The RGB LED strip is capable of changing the color of the glow by controlling the amount of current in three color channels (red R, green G and blue B). Color management is performed using a controller connected between the power supply and the tape itself. As a rule, LEDs in 5050 or 5060 packages are used for RGB strips, respectively, such a strip consumes 14.4 W / m (at a density of 60 LEDs per meter) or 7.2 W / m (at a density of 30 LEDs per meter). This is quite a lot of power. The length of the ribbon cable that can be connected is limited by the capabilities of the power supply or controller. Existing power supplies for LED strip have a power of up to 200 W (without the use of forced cooling). Thus, the maximum length of the tape loop is not more than 13.5 meters (for the most common tape 14.4 W / m). Controllers are different, but more often they use devices with a power of 144 W, which further limits the length of the cable - up to 10 meters.

Often such lengths are not enough for the equipment of the room, so it is necessary to combine several power supplies and control devices into a single system. It is not advisable to use several controllers, even those controlled from one remote control, since malfunctions are possible, which can lead to a loss of synchronization of the glow color of individual system loops.

It is more correct to use one controller in the system, and to power the remaining loops of the tape, use amplifiers for the control RGB signal coming from the main controller.

In this case, the controller and each amplifier are powered by their own power supply. The installation scheme in this case is as follows.

In recent years, along with traditional light sources (incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps), lighting devices based on super-bright light-emitting diodes (LED) have become widely used. The compact size of LEDs and their low power consumption make it possible to create light sources with new properties. So, for example, LED strips are widely used to illuminate shop windows and billboards, to organize designer lighting of apartment interiors. One such type is the RGB LED strip.

RGB technology

The physical principles of the LEDs do not allow you to directly get "white" light. However, scientists managed to get around this limitation. To produce white light, phosphor LEDs have been invented, in which "white light" is emitted by a special coating applied to a blue ultra-bright LED.

Another way to get white light is to use three LEDs: red, green and blue. A cell of three LEDs emits light in three colors, which are perceived by a person as white. This method of obtaining "white" light is called RGB technology. This abbreviation is made up of the first letters of the English names of colors (Red, Green, Blue).

By adjusting the brightness of the LEDs, you can get not only white light, but also many colors and shades. The number of shades can reach hundreds of thousands. Therefore, RGB LED strips have much more possibilities than phosphor LED strips.

Device

The RGB LED strip is a flexible printed circuit board that contains LEDs and resistors that limit the current of the diodes. The width can vary from 8 to 20 mm. There are strips on which LEDs of different colors are placed next to each other. However, LED strips with LEDs assembled in one housing are most widely used. This RGB LED has six pins.

LEDs are available in several sizes. The most common LEDs are LED-RGB-SMD 5050 with a size of 5x5 mm. 30 or 60 LEDs can be placed per linear meter of LED strip (double density). Depending on the number of LEDs, their size depends on the power consumption and luminous flux.

For fastening to various surfaces, a double adhesive tape is glued on the back of the RGB LED strips. LED strips are available with various degrees of protection (IP). Products with a low degree of protection can only be used in dry rooms. Tapes in a silicone sheath are not afraid of direct moisture and can even be immersed in water (IP68).

The standard length of the RGB LED strip is 5 meters. However, it can be of various lengths. Manufacturers mark places where cuts can be made with a dotted line and a scissors symbol. In places of the cut there are contact pads to which power is connected. The purpose of the pads is marked with the letters R, G, B and a plus sign.

Connection

To power and control the LED strip, a power supply and a specialized controller are required. The power of the power supply and controller must match the power consumed by the RGB strip. It is better if their capacities are chosen with a small margin.

The connection scheme is quite simple. The output 12V (24V) of the power supply is connected to the corresponding terminals of the controller with polarity. Control voltages from the controller are fed to the LED strip. In this case, it is also necessary to monitor the correct connection of the conductors: R to R, G to G, and so on.

Connections between the power supply and the controller are best made using a two-wire cable, and between the controller and the tape - a four-wire cable. The cross section of the cable core must not be less than 0.25 mm2. You can connect the conductors to the segments of the LED strip using soldering, but it is better to use special connectors and cables. You can read more about connection.

Controller for RGB tape

Microprocessor controllers for RGB strips allow you to adjust the color and brightness of lighting, create various lighting effects. According to the method of management, they distinguish:

• Controllers with IR control;
• Radio controlled controllers.
• Wi-Fi controlled controllers.

In the first two cases, the controller is controlled using the remote control. Only the methods of transmitting control signals differ - infrared rays or radio waves. Control via Wi-Fi can be carried out from a laptop, tablet, smartphone or other devices. Wi-Fi protocol, software, controller and colorful LED strip can create many interesting lighting effects.

More than one LED strip cannot be connected to one controller. He can't take the load! If you need to connect several, you need to use a special amplifier.

Amplifier for RGB tape

The purpose of the amplifier is in many ways similar to the purpose of the controller. It repeats the controller control signals at its outputs. Just like the controller, it is connected to the power supply. The connection diagram for several tapes is shown in the figure.

Wiring diagram through an amplifier

Amplifier

Video

Summing up

Using RGB LED strips for lighting, you can create a cozy atmosphere in the house (for example, do it), save a lot of electricity, and forget about replacing light bulbs for decades.

The connection of such lighting devices is different from the installation of conventional lighting equipment. Such devices operate on a constant voltage of 12 or 24 V, and to generate it, you need to purchase a power supply. Also, the procedure for connecting such lighting is different for monochrome tapes and multi-color LED devices.

Connecting a single-color LED strip

The process of connecting the LED strip is very simple: just connect the leads from the power supply to the LED strip and the device will begin to glow with a bright light. At this stage of the installation of LED strips, it is important to prevent the polarity of the connected wires from being reversed, as a rule, “+” is always red in such terminals, and “-” will be either blue or black.

When connecting such a light device, do not bend the tape too much, the maximum radius should be no more than 2 cm.

During soldering work, care must be taken not to damage the thin copper conductive tracks. A soldering iron for this purpose is best used with a power of no more than 40 watts.

When mounting such a device with a total length of more than 5 meters, it is prohibited to connect the elements in series.

If a longer illumination is required, then the installation is carried out by connecting segments of LED devices 5 meters or less in length to the power supply in parallel.

If a smooth change in the brightness of the device is required, then the use of dimmers in the electrical circuit will make it easy to control the glow of monochrome LED strips.

Connecting full color LED fixtures

RGB strip connection with one power supply

If you want to connect a multi-color LED strip, then you need to purchase an RGB controller that will control the glow of such a device.

RGB amplifier connection

During installation, there are usually no difficulties, but some points in the installation of tapes should be considered in more detail:

1. When choosing an RGB controller choose the right device for the supply voltage and power.
2. Working voltage, which is required to power LED devices is usually 12 or 24 V.
3. Controller power should be equal to the power of all LEDs. Calculating the total power that will be needed to power a multi-color LED strip is very simple. To do this, you need to multiply the power of 1 meter of tape by the total footage. The result is an indicator of the power of the power supply, which should be installed together with this lighting fixture. For example, if the power of 1 meter is 15 W, and the total length of the device is 10 meters, then the power supply must be at least 150 W. In order for the transformer not to work at the limit of its power, you should choose a model with a power indicator margin of 20%.
4. When installing a multi-color lighting system it is not recommended to install more than 5 meters in one line, in this case the LEDs farthest from the power supply will emit much less light energy. If there is a need for longer structures, installation should be carried out in parallel.
5. When installing devices with a total length of more than 20 meters, it is necessary to connect an amplifier to the RGB LED power circuit, which allows you to power high-power LED strips. In this case, there is no decrease in the glow of the LEDs, and the load on the power supply is noticeably reduced.

1. cutting led strip it is necessary only along special strips, which are located along the entire length of the tape with a frequency of 5 - 10 cm. The distance at which the strips are located between themselves depends on the density of the LEDs on this lighting device.
2. If it is necessary to mount such a device on a conductive material, then this can only be done using special electrical insulating materials. When connecting a multi-color instrument a, it is important to properly connect the controller to the wires. The wires are connected in this order:
   • black wire - “-” 12 volts;
   • red wire - terminal "R";
   • green wire - terminal “G”;
   • blue wire - terminal "B";
3. Mounting the light fixture It is made on a special adhesive layer or on double-sided tape.
4. When choosing an LED strip attention should be paid to the elements that make up this device. Currently, such devices use LEDs of the brands: SMD 3028 and SMD 5050. SMD 5050 - gives a luminous flux more than 2 times higher than the radiation of the SMD 3028 diode, therefore, a tape made using this element will need a shorter length to obtain the required comfortable level illumination.
5. Number of diodes, which are used in such devices depends on the power of this device, the more diodes per linear meter used in the device, the higher will be its power and the intensity of the generated light radiation.
6. The operational resource of the LED is about 50,000 hours, but this element can be easily damaged during installation or during operation. When installing such devices, care should be taken not to break a fragile element with one careless movement. Particular attention should be paid when installing roundings, which should not be less than 2 cm in diameter. If the operation of these devices is carried out in adverse conditions of high humidity and elevated temperatures, then the installation of the devices must be carried out in a special mounting profile.
7. When installing LED strip for street lighting, it must be remembered that many LEDs are not able to function normally at temperatures of minus 25 degrees and below.
8. If you have to install lighting equipment on the street, then to provide the constant current that is needed to power the LEDs, you must purchase a sealed power supply. Using such a device will allow the system to work smoothly even in bad weather and high humidity. Such a device has a degree of protection IP66, which allows it to be used in adverse operating conditions.
9. If necessary, use a lighting device with a dimmer, the most suitable option in this case is a pulse brightness control. When choosing a power supply, you can choose models that will be additionally equipped with such a device. There are dimmers on sale that can be controlled using a wi-fi mobile phone. Such devices are not cheap, but the ease of handling lighting equipment is worth it, in this case the remote control is always at hand.
10. Installation of such electrical equipment can be done on your own. It is enough to purchase all the components necessary for LED lighting and connect them correctly.

Mounting a multi-color LED strip (RGB) is somewhat more complicated than in the case of a mono-color strip, due to the presence of an RGB controller (and possibly an RGB amplifier).

The fact is that budget RGB controllers usually have a power of 72 - 216 W, that is, they are designed to connect a maximum of 15 meters of SMD5050 60 (300) LED strip with a power of 14.4 W / meter (14.4 x 15 = 216) . That is, to connect, say, 20 meters of tape, the power of such a controller is no longer enough. To increase the power of the RGB signal from the controller, you will have to use an RGB amplifier.

The second point: serial connection of more than 5 meters of tape is NOT recommended by manufacturers. Therefore, you will have to feed the tapes in parallel, which is not always convenient. In this case, RGB amplifiers again come to the rescue (connection diagrams for RGB amplifiers).

So, you have decided on the length and power of the RGB tape. Let's move on to the selection of components: a power supply and an RGB controller.

Choosing an RGB controller and power supply

RGB controllers differ in appearance, preset programs, remote control, supply voltage and power. From a technical point of view, when buying an RGB controller, it is important to pay attention to only 2 characteristics: supply voltage and power.

Concerning operating voltage, then it should be the same for the LED strip, power supply and RGB controller. Usually it is 12V or 24V.

Power The RGB controller must not be less than the total power of the LED strip (the RGB controller does not require a power reserve). For example, 1 meter LED strip SMD5050 60LED 12V consumes 14.4 watts. Then, to power 5 meters of such a tape, 5m x 14.4W / m = 72W is needed. Accordingly, you can choose any RGB controller you like with a voltage of 12V and a power of at least 72W.

In any store you will be told that the power supply is always bought with a power reserve of 15-20%. For example, in this example, a 12V 100W power supply is suitable for you.

How to connect up to 5 meters of RGB LED strip

Four colored wires from the RGB strip labeled "R (red)", "G (green)", "B (blue)", "+ (black)" are connected to the similarly labeled terminals of the RGB controller. Next, two wires ("+" and "-") from the power supply are connected to "+" and "-" on the RGB controller. And only after that the power supply is connected to a 220V outlet.

Wiring diagram for up to 5 meters of RGB tape

Scheme of parallel connection of RGB tape from 5 to 15 meters

If the power of the RGB controller allows, then you can connect as many LED strips as you like in parallel. In this case, the length of each connected tape should not exceed 5 meters.

If the power of your RGB controller is not enough to connect the entire LED strip, you must use RGB signal amplifiers (link to instructions at the end).

How to connect 20 meters of RGB LED strip

Often, for contour lighting of the ceiling, you have to connect about 20 meters of RGB tape. Watch the video for connection instructions:

Correctly connecting an rgb tape is not as difficult as it seems. To do this, you need to know: connection diagrams, subtleties, which components should be present in the connection diagram. We will talk about all this and much more in this article.

Mounting tools

To connect the LED strip with your own hands, you must first prepare the tools and materials:

1. Scissors.
2. Soldering iron.
3. Rosin.
4. Solder.
5. Heat-shrink tubing.
6. Crimp for tips.
7. Connectors.
8. Power tool for fastening rgb-tape.
9. Insulating tape.
10. An aluminum profile with a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, which will serve as the basis for fastening the LED strip.

Connection accessories

The electrical circuit for connecting a multi-color tape should include the following structural elements:

• power unit;
• controller;
• rgb amplifier.

To make it clear the purpose of each of the above devices, as well as how to choose them correctly, we will describe them in more detail separately.

power unit

The operating voltage for LED strips can only have two options: 12V and 24V!

To choose the right power supply for the rgb tape, you should pay attention to the following important parameters when choosing:

• voltage, issued by the block, must correspond to the power supply of the led strip;
• power the power supply must match the energy consumed by the tape;
• moisture protection device must match the installation site.

An incorrectly selected power supply unit overheats greatly and very often fails!

On the market today there are the following models of power supplies :

1. A small unit in a sealed aluminum case, as a rule, has excellent moisture-resistant characteristics, but its price is quite high.
2. Compact unit in a sealed plastic case.
3. The open-type block in a perforated case has the largest dimensions of all models, and also requires additional protection against moisture ingress. Among the advantages can be noted its power, thanks to which you can connect the entire LED strip.
4. The mains power supply has a relatively small power and does not require additional installation. For several LED strips, separate blocks of this type must be installed.

The choice of power supply by power should be carried out as follows:

1. The instructions for the tape indicate the power per 1 running meter;
2. We multiply this indicator by the total length of the entire multi-color ribbon;
3. It is necessary to add another 30% to the result obtained, which will be a power reserve.
4. After the above calculations, we will have a power supply indicator, which is necessary to connect the LED strip.

Controller

It is a key structural element of the rgb tape connection scheme and performs the following functions:

1. Remote inclusion of a led-tape.
2. LED brightness adjustment.
3. Choice of any glow color.
4. Controlling the speed of changing and pouring colors.
5. Mixing primary colors to create new shades.
6. Launching the color change program.

The appearance of the controllers is shown in the photo.

RGB controllers are selected based on the following criteria:

• Compatible with selected LED strip.
• Desired control method.

Depending on the specified criteria, controllers are divided into types:

• Wi-Fi controlled controllers using a tablet or mobile phone.
• Controllers for rgb tape with infrared remote control.
• Controllers without a remote control are mainly used when there is no need to frequently change the settings of the LED strip.

To choose the right controller, you should take into account the following important parameters:

• Controller Rated Power calculated by the formula:

M k \u003d D l * M l * K m, Where:

M k - the required power of the controller;

D l - the total length of the Led tape, measured in meters;

M l - the power of the tape, which is measured in W / m;

Km is the power factor of the device.

• Controller power supply voltage must match the LED strip.

As for the rgb amplifiers, they are used to connect an LED device with a length of more than 5 meters. We will talk about the features of connecting rgb amplifiers below.

Popular connection schemes

After analyzing many options for connecting rgb tapes, we have identified a number of the most popular schemes. To implement any of the connection schemes in practice, you will need knowledge about.

Standard wiring diagram

The procedure for mounting the circuit consists of the following sequential steps:

• The controller is connected to the low-voltage connectors of the power supply.
• As a rule, the "+" connectors are connected with a red wire, and "-" with a black one.
• An LED strip is connected to the controller, which has 4 outputs: three of them are for controlling red, green and blue colors, and the fourth wire is for general power supply of the device.

Connection option for two LED strips

Features of this connection option are the following important points:

• To connect, you need two power supplies and an rgb amplifier.
• The scheme is simple, however, during installation, you need to carefully monitor that the wires are connected according to the color marking.
• The connection option is also acceptable for a 10 meter led strip .

When connecting several LED strips, you should not make the mistake shown in the photo:

This is due to the fact that a low power voltage will reach the LEDs located at the far end, as a result, the multi-color tape will glow unevenly.

In other words, if the circuit provides for the connection of several LED strips, then they should only be connected in parallel.

Connecting an rgb tape 20 meters long

This connection uses two power supplies. However, if the power of one unit is enough, then all the elements can be connected according to the following scheme: controller-amplifier-power supply.

What else can you connect to?

The excellent characteristics of LED devices make it possible to connect them to the following types of equipment:

• TV (LEDs enhance the effect of perception when watching TV);
• Music center (rgb tapes allow you to create color effects when playing music);
• Automobile. LED strip is an indispensable element of car lighting tuning.
• Computer.

A few words about how to connect an LED strip to a computer. The computer's power supply can be an uninterruptible power supply. To connect, you should use the molex 4-pin connector. It is enough to solder the wires of the rgb tape to the connector and connect it to the corresponding output of the power supply.

We talked in as much detail as possible about the main criteria and nuances of connecting and using rgb tapes. We hope that the information presented in the article will be interesting and informative material for you.

Video

And for more confidence in the material presented, you can watch a video from YouTube. This video shows quite well how to properly connect LED strips.