How to connect your own LED light strips

[Lieney]

For those who are not that handy with fiddly electrical things, but want to do their own LED strip lighting, here is a little guide on how to.
These are several varieties of LED strips on Ebay. Different quantities and outputs, internal bare strips and external waterproof with a gel coat etc but I have found the length that can be cut every 3, can easily be used for various applications.
I now have some for running lights and interior lights, and the rest of the strip may go down the side under the awning, eventually.
To do this you will need a small tipped soldering iron, correct size shrink tube, solder, stanley knife and wire are also handy. Some of the strips are adhesive also.

Step 1. Cut the strip across a the 'cut here' section after measuring the desired length. This can be found by looking for two little copper dots next to each other.
Step 2. Using a Stanley knife, gently trim the gel covering off the strip.
Step 3. Gently scratch the terminal section on the strip to clear a protective residue away.
Step 4. Using the solder iron tip, place a small qty of solder on each terminal. Be careful as LEDs do not like heat, so make it reasonably quick and so a small blob / bubble is on each. Excess can be removed by heating and then flicking the strip.
Step 5. Strip a suitable twin-core wire back about 3mm and tin the ends.
Step 6. Solder the +ve terminal to the +ve wire, and the -ve terminal to the -ve wire. Ensure the wires are held in position long enough for the solder to cure.
Step 7. Place a short section of shrink tube over the wire and the first 5-10mm or so of the strip. This will help keep it together and protect the soldered terminals.
NOTE: LEDs are a diode and as such, generally allow current in one direction only. So ensure the wires go to the respective polarity of the strip and vehicle. If it doesn't work, check you have the polarity right. Ensure that the circuit is correctly fused as shorting it lets smoke out, and that's bad.
If you want some more advice on how to do it email me at clieneman@yahoo.com.au

[megatexture]

Something to note also, on the opposite end of the strip light to where you solder will have a neg and pos exposed area on the end even if you haven't peeled back the gel coating so if your mounting on a grounded part of a car it can potentially short out, I recommend heat shrinking that end also.

[threedogs]

Pain in the butt they are. X 2 very handy the strip led with the gel, used the 60 led a mtr on my awning,
Found it had great light out put to the point no more camp lighting was requires, a big plus as they use bugger all power.