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DIY ceiling LED lighting

 

With the advent of LEDs, back in the seventies, LED ceiling lighting began to gain more and more popularity. And if earlier radio amateurs experimented with a sharp spectrum of ordinary LEDs, where the choice of color was small, now, with the advent of more advanced LEDs, softer spectra, the scope for creativity has expanded significantly.

Now widely available led strip and special controllers, as well as power supplies for every taste, for any required power. Today, you can smoothly adjust the brightness and color, create light scenarios. In principle, any person who is knowledgeable in technology will be able to design and install LED illumination of a suspended or suspended ceiling.

About how to choose a light diode tape is written here: How to choose the right LED strip for ceiling lighting

Most often, one of the four popular options is implemented: contoured diffused illumination, directional illumination, curly illumination or starry sky - spot illumination.

In contour lighting, the LEDs are placed on a shelf, from where they shine from the bottom to the ceiling, and the effect of a continuous light strip along the contour is obtained on the ceiling. With directional illumination, the LEDs are mounted on a slope, and light is scattered by the scattering rays along the ceiling. For spot lighting, LEDs are mounted on the ceiling so that they shine vertically down, like stars in the sky. With figured illumination, LEDs are located in shades.

DIY ceiling LED lighting

Contour lighting is easiest to make using LED strip. To do this, come up with a design, choose a suitable tape, select Power Supply, the controller, mount the tape, connect, and the backlight is ready.

Usually choose full color RGB LED strip with controller. You can basically apply several single-color ribbons, but think about whether it is advisable if it is cheaper to buy a controller and a three-color ribbon, and adjust the color of the backlight as you like. One-color ribbons are more suitable for window dressing, but for the house, it is better to use multi-color ribbon.

LED tapes come in different densities of emitters, that is, with a different number of LEDs per meter of tape. For contour lighting, it is better to choose 60 or 120 LEDs per meter, and for directional, 30 or 60 is enough.

In case you want a combined illumination, both contour and directional, you can immediately install a pair of tapes on a slope and a shelf, for example, on a slope a pair of tapes with 30 and 60 LEDs per meter, and on the shelf - two with a density of emitters 60 and 120.

By connecting four power supplies and controllers, you will be able to customize a variety of lighting effects by adjusting the tapes individually and together, combining colors, intensity, flickering, etc., depending on the capabilities of the controller.

In terms of power, LED strips are also different. In the documentation for the tape indicates the power meter tape, and you can choose. For directional illumination, 5 watts per meter is enough, for contour - 8 watts per meter. For contour lighting, for the formation of the effect of a light strip, more power is needed, watts up to 25 per meter, if there are two tapes, and for directed 12 watts per meter, also a couple of tapes.

If you install the tapes in pairs, then the brightness can be adjusted by turning on the tapes individually, choosing one of the two, or together, and so you can save on the controller. This solution is applicable for both contour and directional illumination.

Based on the length of the backlight strip, the total power is calculated.After conducting length measurements, determine how many meters of tape you need to purchase, calculate the power by multiplying the footage by the power of one meter of tape. The power supply and controller for each backlight strip are selected for the received power. The voltage of the power supply and the voltage with which the controller can be controlled must correspond to: 5, 12 or 24 volts.

led ceiling light

When installing LED strips for contour or directional illumination, there will be no difficulties if everything is done correctly and in order. The LED strip has an adhesive coating under the protective film on the reverse side, which when glued simply onto drywall will peel off over time. For this reason, first, a PVC corner is screwed onto the drywall in the niche onto small self-tapping screws, onto which the LED strip is then glued.


Another reason why a PVC corner is necessary is that if the highlight of the stretch ceiling needs to be repaired, the corner can be easily removed and then installed in its original place. If the tape is firmly glued to the surface of the ceiling itself, then how can it be glued again then?

Solder the wires to the tape as carefully as possible, using fusible solder of the POS-61 type, since the LEDs and the base of the tape do not tolerate prolonged overheating. It is necessary to solder quickly and at the same time carefully. This is best done, of course, by an experienced craftsman, or a person who regularly deals with soldering electronic components.

Do not mount tapes in pieces of more than 3 meters, this is due to the limitation of current paths. It is best to divide the tape into sections of 2-3 meters, and each connect to the controller with individual conductors in compliance with the polarity in accordance with the marking on the tape. If the tape needs to be cut, then it should be cut exactly along the cutting lines, which are marked on the tape. When trimming the edges of the tape, you can cut it not according to the marking, but exactly in the middle between adjacent diodes.

See also on the topic: How to connect LED strip

Starry sky spotlight

Starlight type spotlights require a special approach. Here we need separate LEDs, which will also be powered by a power supply, and, if desired, through a controller. The power supply should be at 5 volts. If one LED is designed for a power of 0.1 W, then it is 10 LEDs per 1 watt of power of the power supply or 100 LEDs per 10 watts. Usually 20 LEDs are enough to create a medium-sized starry sky.

The controller-interrupter for 4 to 8 sections of LEDs will not hurt, this will give additional realism to your starry sky: the stars can blink at a given frequency.

In the process of soldering, strictly observe the polarity, it is easy to determine - the positive output of the LED is longer than the negative, and on the plus side there is a key. After soldering, protect each leg with an insulating tube to prevent short circuits between the legs.

It is easier to equip the stretch ceiling: LEDs are glued to the base ceiling on the silicone, then routed as needed. With drywall more complicated. Here you will need an additional plate, which will need to be cut exactly for the ceiling niche, in it already drill holes for the LEDs, and close the front side with a translucent plate, which can be corrugated for better effect.

Then mount the wiring and then install the structure in the ceiling niche. Special skill is required here. You can stick a picture of the real sky on a translucent plate, and arrange the LEDs in the same way as real stars in the sky, then you can even find the Big Dipper on your ceiling.

led ceiling

For figured illumination, you need a false ceiling, in which you will need to drill large holes for small shades, in which the LEDs will be located. A popular solution is when there are several LEDs in the ceiling, each of which shines in its own direction, the effect of rays along the ceiling is created.In general, it all depends on your taste and imagination.

When setting up the controller, remember that the blinking should not be sharp and whatever the frequency, for example, it is unacceptable if the blinking occurs once every two seconds, 2 times per second or 7 times per second, since it is very dangerous for the nervous system. It’s best if the blinking is smooth, practically iridescent, and not sharp, for this you need a controller for the power supply, and not just a chopper like an LED flashlight.

Colors also matter. A light green light will relax you, yellow-orange, like a normal light bulb, will be neutral, blue will give a calming effect, will set you up for thought, blue will more likely alert you. Avoid yellow-blue, this combination is annoying. Red is suitable for a married bedroom.

A person with the skills of a home master can easily cope with the installation of LED ceiling lights. LED strips will greatly facilitate the installation process, open up possibilities for creating an interesting design.

See also at i.electricianexp.com:

  • How to choose an LED strip
  • How to find out the power of an LED strip
  • LED strip power
  • Making LED interior lighting
  • How to use LED strip

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