528 SMD tape with 60 diodes per 1 m consumes 4.8 W, and a 5050 with the same density consumes 15 W.

1. To decorate shelves or racks, SMD tape 3528 of any shade will be enough. High power is not required here, so choose the simplest one - for 60 diodes / m.

2. In a nursery or bedroom, to create auxiliary lighting, it is better to take the same SMD 3528 or 5050, but with a soft white glow - a warm or neutral shade.

3. For organizing additional or replacing the main lighting in living rooms, halls and large rooms, tapes with a power of 5050 or 2835 are suitable. There are quite bright diodes that do an excellent job with the functions of traditional lamps.

4. For offices, shops and street showcases, choose SMD 5630-5730. They have very powerful and bright diodes, which are quite capable of lighting large areas.

5. If you are an avid car enthusiast and want to stand out from the crowd, you can choose a tape of any color SMD 5050 or multi-color RGB to illuminate the car - both with a protection level of at least ip54.

6. For a bright shop or cafe sign, choose multi-colored RGB tapes in a silicone shell with protection from ip65 and above. It is also advisable to purchase a radio-controlled controller to create unusual color effects.

1. The cost of SMD 3528 starts from 50 rubles / m for a simple product and reaches 340 rubles if it is a well-known brand product with a high degree of dust and moisture protection.

2. An SMD tape with 5050 type diodes and a planting density of 30 pieces / m will cost the buyer 100 rubles per meter, a double-density “lamp” for 60 diodes - 150 rubles / m.

3. The most unpretentious 2835th tape will cost about 95-130 rubles / m. For a good model that allows outdoor use, you can pay up to 1100 rubles per linear meter.

4. LED tape with 5730 type diodes costs between 110-470 rubles / m.

5. RGB multicolors are the most expensive. Here the price fluctuates between 490-3300 rubles per meter.

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