To enhance the appearance and atmosphere of your house or office, install Daybetter LED strip lights. Nevertheless, with so many alternatives, it might be challenging to decide which kind of light strip is best for you. We’ll go over step-by-step installation instructions for Daybetter LED strip lights in this article so that you can get started as soon as possible. Start the process now!
Things to Know Before Installing Led Strip Lights
Density:
Because they use a lot less energy than standard light bulbs, we purchase LED strip lights. The cable will have a shorter lifespan and emit a yellowish glow at night if there is too much (or too thick) of it, which generates a lot of heat.
Utilizing 100 or 120 LEDs per watt is possible on occasion. When utilising aluminium faceplates on your cabinets, however, because of their propensity to conduct heat, this number may occasionally need to be drastically decreased. The maximum number of LEDs per watt that we advise using is 60.
Selection:
Different suppliers produce different types of LED strip lights, and some of them offer LEDs of higher quality than others. Determining this before purchasing your lights would therefore be beneficial. Start by examining your strip light’s power usage, which is listed on the power supply box (notice if it reads “per foot” or “per metre”). This will help you determine the difference.
Divide 24W/foot by 3 to get 2400mW/meter, which is 800mw/meter. You can determine whether it’s good or awful from this. Be careful, though, because a product that uses more power doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better; it just means that the person who made it paid more attention to the details.
Color:
Different options are available. LED strip lights often come in white, but if you’d prefer something with a color-changing feature to match your mood or the season, different options are available. For instance, warm white, cool white, and multicolor designs, for instance, are all included in 3-in-1 kits. These 3 in 1 kits won’t satisfy your needs if you prefer a different hue of light.You will need to purchase individual strips that individually emit the same hue, and then you must join the individual strips using connectors (which come with most kits). You also need to understand LED strip lights because they can only create a single color—red, blue, green, etc.—and cannot mix colours.
Red, green, blue, and white are the four main hues of an LED. By mixing these four colours in different ways, you can make any other colour that isn’t in this range, like yellow.It’s crucial to keep in mind, though, that if you want a light strip that can produce every hue, you would need to purchase RGB or RGBA strips, which typically cost more than single-colour strips. To prevent LEDs from fading over time due to heat production, make sure your power supply has adequate watts for the number of LEDs.
Wattage and Powering:
For this use, the strip’s wattage is irrelevant. Any 5-volt power source or battery will work in your unit. Just make sure you carefully check the LED strip’s amperage! Read up on your chosen strip first because many will suggest a good power supply depending on its length and LED count. Daybetter employs 12-inch lengths, which at maximum brightness would use about two amps. Instead of using the Arduino’s USB connector to power it, it is advised to use an external 5 volt DC power brick. The problem is that some Arduinos can’t provide enough current (2 amps) for all 32 RGB LEDs, even when the serial monitor is set to maximum brightness.
Connect GND to a dependable ground using the strip if you’re powering your board directly from the Arduino or an external power source! The VCC, DIN, DOUT, and CLK are the pins on the Daybetter, in that order. Please be mindful that your LEDs will need the reverse voltage across the red and green channels after drawing current through them if you’re utilising external power. If you plan to use a DC power source to power something externally, please abide by the polarity recommendations below.
Your strip would just require 5V to be applied to one of its connectors (i.e., whichever is closer to the input GND point). Before turning itself on, the board will automatically detect the input voltage and scale it down to 3.3 volts. How awesome is that?
Powering internally:
Make sure to link the GND of the D10/D11 pin and both of the 5V pins into the common power rail if you decide for any reason not to use wireless power to power your led strips.
Dimming LED Strip Lights:
The strip will be at its brightest if you are using a 5-volt power source. If you’re using an Arduino, connect it to your computer and change the corresponding value in the code to set the correct number of pixels across. For instance, convert pixels across = 30 to pixels across = 60 if there are 30 LEDs per metre.
Remove all connections from your Daybetter board until only DIN is attached to Digital Pin 10 before testing this. Open your Serial Monitor window at a speed of 9600 bauds after that, then issue some colour commands to it (e.g., R 255, G 0, B 127 ). This will result in fantastic outcomes! Additionally, you can control them with buttons or potentiometers! Additionally, after you are done fiddling with the LEDs, shut the Serial Monitor window and reattach all of your wires.
Tools and Materials
- Daybetter RGB (obviously)
- Soldering metal and solder
- Cutters and strippers for wire (needlenose pliers work in a pinch).
- You never know when a soldering mishap will occur!
A Step by Step Guide on How to Install Daybetter Led Strip Lights
Step 1:
Choose the location for the light installation. Before I did anything else, I measured the back of an entertainment centre where I planned to put my strip.
Step 2:
We have released the kit for your Daybetter LED light strip! Everything required to get started is included in the kits.
Step 3:
Begin by cutting the power connector that was previously extended the entire length of the LED strip at one end.Start with one side, either positive or negative, and peel back a small amount of heat shrink plastic to reveal about an inch or so of wire within (I started with negative).
Each wire should have between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of insulation removed from it before being twisted together. It doesn’t matter which wire goes positive, negative, or even on both ends of the connector if you’re using Daybetter strip lights, because there is no polarity. These two wires should be soldered together and then covered in heat shrink tubing for insulation.
Step 4:
After running one end through the entire length of the LED strip light and soldering it together, connect it to the power input side of your connectors (you might want to trim off an extra 6 inches or so in case you need it later if something goes wrong).
In this case, I utilised some extra wire that I had lying around because I didn’t feel like using up all of my solder for this project (my soldering iron hasn’t had fresh solder put on the tip in a few years, and it is becoming quite bad). To make a strong connection, cut out about 1/4″ of insulation from each wire, then twist them together.
Step 5:
Similar steps should be taken for the power cable that passes through your LED strip light kit.
These two wires should be soldered together, and heat shrink tubing should be used to wrap them to act as insulation.
Step 6:
As a result, your basic white LEDs will change into magnificent hues. We now need to connect those extra wires from those connector parts to our Daybetter LED strip light inputs. Match up which colour wire corresponds to which type of information (in this case, red for input and black for ground) before soldering the two together. After that, wrap it with heat shrink tubing for insulation.
It doesn’t matter which wire goes positive, negative, or even on both ends of the connector if you’re using Daybetter strip lights, because there is no polarity. As an alternative, solder these two wires together and then cover them with heat shrink tubing to provide insulation. This is an important stage in the installation of Day Brite LED strip lights.
Step 7:
Match up + with + and -with-on the power line that runs through your LED strip light kit and attach it to the DC port of your power source (if you get confused at all).
When attaching it, be careful not to overlap any wires! Again, if you are using one of our kits, I made sure to take a picture of which wire should go to the positive terminal, the negative terminal, and where you have some extra slack. It is irrelevant which way the wire goes on our kits until you short out the power supply.
Step 8:
You may test your LED strip lights now that you’ve finished soldering everything! Start by attaching the cable’s two ends to the terminals on the rear of the power adapter: + with + first, then – with -. This needs to be put in the correct way or it won’t function. If it still doesn’t work, try switching the wire connectors on both ends.
Once it is properly connected, turn one switch to the up position for a higher overall voltage output (you need at least 12 volts) and the other to the down position for a lower voltage output (if you want it to be dimmer, which is usually preferable).
If your lights are still flickering or not working at all, turn both switches to the highest setting. If your lights are still not working at all, the likelihood is that a wire is incorrectly connected somewhere in the system. In this case, I advise beginning over and double-checking all of your solder connections.
Step 9:
Check that the adhesive backing on your Daybetter LED strip lighting kit is already attached; if not, pull it off and place it on a flat surface before placing it wherever you want!There is no need to be concerned about the glue on our strips wearing off because it will last a lifetime.
Once they’re fixed in place, you can use a power drill to make holes in each strip’s back and pass the wires for your LED lighting through them to hide them from view from the front of your board.
Step 10:
Since my Daybetter LED strip lights will be installed on top of a desk, where people’s feet or chairs may accidentally run over the wires, I used a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel attachment to make a few slots for them.
Other options include covering your cables with a weave. However, that will substantially raise the cost of the materials (get a 1/2-inch 4-way loom). The adhesive on the strips is strong enough that I don’t need to use screws or nails in my situation, but I am using conventional LED strip lighting mounting brackets to hold it up. Your installation of LED strip lights is now complete! You may install Daybetter LED strip lights with the help of these instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Connect Daybetter Led Strip Lights?
DAYbetter LED Strip Lights may be wirelessly and conveniently connected with other DAYbetter devices like dimmers, motion sensors, the DAYbright controller software, or door/window contractors. This implies that you can design a unique lighting solution that caters to your demands.
Additionally, the built-in microcontroller makes sure that all of your lights can be controlled easily from one place. To have more control over your environment, you may also make programmatic adjustments to brightness and colour using the Daybright controller software.
These strips are simple to mount on any flat surface thanks to the accompanying mounting gear. You won’t have to worry about paying bills or wasting resources again because these LED strips are so energy-efficient!
Where Do You Cut Daybetter Led Strip Lights?
With every transaction, Day Better includes a straightforward instruction that makes it simple to cut your LED strip lights into the ideal form. With a sharp knife, just peel off the protective film and cut the appropriate shape. Then, all you have to do is firmly press down on both sides of the thin piece to hold it in place, and you’re ready to go!
Do Led Strip Lights Still Work When Cut?
By doing so, you can determine if the LEDs are still functioning and emitting the desired amount of light. You can test the brightness of the light by cutting a small piece of tape across one end of the LED strip, then lighting it from that end. Replace some of your LEDs if they’re not bright enough.
Can You Trim Led Strip Lights?
There are, however, a few things you must remember. To start, make sure you have the right equipment for the job. If the lights have secure connections, an oscillating tool or blade and a wire stripper are required to cut the wires (most do). Second, only cut enough wire to eliminate the undesirable piece. Take care not to cut too much. Thirdly, use a temporary connector to connect the wires while you operate to prevent continuity loss (and thus power).
Conclusion
Any home would benefit from Daybetter LED strip lighting. They can be used for a variety of things, such as accent lighting in a hallway or under kitchen cabinets, as well as giving light on a patio so you don’t have to worry about stumbling over anything when hosting visitors. With the possibility of changing colours, you can also use them as mood lighting!
We sincerely hope that you have read the post on how to install Daybetter LED strip lights. Follow each stage of the installation and check that everything is configured properly before they go at no additional charge.
