Guide To Cutting And Soldering Smd Led Strips

[Preee]

This is a guide for people that want to configure their own SMD LED's and how to solder them together.

Parts

From Maplins

SMD LED's from Maplins come in 5cm cut off or buy them in a strip.

http://www.maplin.co...ordercode=N84CZ

come in red/blue or green.£1.69 per 5cm

Shrink Wrap

2.5mm , heat shrinkable rubber sleeving 1m £1.99

7.5mm , heat shrinkable rubber sleeving 1m £2.39

3m of Zip black / black/white wire at 44p / meter.

Tools

Soldering Iron , small tip, Gas if you have one.This is a Gas multi tip for soldering , cutting ,mini blow torch.Iroda

Soldering multi clamp holer - helps when soldering

Scissors

Wire strippers

pliers

Steady hand and clear light workspace.

This is a two part guide as i will be installing these lights in my car so some of the picture's will show parts that are going to be used in the second guide i will doing

Wiring together in Parallel not series configuration.

STEP 1)

The bits:

By preeee at 2011-11-04

STEP 2)

With the scissors carefully cut inbetween the +/_ lines on the LEDS there should be three leds per section showing one diode as well.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

STEP 3)

Cut three lenghts of wire 10cm long and one at 15cm long or any required length as i have said this is for a second guide im going to do.

The three 10cm lengths , trim back sleeving about 2mm on +/_ at one end and 10mm on the other.

The other 15cm lenth, trim back sleeving 10mm both ends.

STEP 4)

Soldering iron out and allow to heat up , a quick touch on the tip with the solder to test it is hot enough.

Grip the wires in the multi holder if you have one , if not then hang over the edge of your workbench and place some thing

heavy on top to stop them moving.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

Twist the wires on all ends and apply a small ammount of solder to the three lengh's 2mm ends, these will be the ends to solder to the LED's.

STEP 5)

Place in turn the LED's on the table , take first set of wires for this purpose the wire is dual wire black and black/white

which i will use the black/white to identify the positive feed

position black wire over negative terminal and quickly solder to LED repeat for black/white on positive terminal.

Repeat for all LEDS.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

By preeee at 2011-11-04

Test the LED's

By preeee at 2011-11-04

[Preee]

guide continued:

STEP 6)

Twist all positive feeds together,Cut 2 lenghts of 7.5mm shrink wrap at 20mm long and slide over the positive wires allowing a small ammount of distance so not to allow it to heat up when soldering.

With 15cm lengh of wire cut a 30mm length of 2.5mm shrink wrap and slide over positive feed again out of the way from soldering.

Twist LED positive group of three wires to single 15cm positive lenth and solder together.

For this guide i soldered a small fuse holder to the other positive end (3amp fuse holder).

Adding shrink wrap to the positive before jointing and soldering.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

By preeee at 2011-11-04

Twist all LED negative wires together with 20mm of shrink wrap again out of the way of soldering .

Slide 2.5mm shrink wrap over negative 15cm wire and then twist three LED negative wires to 15cm negative and solder.

STEP 7)

Slide the 2.5mm shrink wrap soldered wires over fused positive wires and use heat from soldering gun to shrink

Slide the 2.5mm shrink wrap upto the and over the three twisted wires and heat up to shrink.

Then slide 7.5mm shrink wrap (three LED wire side over the single wire and again heat up to shrink.

This will enable double protection .

By preeee at 2011-11-04

Cut three 15mm of 7.5mm shrink wrap and three 8mm 7.5 shrink wrap lengths.

Slide the 15mm lenghts over the LED's covering the soldered terminals but not the LED itself and heat up to shrink

Slide the 8mm lengh of 7.5mm shrink wrapp over the exposed cut end of the LED allowing 4mm over hang , heat up to shrink and thenpinch together

the overhanging end while still warm to seal.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

Job Done :) Test again.

By preeee at 2011-11-04

By preeee at 2011-11-04

.

I will be using these LED's in another guide .

Thankyou for looking at my guide.