In the 21st century, we have better options for everything. For example, LED strip lights have replaced incandescent bulbs. LED consumes less power and energy. There are many more advantages of LED strips as well. Sometimes, you don’t know how long an LED strip you need to decorate your room.
The problem becomes even more critical if you don’t have an idea of available space to illuminate. That’s where it becomes essential to connect multiple LED strips and cut them as per requirements. Today, we are going to have a comprehensive overview of connecting multiple LED strips. Go through the whole guide!
For cutting the LED strips, you can follow the guide—Can I Cut My Led Strip Lights?
Can I connect multiple LED strip lights?
Yes. You can connect multiple LED strip lights. Every LED strip has marked lines in the form of small dots. To adjust the length of the LED strip lights, you can just simply cut the strip lights at these points and join them either by using a connector or solders. Simple process! Have a look below!
Usually, you can connect a maximum of three LED strips to a single power supply. If you want to connect the more than three LED strip lights, better put in an additional power supply unit.
Is it safe to connect multiple LED strip lights?
Yes. There are no serious threats if you follow all the safety measures.
Fire— A serious hazard! If you are using low-quality LED strip lights, the major problem is fire hazards. You must be thinking, why there are fire hazards, right? The reason behind this fact is the use of low-quality material that can not resist temperature and current changes. A slight fluctuation in temperature will result in what—Fire!
Is there still a risk if I use high-quality LED strips? Good question. There are dangers!
- If multiple LED strip lights work under the same power supply, the total power of all the strips should not be higher than the total power of the power supply, otherwise, it is easy to trip.
- If the power source unit is not compatible. For example, LED lights require 12V DC, power source must be 12V DC not 5V DC or 24V DC.
- Mounting the LEDs on the plastic can cause serious problems.
If you are connecting multiple LED strips, determine their series or parallel connection along with the power source. This way of approach will keep you safe from any terrible risks.
What are the types of connections in LED strip lights?
Can you guess the ways to connect the LED strip lights? If not, let me help you. In actuality, there are two ways to connect the LED strips. One is parallel while the other is series connection.
- Parallel
- In a parallel connection, each of the LED strips has a connection with the power supply. By that means, the current will be different for each LED strip but the voltage will be the same. The major advantage to make a parallel connection is— If one strip fails to illuminate, this will not affect the other strips. All others will function as per expectations.
- Series
- Exactly opposite of parallel connection! Consider it as a chain of strips connected end to end. Here, the current will be the same but the voltage will be different for each strip. If one strip fails, the power supply will not reach the others. Obviously, all other strips in the chain will not brighten.
One more thing I would like you to know is the difference in the brightness of LED strips between the parallel and series connections. Usually, LEDs strips in parallel connections will be brighter than the series ones.
How to connect multiple LED strip lights?
Two ways to connect! Choose the one that suits your needs. Using a connector is an easier technique and provides you with gapless connections.
Using a Connector
Before landing on connecting the LED strip lights, you must know the types of connectors you can use. Here are the types.
Gapless Pin Connectors
Gapless pin connectors help you continue the connection between the LED strip lights. No visible gaps are present. Seems like a long continuous chain of LEDs. You can find 2-5 pins in this type of connector.
Jumper Cord Connectors
Need to bend the LED strip lights? Especially around the walls, you need to bend the lights at 90 degrees. Here, the jumper cord connectors come into action. There is a small bendable wired gap between the multiple LED strip lights at each connection.
Now, we can move ahead to how to connect the multiple LED strip lights using a connector.
Measure the length of your LED strip lights and settle on the position to cut.
- Cut the LED strip lights on the dotted lines.
- Make sure the power, voltage, and current for the LED strip lights are the same. Usually, it is better to connect two or three LED strip lights of the same brand due to better compatibility.
- Decide on whether you need a gapless connection or 90 degrees bending for your wall decoration.
- Use the relevant connector to connect multiple LED strip lights
- Check whether the lights are working as per prospects or not.
Using a Solder
The second option to go for is using Solder. No doubt, it is a bit difficult but more efficient for making better connections among multiple LED strip lights. Here is the step-by-step process to connect the LED strips using solder.
- Choose the red and black colored wires of the LED strips.
- Remove the casing of the wires to some extent with the help of a wire stripper.
- Heat your soldering iron. The temperature can be up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Solder the LED strips ends with soldering iron.
That’s how you can solder and connect multiple LED strip lights.
What are the advantages of connecting multiple LED strip lights?
Here are some major advantages of connecting multiple LED strip lights.
You can adjust the length for your given space
- No idea of the length of the room to enlighten? Cutting and connecting multiple LED strip lights can adjust the length of the strip lights. No matter how long you make your chain of LED strip lights, it is going to meet your demands. Just amazing!
They provide more brightness and illuminate the room effectively
- If you have multiple LEDs in the chain, it will increase the brightness. You know, why? Because brightness from each LED strip will add and increase the collective brightness. Moreover, parallel arrangement of strips is also significant in this scenario.
You can brighten a large area of your kitchen or stairs
- A single LED strip might not be enough for your kitchen. To illuminate the desired area, just connect your multiple LED strips. A chain of LEDs strips will outperform in such a scenario.
Get the ultimate flexibility to bend the LED strips!
- Want to bend the LED strips at the corner of the wall? No problem! You have jumper cord connectors to make 90 degrees bending around the corners.
How to connect multiple LED strips to a power supply?
You can incorporate LED strip lights with the power supply in multiple ways. For example, direct connection with the socket. Moreover, you can use the LED strip splitter for this purpose as well. Here is how exactly you can use the LED splitter to connect your LED strips with the power supply.
- Connect your LED strip lights with the wires on one end of the LED splitter. This can enable both series arrangement and parallel arrangement. Go for any type of connection that fulfills your lacks.
- Plug the opposite end of the LED splitter with the Power Supply Unit(PSU).
This is the exact mechanism to connect your LED strip lights to your power supply. The following factors might be helpful in this regard!
- Check the LED strip power consumption. Without this factor, you might not set the connection with the right power supply.
- Choose the right power supply that is compatible with your LED strip power.
- Never put 100% load on the power supply. Keep 20% off. As a safety factor, keep the number of LED strip lights in the chain within bounds—up to 80% of the load on the power supply.
What are the maximum numbers of LED strips connected in a chain to a single power supply?
A bit technical concept but very much helpful! Remember, if you connect numerous strips in a chain, the lifespan of your driver will shorten. Who wants to invest in purchasing a new driver for the circuit? I suppose no one. Save money and limit the use of LED strips in the chain.
To determine how many LED strips you can connect in a chain, have a look at the formula.
Number of Strips= Power Supply(in Watts)/Power Consumption by one strip
Never put 100 percent load on your power supply. By that means, if the power of the power supply is 500 watts while power consumption by one strip is 100 watts, the total number of strips will be
Number of Strips= 500 watts/100 watts= 5 strips
Use 4 LED strips for power supply that would be 80% of the load on the power supply. In case if you use 5 strips, this is going to max out your power driver. Be careful!
Final Words:
LED strip lights consume less power than incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lights. To decorate the room or enlighten the stairs, you can use it. If a single LED strip is not enough, go for multiples connected in a chain. In simple words, they provide ultimate flexibility for your decorative purposes.
If you want LED strip lights, hit a phone call.
