Are all LED light strip connectors the same? Not all types of led strip lights have the same connector. On the contrary, different led strip lights have their own suitable connectors. It is important to choose a suitable connector for your led light strip. Your led strip lighting will not work with the wrong connector, so please use the correct connector.
In this article, we will introduce you to different types of led connectors to ensure that you can choose the best connector for your led strip lights.
1. How do LED strip light connectors work? 2. What are the different kinds of LED connectors? What connectors do you need for LED strip lights? 3. How to choose the right connector for your led strip lights?
1. How do LED strip light connectors work?
A led strip connector is composed of a connector cover, a connector seat plate, two limit bars, and several metal sheets. The end of the metal sheets is fixed on the connector seat plate. By sliding the light strip into the open end of the metal sheet, and closing the cover to fix the light strip, the limit bars are inserted into the seat plate.
We know that metal has very good conductivity, and the working principle of the led connector is to conduct electricity from one led strip to another through the metal sheet.
When the LED chip of your led strip light is damaged, cut out the damaged LED light chips, and connect the led light strip with led connectors.
2. What are the different kinds of LED connectors? What connectors do you need for LED strip lights?
There are many kinds of led connectors on the market, including strip-to-strip, strip-to-wire, and wire-to-wire connectors.
2.1 Strip-to-strip led light connectors
►2-pin led connectors are for single color led strip lights.
There are two copper pads on the circuit board, one is positive and the other is negative. And the two copper pads are the connection points of the strip light. This is the origin of the name 2-pin. If your led strip light is white, red, blue, green, or other single colors, please look for 2-pin led strip connectors.
►3-pin led strip connectors are for tunable white led strip lights and single signal addressable led strips.
Tunable white led strip lights are also known as dual white led strips or CCT led light strips, which have two different white colors, warm white and daylight white color. You can decide which color to use in different scenes. And they have three copper pads, one positive and two negative for warm white and daylight lines.
Single signal addressable led strips are three copper pads as well. But one for positive, one for negative, and one for the digital signal line.
►4-pin led light connectors are for RGB color changing led strip lights, dual signal addressable LED strip lights, and breakpoint resume addressable LED lights.
RGB led strips are the most familiar led light strips for people. We often see people asking questions about how to connect RGB led strips. RGB color changing lights has four copper pads, one positive and R, G, B color lines which are negative.
Dual signal addressable led strip lights and breakpoint resume addressable led strips are four copper pads too. And one for positive, one for negative, one for the clock line or backup line, and one for the digital signal line.
Note that addressable RGB led strip lights do not necessarily use 4-pin connectors. When selecting led connectors for addressable light strips, the basis for selection is not to have several connection points, but to look at its signal line.
►5-pin led light strip connectors are for RGBW led strip lights, which have five copper pads. One positive line, and four negative lines for R, G, B, W colors.
►6-pin led strip light connectors are for RGBCCT led strips. The copper pads are six, one for positive as the same, and others for R, G, B, W, WW color lines. You can understand that an RGBCCT led strip light is equivalent to an RGB led strip light plus a tunable white led strip.
There are other shape connectors for whom want to change the direction of the led strip light.
2.2 Strip-to-wire led strip connectors
The use of a strip-to-wire connector is like the strip-to-strip connectors. However, the strip-to-wire connector only uses one head to connect the led strip light, and the other end is a wire. It is suitable for connecting led light strips to a power supply or led controller.
2.3 Wire-to-wire led connectors
During the installation process, you will encounter a situation where you need to connect two wires. At this time, it is obviously impossible to use strip-to-strip connectors. Since what needs to be connected is a wire and a wire, so when we choose the connector, we should choose a wire-to-wire connector.
You can also use a nut cap to connect it. Strip the insulation layer of a section of wire, use a tool to wind the bare wires together, and then tighten them with a nut cap.
But you should pay attention that the positive pole needs to be connected to the positive pole, and the negative pole is the same when connecting polarity.
If you tend to connect one power supply to multiple led light strips, and you think the wiring is troublesome, you can try the cable splitter. And the led light strips are connected in parallel. The current of all the led strips can not exceed the maximum current carrying capacity of the cable splitter.
3. How to choose the right connector for your led strip lights?
Your led strip lights determine which led stirp connector you will use.
Step 1. Know what your led strip light is? 2-pin or other?
We talked about the different types of led strip lights. Determine your answer based on the knowledge mentioned above.
Step 2. Which two objects do you want to connect?
First, you have to determine which two or several objects you want to connect. According that to choose the led connector and to ensure that you won’t choose wrong.
If you want to connect two led strip lights together, strip to strip connector is what you should choose instead of a strip-to-wire connector. And if there are two strip lights, you should use a strip-to-strip connector.
Step 3. Determine the width of your led strip light.
You can’t use a 12 mm led connector to a 10mm led strip light. Only the corresponding width of the led strip and the connector can match perfectly.
Step 4. Is your led strip light waterproof or not waterproof?
Waterproof led strip lights should use waterproof led connectors. If you choose a non-waterproof connector for waterproof led strip lights, The connector area is exposed and affected by rain or water, which may cause a short circuit or the light strip does not work.
When connecting the waterproof led strip lighting, you need to peel off the waterproof layer of the connection, so that you can align the connector metal sheet with the copper pad, otherwise, even if you connect it, the light strip will not work.
Step 5. Do you need to change the direction of your led strip light?
What should you do if you hit a corner when connecting the light strip? Fold your led strip light? We‘re not recommending you to do that, although it has certain feasibility. It may be harmful to led strip lights. You can use an L-sharp connector in this case, which does no harm to the light strip.
If you want to bend led strip lights at right angles, but don’t want to cut and don’t want to use connectors, the S-shaped led strip will be more suitable for you. It can be bent at right angles without damaging the light strip.
Step 6. Do you need to jump?
During the actual installation of the led strip lights, you may encounter various problems. Encountering obstacles such as pillars may make you puzzled. The led extension cable is used to solve similar problems.
When choosing a led strip light connector for your led light strip, please carefully consider the above factors, they are related to whether the LED connector you choose can bring you a perfect job.
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