LED strip for lighting ceilings
Every year, new elements enter the interior design of residential and special premises. LED strip for lighting ceilings has become one of them.
This functional decorative detail can transform even the most boring interior. Often it is able to shine in various colors, from which you can choose the appropriate one for the current mood or the prevailing situation.
The LED strip is a flexible strip that can have a width of 5 to 50 mm. On one side of the tape there are LEDs and resistors, combined by electrical conductors into a single circuit. On the other hand, a double-sided adhesive tape is usually glued on it, on which the strip is fixed in the place chosen for it.
On the LED strips of different models, there are also a different number of LEDs, and they can also differ in size. If it is necessary to achieve greater illumination brightness, sometimes additional LEDs are soldered in the second or even third row.
Benefits of LED strip lighting for ceilings
There are a lot of advantages of this lighting decorative device, and these include the following indicators:
- Affordable kit price and significant energy savings with a sufficiently high brightness of lighting.
- Ease of installation of such lighting equipment, which is quite possible to produce independently, following the attached instructions.
- Wide choice of color scale. LED strips can be composed of LEDs of the same color, for example, white - to enhance lighting or accentuate lines, or elements of different glow to create special moods in the room.
- Long service life, as high-quality LEDs can last 10 years or more.
Criteria for choosing LED strip for ceilings
LEDs used in tapes
When purchasing an LED strip for lighting ceilings, you need to know what types of LEDs are used for this purpose.
The main types that are currently used for the production of luminous ceiling tapes are SMD 5050 and SMD 3028 LEDs.
SMD - these letters in the marking are an abbreviation, an abbreviation for the name "Surface Mounted Device", in translation it means like a "surface-mounted device", since the LED is securely soldered into the surface of the tape.
The numbers following the letters in the marking indicate the size of the LED in millimeters. For example, SMD 3028 is an element with dimensions of 3 × 2.8 mm, and, accordingly, SMD 5050 is 5 × 5 mm.
The LED with this marking has six "legs" coming out of the case, with which it is soldered into the tape. The element itself is equipped with three light-emitting crystals. Such an LED will emit light approximately three times more intense than a single-chip SMD 3028 connected to the tape with only one pair of contacts.
The term luminous flux, which is measured in lumens, is used to define the characteristics of the radiation intensity of an LED. So, the officially defined values of this parameter for SMD 5050 LEDs are 12 lumens, and for SMD 3028 - only 4 lumens. One LED from the SMD 5050 brand shines as intensely as three SMD 3028 placed side by side.
The color of the glow of the LED strip will depend on the LEDs that are installed in it. In the case when the tape contains SMD 5050 LEDs, then three crystals of different colors can be installed in each of their cases - red (Red), green (Green), and blue (Blue). It was these English names of colors that gave the so often used abbreviation RGB.
Using the electronic control circuit, you can turn on any of the colors at will. Moreover, it is possible to obtain countless different beautiful shades by changing the brightness of the glow of red, green and blue crystals. By mixing in this way, a new rich light background is obtained - it's hard to believe, but the "play" of just three colors when mixed together can result in up to sixteen million different shades.
The intensity and brightness of the LEDs are usually controlled through the remote control using a special device - the controller.
Very interesting shades can be obtained by adding white light to an existing background. It dilutes the brightness of red, blue and green, and as a result, gentle, pleasing to the eye shades are formed, for example, pale blue or soft pink.
These shades can also be obtained by turning on the white color at full brightness with the addition of other colors to it, turned on with less intensity. It should also be taken into account that under different lighting conditions, the look at the interior design almost completely changes, since it can appear in different colors every time.
Experts recommend using LED strips with white light or a combined version consisting of white and tri-color elements to illuminate the ceiling. These tapes will give you the opportunity to change the color scheme in the room according to your mood. And the intensity of the white color can be so high that it can be compared to natural daylight on a fine day.
Getting white
Since LEDs with "pure" white light do not exist, it can be obtained in two ways.
- One of them is that they use crystals with a blue glow, which are covered with a phosphor on top.
A phosphor is a light yellow substance deposited on the surface of an LED chip. This composition is able to convert the absorbed energy into white light radiation. By the presence of a light yellow substance on the LEDs, you can clearly determine that these are elements that will emit white light.
It should be noted that the phosphor gradually loses its transducer qualities over time, and the blue color begins to break through the white, and the radiation acquires a bluish tint.
If the LED strip is used continuously for a year, then its brightness may decrease by 25-30%. Therefore, when purchasing this “lighting device”, you must familiarize yourself with its technical characteristics and operating instructions, where the manufacturer must indicate the warranty period.
When the intensity of white light decreases or a blue tint appears in it, you can use the second method to obtain it.
- The second method is based on the laws of optics, from which it is known that white can be obtained by mixing all available colors (in this case, green, red and blue) by turning them on at full power at the same time. Thus, it is possible to “create” white light, and the problem with the influence of a “sunk down” phosphor on it will not matter.
The best choice for installing lighting on the ceiling can be an RGB LED strip, as it is equipped with three-color LEDs that will help you get white light if necessary, as well as other shades.
This variety of LED strips will last a long time. They are quite convenient to use - they have the ability to turn on white light, if you only need intense lighting, or a color scheme that matches your mood. The color adjustment process is done from the remote control and will not take much time.
Varieties of LED strips
1 - strip with SMD 3028 LEDs with a density of 60 pcs/rm.
2 - the same, but with a placement density of 120 pcs / linear meter.
3 - double-row strip with SMD 3028 LEDs, with an installation density of 240 pcs/rm.
4 - a strip with a rare placement of SMD 5050 LEDs - a density of only 30 pcs/m.
5 - the same, but with a density of 60 pieces / linear meter.
6 - two-row LED strip with SMD 5050 elements and placement density of 120 pcs/rm.
If you plan to install decorative lighting for ceiling niches, furniture or a desktop in the kitchen, then it is better to use SMD 3028 tape, which has 60 LEDs per meter. It will be enough for her to cope with her task. An LED strip with too much light intensity will be overkill, as it can blind your eyes, especially since for greater brightness you will need a higher power supply and larger in size, so it is more difficult to find a secluded place for it.
The Importance of LED Strip Quality
Having decided to make additional lighting in the apartment or decorate the interior with an LED strip, it is not recommended to buy its cheapest options. Such products will not last a long time in their original state - as a rule, their color balance is quickly disturbed, or even diodes can completely burn out. In cheap lighting tapes, elements of not very high quality are usually installed, which determines the low price.
Design and self-assembly of LED strip
An LED strip lighting system is often sold as a kit. You can, of course, purchase all of its elements separately, but it will be more difficult to choose them correctly in terms of parameters.
The LED backlight kit includes several electronic devices:
- power supply, which is necessary to convert the mains alternating current into the constant voltage required for the diodes;
- a controller with a sensor that allows you to change the color of the lighting using the remote control;
- remote control panel that regulates changes in the intensity and shades of the light flux;
- LED strip of the desired length.
The scheme of installation of the system is approximately as follows.
This diagram shows a system with RGB -amplifier, which is necessary to maintain a stable control signal in cases where it is necessary to lengthen the tape or it initially has a large length. In this drawing, the connection points are clearly visible, so relying on it, it will be easy to figure out the sequence of work.
- The first step is to connect a network cable with a plug to the power supply to connect it to the network, that is, the N and L contacts are connected.
- Next, the two contacts of the controller are connected to the same power supply, provided that an RGB LED strip is used for the backlight.
- After that, contact cables are attached to the controller, attaching a tape to it.
In high-quality kits, the color marking of the wires corresponds to "reality". Yellow wire - power plus.
- If the controller is designed for a certain length of the tape, and it is necessary to use more LEDs, then an amplifier must be used to extend or wire the elements, which is connected to the power supply and the other end of the tape. Then another piece of LED strip is fixed to the amplifier on its other side.
The fact is that it is dangerous to connect more than 1500 mm of tape in series to one power line, since the current-conducting tracks may not withstand the load. But the control signals - they go exactly sequentially, from segment to segment, gradually fading. In these cases, for parallel connection to a power source of several segments, a control signal amplifier is used.
- After everything is assembled, you can check by plugging the plug into the outlet.
- When making connections, it is imperative to ensure that the polarity and voltage of the controller, power supply and tape match.
- If it is necessary to build up the tape, if other devices allow it in terms of their power, this process is carried out using connectors specially designed for this.
- If the tape needs to be shortened, then the cut is made exclusively in the place indicated by the manufacturer in a certain place -0, usually it is indicated on it with a dashed line. The incision is made with ordinary scissors.
A few words must be said about the correct installation of the tape in the place intended for it.
- The tape is fixed on double-sided tape, which is released from the protective film just before gluing.
- If the ceiling is illuminated, then usually the tape is fixed under its surface into a small niche made of drywall. This method of installation is effective in that the light is directed to the light plane of the ceiling, which, illuminated by LEDs, contributes to a more uniform illumination of the room.
Installation of such a design solves at once a lot of problems of repair and improvement of the premises. There are no problems with materials and components in our time, and doing it yourself is quite a feasible task. Detailed instructions are in a special publication of our portal.
- Another option to increase the efficiency of the backlight is to attach the tape to the cornice (for curtains or specially installed around the perimeter of the entire room just for lighting purposes).
The tape in this case is fixed in such a way that it directs the luminous flux to the wall and to a certain section of the ceiling, on which the light will scatter, increasing the illuminated area. A well-lit ceiling will not only make the room brighter, but also help save on electricity.
- In order for the tape to be fixed on the surface without problems, the place of its gluing should be cleaned of dust and preferably degreased, and then dried well.
financial question
A few words can be said about the financial side of the issue. It should be remembered that when inviting a master to install LED lighting, he will have to pay an amount that will be from 50 to 150% of the cost of the devices themselves. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase ready-made kits of the system, to which the installation diagram of all components is always attached. Each of the compiled kits is designed for a certain number of LEDs and the length of the tape, so you can not be afraid that an extra number of them will be connected. By assembling a self-illuminating system, you can save quite a decent amount on this process.
Some systems are sold already assembled and connected, so they can be tested immediately upon purchase. All that remains is to bring the kit home and install it in a place determined for the backlight, and then plug the plug into the outlet.
Those who purchase this backlight option will not particularly need electrician skills. The most difficult moment in installation will be choosing a place for the power supply and controller, and then securely fixing them correctly and securely.
If funds are limited, and the backlight is already planned for installation, then you can choose a kit with a ribbon of the same color - SMD 3528 LEDs, the installation density of elements on which is 60 pieces per linear meter. However, this option cannot be placed in the bathroom, since such tapes are not equipped with moisture protection.
When installing the backlight in damp rooms or in other places where there is a possibility that neighbors from above may flood, it is worth choosing a tape equipped with silicone external insulation.
At the end of the publication - a video that shows the process of proper installation of strip LED lighting.