{"id":1128,"date":"2020-08-12T14:43:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T18:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/?p=1128"},"modified":"2025-02-12T11:18:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T16:18:50","slug":"7-common-led-strip-fails-and-how-to-avoid-them-to-make-your-installations-look-professional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/7-common-led-strip-fails-and-how-to-avoid-them-to-make-your-installations-look-professional\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Common LED Strip FAILS and How To Avoid Them (To make your installations look professional)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fu4qZW0pQm4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Make your LED strips look professional<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today on the hookup I\u2019m going to show you 7 of the biggest mistakes that people make when using LED strips in their projects and how to avoid them to make your installations look more professional.<\/p>\n<p>In my humble opinion the diffuse light provided by LED strips looks way better than the harsh point light that you get from a light bulb, but while interior decorators have been showing us how to use lightbulbs correctly for decades, we haven\u2019t quite figured out LED strips yet.\u00a0 Today I\u2019m going to cover 7 of the biggest LED strip installation pitfalls and how you can avoid them.<\/p>\n<p>This video was sponsored by HolidayCoro.com.\u00a0 If you\u2019re thinking about setting up a light show for Halloween or Christmas this year, now is the time to start planning and learning and HolidayCoro is a great resource not only for products, but also instructional material.\u00a0 HolidayCoro offers both individual components and preassembled kits, so whatever your level of expertise HolidayCoro has you covered with AC light controllers RGB light controllers, Lights, Props and Mounts.\u00a0 Check out HolidayCoro.com using the link in the description to help support my channel.<\/p>\n<p>Lets start with biggest and most obvious failure: exposed LED strips.\u00a0 LED strips are ugly and the LEDs themselves give off pretty harsh light. \u00a0\u00a0When at all possible you should try to mount your strips out of sight and projected towards another surface.\u00a0 This works great for strips behind a TV, under kitchen cabinets, or under a bed\u2026 but sometimes there\u2019s nothing to project onto.\u00a0 In those instances you should instead install your LEDs inside of a channel with a diffuser.\u00a0 Not only do these channels hide the LED strips themselves, but they also much easier to mount and keep straight than a bare LED strip.\u00a0 Typically these channels are made out of aluminum which means they are lightweight, won\u2019t rust, and can be cut easily with a cheap hacksaw.\u00a0 You can get them in unfinished aluminum color, or black, and they come in a few different shapes.\u00a0 My two favorites versions are the 45 degree angle mounts for use in corners, and the standard flat profile for mounting to walls and rooflines.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an easy tip when using these channels that will make your installs look 10 times better: Layout your channels and cut them to length, but don\u2019t use the cut cover with the cut channel.\u00a0 Instead, offset the seams of your channels and your covers to make your installation look completely straight, even if it isn\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally you\u2019ll want to put your LED strips into a more organic shape that can\u2019t be accomplished with aluminum channels like the curve on the back of my desk.\u00a0 For this application you can get these silica gel neon tube covers that do a great job of diffusing light and waterproofing while hiding the ugly LED strip inside.\u00a0 When you order them you\u2019ll need to make sure that your LED strip is narrow enough to fit inside, and that the direction you want to bend your LED strip is compatible with the tube type that you choose, meaning any bends in the strip need to be up or down, not left or right.<\/p>\n<p>The second common problem I see with LED installations is with indirect installations where someone failed to keep a uniform distance and angle to the surface they were projecting on.\u00a0 This causes hotspots in the light that can distract from the overall look and feel of the project.\u00a0 In my experience these hotspots are usually either caused by turns in the LED strip, or adhesive failure which causes the strip to droop down.\u00a0 Fortunately, both of those problems can be solved pretty easily for not very much money.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen a bunch of tutorials for installing television bias lighting that suggest making a loop at the corner of your TV to avoid bending the strip too much, and while it\u2019s good advice to avoid bending your LED strips, the loop will create a hotspot in the corner of your TV as the number of LEDs in that area increases, and also get closer to the wall.\u00a0 A much better option is to buy some solderless LED corner connectors.\u00a0 All you need to do is match the number of copper pads on the LED strip to the number of \u201cpins\u201d advertised on the listing.\u00a0 For instance: this tunable white strip has 3 pins, so I would search for a 3 pin corner connector, but this RGBW strip has 5 connectors, so I\u2019d need to get a 5 pin corner connector instead.\u00a0 To install them all you need to do is cut down the middle of the copper pads on your LED strips and clip them into place.\u00a0 In addition to corner connectors there\u2019s also just wire leads that will let you create a custom angle or jump a gap like going from one kitchen cabinet to another.<\/p>\n<p>To prevent the notoriously terrible LED strip adhesive from failing and making your project look like a droopy mess, I\u2019d highly recommend using mounting clips.\u00a0 For a little over 10 cents each these things will do an infinitely better job holding your strips in place than the standard adhesive, and you don\u2019t even need to use that many of them.\u00a0 Just place them in the corners and anywhere that the strip isn\u2019t laying completely flat on a surface, this will reinforce the adhesive tape on the back of the strip and give you a long lasting droop free installation.<\/p>\n<p>The third common issue is going to require a little bit of a reality check on your part:\u00a0 Ask yourself how often you\u2019re realistically going to want your led strip to be a color other than white.\u00a0 Most LED strips are \u201cRGB\u201d meaning they have 3 different LEDs in them: Red, Green and Blue.\u00a0 If you want to make Pink you turn on Red and Blue, if you want to make Yellow you turn on Red and Green, and to make white, you turn on Red, Green, and Blue\u2026 but it doesn\u2019t really look white, at least not the pure white that we\u2019re used to, and it ends up looking kinda purple and gross.\u00a0 To avoid this you can either buy all white strips, or RGBW strips that have a dedicated white channel.<\/p>\n<p>But, be aware that not all RGBW strips are made equal, some strips have all 4 colors on a single chip, while others have a dedicated white chip and then a separate RGB chip.\u00a0 For installations where the LEDs are visible you should absolutely choose the 4 in 1 chip because otherwise you\u2019ll never be able to turn mix the white channel with a color channel but in indirect lighting situations you should use the separate white chip which will be brighter and have better heat dissipation.\u00a0 For areas where color isn\u2019t needed you should opt for all white strips or if you want to get really fancy tunable white strips can be used that allow for wide customization of the white channel color temperature.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth issue has to do with the length of your LED strip and the brightness that you want to achieve.\u00a0 If you\u2019re planning on a short run or you\u2019re going to keep the brightness low, you can get away with almost any voltage, but for long runs and high brightness you\u2019ll want to choose a strip that uses a higher voltage.\u00a0 Depending on your LED strip type you\u2019re generally going to see voltages between 5 and 24, and higher voltages will result in more accurate colors throughout the strip and less differences in brightness the further you get from the power supply.<\/p>\n<p>Because you generally don\u2019t find LED strips and power supplies sold together you\u2019ll need to make sure you get the right power supply for your strip, or strips that you want to use.\u00a0 Thankfully, you don\u2019t need a degree in electrical engineering to pick the right power supply. No matter how many strips you put together, the voltage never changes, but the wattage and amperage add up.\u00a0 That means if you were going to use 3 24 volt, 5 amp, 120 watt LED strips daisy chained together you\u2019d need to buy a 24 volt power supply rated for at least 15 amps and 360 watts\u2026 it\u2019s never a bad thing to go over when it comes to amps and watts, but the voltage needs to match exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Along with power consumption comes the fifth common issue that I see: LED density.\u00a0 Generally speaking the greater the LED density the more expensive the strip will be, but increased density will also give you better color accuracy, diffusion, and brightness.\u00a0 If you\u2019re going to be able to see your strip, even through a diffuser, increasing the density will noticeably improve the look of the strip.\u00a0 The lowest density available is generally 30 LEDs per meter, and they can go all the way up to 144 LEDs per meter, or even more than that like this crazy white LED strip from BTF lighting that doesn\u2019t have any visible individual LEDs, just a long continuous tape of tiny white LEDs that are only distinguishable at very low brightness<\/p>\n<p>So why would you choose anything but the highest density?\u00a0 Well, along with density comes power consumption, and along with power consumption comes heat and heat is the number one killer of LEDs. The hotter they get the lower their lifespan will be, and their brightness will also decrease over time.\u00a0 The aluminum channels discussed earlier do a great job dissipating heat from your LED strip, but sometimes mounting your strips to metal isn\u2019t an option, and in those cases you need to give conscious thought to how your LED strip is going to get rid of heat.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of an aluminum channel the heat will be transferred through the back of the strip into the large metal enclosure, but if you mount your strip to wood, which is notoriously bad at transferring heat, you\u2019ll need to plan for adequate airflow across the top of your LEDs, and that leads me to my next point: waterproofing.<\/p>\n<p>LED Strips come in 3 waterproofing types: IP 2-0 or 3-0, which basically means no waterproofing at all where the electronics are directly exposed, IP 6-5 which covers the top of the strip in a waterproof siliCONE layer that is sufficient for LED strips that may occasionally be splashed or exposed to high humidity and IP 6-7 where the strips are in a sealed siliCONE sleeve that provides a completely water tight seal for the strip. \u00a0Generally speaking, as waterproofing increases heat dissipation decreases, so choose wisely, and if you don\u2019t need waterproofing don\u2019t buy it.<\/p>\n<p>Sixth\u2026 what the heck are individually addressable LEDs?\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever seen an LED strip where each LED on the strip is doing something different, that\u2019s an individually addressable LED strip.\u00a0 On a traditional strip there\u2019s a common positive voltage that goes to each LED on the strip, and then there\u2019s a separate control for each color on the strip, but the entire strip shares the same control for the red channel, blue channel, and green channel.\u00a0 In an individually addressable strip each LED has a tiny microchip that takes instructions meant only for that one LED, so every LED can do something different.\u00a0 I love individually addressable LEDs and with some knowledge and basic coding they can accomplish things that wouldn\u2019t be possible with traditional or what are commonly called \u201cdumb\u201d led strips, but out of the box they aren\u2019t nearly as user friendly.\u00a0\u00a0 You can buy premade Bluetooth and wifi controllers for individually addressable strips, but without programming knowledge your options will still be very limited, and you\u2019ll end up spending more on the strip itself.\u00a0 On top of that, addressable LED strips are much more vulnerable to damage and in most addressable LED strips, a single dead LED can cause the rest of the strip to stop working.\u00a0 My advice on this subject: unless you have a specific reason for choosing addressable LED strips, traditional LED strips will be cheaper and perform better.<\/p>\n<p>And finally, the last mistake that I see people make with their LED projects is how they control them.\u00a0 The most common controllers out there are these small infrared remote controls, but if you need to grab a cheap plastic remote any time you want to turn on your LED strip, you probably aren\u2019t going to do it very often, and the Bluetooth controllers that require you to open an app on your phone are even less likely to get used.\u00a0 A simple solution is to connect the power supply for your strip to a switched outlet, or a smart switch, in which case your LED strips will turn on with the same settings they had when they lost power.\u00a0 But better control options do exist.\u00a0 The Shelly RGBW2 for instance connects via WiFi and gives brightness and color controls via amazon echo or google assistant, and can also be tied in with a smart home hub to adjust the lighting based on time of day, or tie the LED strip in with a light switch that they aren\u2019t physically connected to.\u00a0 The RGBW2 is only for controlling traditional LEDs, and if you\u2019re looking for a prebuilt individually addressable LED controller I\u2019ve got some links in the description, but just know that you\u2019ll get much more use out of them if you\u2019re willing to write a little bit of code.<\/p>\n<p>So, did I miss a mistake that you\u2019ve made? Let me know down in the comments.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve still got questions about LED strip type or mounting options, leave a comment or better yet come join us on the hookup home automation facebook page to get answers not only from me, but thousands of other smart home enthusiasts. As always, thank you to all my awesome patrons over at patreon for your continued support of my channel and if YOU\u2019RE interested in supporting my channel please check out the links in the description.\u00a0 If you enjoyed this video please hit that like button and consider subscribing, and as always, thanks for watching the hookup.<\/p>\n<h4>\ud83d\udd25 LED Diffusing Channels \ud83d\udd25<\/h4>\n<h4>Flat: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2DUsmJP\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2DUsmJP<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>45 Degree: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XRaBlP\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XRaBlP<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Flexible: <a href=\"https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_d8L6rOG\">https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_d8L6rOG<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>\ud83d\udd25 LED Strips \ud83d\udd25<\/h4>\n<h4>Pure White High Density (as seen in my tests): <a href=\"https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_dXgKojE\">https:\/\/s.click.aliexpress.com\/e\/_dXgKojE<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Tunable White(as seen on my patio): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XOL6l6\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2XOL6l6<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>RGBW 24V (as seen under my daughter&#8217;s bed): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ixmCV8\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ixmCV8<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>SK6812 RGBW (individually addressible, as seen on my desk): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kDhn8c\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kDhn8c<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>\ud83d\udd25 Mounting Hardware \ud83d\udd25<\/h4>\n<h4>Adhesive Clips: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2FcpWXr\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/2FcpWXr<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Corner Connectors (3 pin): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3gP9yds\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3gP9yds<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>\ud83d\udd25 LED Controllers (WiFi dimming, brightness and effects) \ud83d\udd25<\/h4>\n<h4>&#8220;Dumb&#8221; LED Strip Controller (Shelly RGBW2): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4hsvnig\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/4hsvnig<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Addressable LED Strip Controller: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/33S8iCS\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/33S8iCS<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Follow me on Twitter: @TheHookUp1<\/h4>\n<h4>Join me on Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/473812443269387\/?ref=share\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/473812443269387\/?ref=share<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Support my channel:<\/h4>\n<h4>Patreon: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/thehookup\">https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/thehookup<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Music by www.BenSound.com<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Make your LED strips look professional Today on the hookup I\u2019m going to show you 7 of the biggest mistakes that people make when using LED strips in their projects and how to avoid them to make your installations look more professional. In my humble opinion the diffuse light provided by LED strips looks way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","category-projects","category-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1128"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7349,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128\/revisions\/7349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesmarthomehookup.com\/test_install\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}