Don’t buy or install LED strips without watching this video! There are so many things you need to know and look out for including RGB 5050 LED strips vs Smart RGB LED strips like the WS2812B, LED controllers, power supplies and how to cut and connect LED strips.
🎥 What to Watch Next:
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Floating Shelves with LED Task Lighting - • Why don't people do th...
Smart Charging Station with LED Notifiers - • Smart DIY Charging Sta...
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➤Tools/Supplies Used (Amazon affiliate links):
ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection - bit.ly/2Ru4Es8 (10% off code: FTBT)
🔴 Easy White LED Setup
FCOB 12v LED - geni.us/HxPKes
Simple white LED controller - geni.us/t4HPpE
12v 5A power supply - geni.us/iZC45R
🟢 Easy Smart RGB LED Setup
Smart RGB 5v WS2812B ECO (my fave) - geni.us/frlp
Smart RGB 5v WS2812B (nonECO) - geni.us/Ykks
Smart RGBW 5v - geni.us/OKqspGN
Simple RGB LED controller - geni.us/JMAhm
5v 3A-10A power supplies - geni.us/w6JxQA
🔵 Advanced Controllers
Wemos D1 Mini (clone) -geni.us/Oee3
Arduino Nano (clone) - geni.us/Am2w
ESP32 - geni.us/j8KIOA
Arduino Uno - geni.us/ExoA4
WLED - kno.wled.ge/
🟡 Other LED items
Cheap Dumb RGB 24v Kit - geni.us/04rG0v
4 pin connector kit - geni.us/3um0Qn
3 pin connector kit - geni.us/sRAZ0gR
3 pin extension kit - geni.us/v2LXye2
Aluminum channel w/diffusers - geni.us/wAXP
Mounting clips - geni.us/3wrqx
Soldering iron - geni.us/dHzL
5V battery pack - geni.us/QAYw
USB to DC 5V cable - geni.us/EOi3Dlm
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Sturdy 2x4 Workbench - fixthisbuildthat.com/sturdy2x...
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➤Referenced people/videos:
The Hook Up LED Strip Deep Dive - • LED Strips, what's the...
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0:00 Don't buy junk
1:14 RGB or not to RGB
3:00 White isn't always white
5:09 Are you dense?
6:47 Splish splashyness
8:29 Warning high voltage
11:07 Need more power!
13:01 Get in control
15:05 Cut and connect
17:18 Mount diffusion
See how we use LEDs in our projects! kzhead.info/sun/dK-kqcyka6OLamg/bejne.html
How to choose the right driver to power left over strips
Most of the time you can find watts/ft info either on the packaging or online. Use that to determine the minimum driver for the strips. (W*V=A)
Could i use a PI3 to program the leds?
Good Lord! What was your PhD thesis?!
you talking to me or others?@@thekaiser4333
I’m not mad. But sometimes I wish someone would just say “this is the best one to get this “
He said his go to strip: "WS2812B".
Depends on what you need. After seeing this, there's a lot more nuance to it.
@@JayImahara my nuance is that I need a really bright one there’s not really nuance to everything. Granted there are some things. I would like to see one KZhead short saying this is the brightest one in about 30 seconds.
@@pauljarrell8162 in 30 seconds I found that this model is the brightest: FSLQR-24V-3528X2400
@pauljarrell8162 🤔 "Paul, I don't need all the nuance explained. Not every video needs to cover all the nuances! I have a nuance I'm looking for. Just tell me already what want to know, which one is the brightest?!" 🤣😂 Too Funny
I was just looking for some LED strips for a project I'm going to be doing and this video was exactly in time! I've learned quite alot from my own research on LED Strips and its amazing that this video compiles them all for a quick and convenient reference whenever needed. Although I've to say, this video also covered some of the things that I didn't know and also cleared out some of the doubts I had.
Something to note about the whiteness of LEDs. The reason why dedicated white LEDs make a better white than RGB LEDs is because LEDs by default emit a very narrow range of wavelengths of light, so a red LED emits a very pure red, blue LED emits very pure blue, and green LED emits a very pure green. This can trick your eyes because the photoreceptors in your eyes mainly come in three types that respond most strongly to those three colors and your brain translates the colors by how much each different type of photoreceptor is responding to it. But when it comes to bouncing light off of items (which is how we see those items) a material that bounces purple light is not necessarily going to bounce red and blue light terribly well, so if illuminated under an RGB imitation of white light, that purple item will appear a lot closer to black than it actually is. White LEDs get around this by using a coating (I believe of phosphorus) that absorbs the energy of the very narrow band light of the LED and re-emits it as full-spectrum white light. So if you want to use your LEDs to illuminate something without ruining the apparent colors of any non red, green, or blue items in that area, you need dedicated white LEDs. If you want to do that while also having the option to add color to the light, you need RGBW
i ain't reading all that
@@HiddenRealm NOT READIN ALLAT
@@sidlmao sad
@@Prince_Sharming just a joke lol, i feel u tho
I ain't reading allat
Thank you for this rundown. Shopping for LEDs is confusing if you don't know what you're looking at. Your information here is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!
This video could not have come at a better time. Currently installing some LED's into a pedestal. Very helpful Brad!
Awesome, Blake! Can't wait to see it. Hit me up if you need any help.
ive done some for my room, but didn't find this video or even think about getting the good LEDs
This is so good-thank you! I haven’t done any LED projects because I’ve been paralyzed by all the options. This is so helpful ❤
Awesome! Glad it helped
Love it, thank you for sharing with us all! I've got several projects where I want to incorporate LEDs, but have been extremely hesitant about getting into them because I don't feel like I know enough about it to do it well, and they're expensive enough that I don't want to have to "waste" some on starter projects. This helps a lot!
You’re welcome!
Very helpful video. Covered a lot of questions I had in one spot including estimating the number of LEDs powered by the various voltages, making a bit more sense of the soup of LED types and numbers, and hints at a few things including controllers, the little fiddly connector bits, power injection, and even gave me an idea for some picture lighting! I'm running a 65 foot total length from a single point and think I can do with 24v 30 lights per meter easily....feeding the two ends of the loop. Also I think your diffused tracks gave me an idea to add a tap off the main to some custom picture lights I can fabricate out of oak. Gonna go basic controller for now, but maybe I'll fiddle with a Pi and program later.
Brilliant video. Direct information. All substance that flows logically without gaps. Thank you for making the best reference video I've seen on this subject on KZhead. Cheers and thank you.
I’ve been lobbying with these for a few years and I’ve watched a lot of videos. This is the best beginner video I have seen. Good work.
For the sticky tapes to mount the LEDs, I have been using VHB(Very High Bond) tapes for all my LED projects. Specifically from 3M. I have tried both the clear version and the black one, both works wonders. I have LED in the back of my truck and mounted LEDs to the roof of my canopy for 2 years now, it only fell saggy once over the whole 5m length, and it was 44 degrees in the dead of summer, so ill cut it some slack. If you find the sticky tape that comes with the LED underwhelming, give VHB a shot. Just remember to peel off the existing sticky tape first, because often times the VHB will firmly grab on to the original sticky tape, but the original sticky tape fails to grab onto the LED.
I really like the way you organized your links. It made it easy for me to find all of the components for the "easy white LEDs."
Well presented info. I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention the silicone encased "neon" style strips. I know they're basically no different than the IP67 strip you showed except that they also diffuse the light and come in many different profiles including full round "rope" style.
This is so helpful and well explained! Thanks for the info! I'm looking into making my own led strip
Great job Brad, that was just the introduction I needed! Time to pimp out a new set of your modular drawers in the shop
The issue with the silicone coating, is they tend to Yellow and grow cloudy over a few years, ruining the color accuracy and overall brightness. All soft silicones are prone to oxidation after being cured. If you KNOW your strip is going to stay dry, it might be better for longevity to get the IP 30 ones.
Thank you for shedding light on led's. Cheers!❤
That was SUPER HELPFUL and just in time too because I'm currently working on a project involving LED's! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thanks, Michael!
For tip #7, a bigger supply at the start really isn't going to help you much if the color is shifting from the start to the end of the strip. Especially with cheaper strips, the resistance in the strip itself starts to dominate and no amount of extra power supply current can help you with that. Power injection or migrating to a higher voltage are the only way out of that pitfall.
I suppose a constant current power supply, where the + is connected at one end of the strip and the - is connected at the other end should also keep things uniform. The constant current supply will boost the voltage as needed, and the wiring method will ensure each led has about the same amount of wire on either side of it.
I tried it out and it definitely helped, but did notice a little fall off at the end. Makes sense that the strip resistance is the driver of it since Power injection worked better
@@Fixthisbuildthatyeah, the bigger supply probably sagged less, so the voltage going in started off stronger. I definitely buy that. The other thing to do would be to power the strip from the center; power lost is determined by current *squared*, so half the current in each branch means a quarter of the power is lost. Or even run wires to power it from the same supply, just at both ends.
@@DonaldZiems The current depends on the brightness of the LEDs at each moment - which value are you going to use? The standard method is to run thick cables along the strip and feed in power every meter or so.
@@carstenlechte, current determines brightness, and voltage determines current. The issue here is over the length of the strip, the resistance of the strip develops a voltage drop. You might be putting in 5 V at one end, but measure at the far end and you might read only 3.5 V! Topping up every meter is probably overkill, and there's no one size fits all answer here. That said, my method is what I suggested in my first reply, a constant current power source and wiring to connect + and - at opposite ends of the strip. It should result in a very decent tradeoff of uniformity vs complexity.
Brilliant video mate, full of useful information, this will certainly aid my project! Subscribed, keep up the good work 🤘🏻
For the controller, i always use the esp 32 (or esp8266) With the WLED program. It has a lot of effects and features
You surely shed a lot of light on this! 😜 I already made some projects with led strips, but I learned some new things here. Great video, thanks!
😀👍
Thank you for creating one of the best LED explanation videos I've ever seen.
Thanks, I've watched sooo many videos on RBG lighting and they normally skip a critical bit of detail in power and this is the first that covered it. So great video, now I can stop buying the premade ones.
Awesome, glad it helped!
My preference for LED lighting is something that can be connected through a 5volt or 12 volt connector on a computer motherboard. As for the animations, I have been trying to find a way to replicate the lighting in an ASUS ROG G20CB desktop so that the lighting will change color according to the music playing on it.
I love this video, thank you for posting this. Could you possibly make an add-on or sequel video to this describing building a kit for a bicycle? As far as how many lights per strip and power supplies you’d recommend? If that isn’t really something you do, I totally get it
Thank you so much for making this video. I'm interested in buying my first ever LED wall strips for my room and this video definitely helped me make a better informed choice
His smile at 19:18 is the exact reason I watch his videos. His nerdiness and enthusiasm is golden!
Yeah!!! That was my favorite part 😂
I love this video!! I want to build my own LED light strip in my closet using contact sensors and eventually create a real time bus arrival dashboard using LED strips. At least with your video, I got over my fear of wasting money on LED strips. I have a better idea of what to do. Very thorough! I’ll be recommending your video to anyone who’s thinking about starting led project.
Okay, that sounds really interesting! Your closet must be amazing 😅
My advice would be, fit them to cooling surfaces like Aluminium strips, use the dimmer switch to dim it by 10% and it will repay you by lasting years longer, keeping them cool is key. If you are running from a 12 volt offgrid supply, try dropping the supply voltage to 10 volts and under run them.
One of the most informative and easy-to-follow videos I've watched!
Nice! Complete basic knowledge and a brief and readable form.
This is by far the best led informative video I have ever seen!
4-5 yrs ago I got a dumb kit from China to light up my collectables on the bookcase I built for them. It had no instructions but came with the strips, connections (wires, plug-ins, etc) and I also put a switch on them (5 shelves worth). It was fun figuring out how to get them all to work together when I used the switch. I love electronics so much! I've since got a few moducases for my more expensive collectables. Moducase is not cheap but they are well worth the money because if put together right there's absolutely no dust, dirt or (if you have a husky) dog fur in them.
Perfect informations. Solved 90% of my doubts.
Absolutely the best LED info video to date. Thank you
This was such a helpful video! I've worked with LEDs on a couple projects now and it never occurred to me that diffuser panels could be a thing lmao.. Thanks!!
Had to watch this video a couple of times to get all the great info, Thanks!
OMG!!!! Thank you Sooooo much for taking the time and making this video Bless Ya Brotha
You should see the power supplies and heat management strategies used in architectural LED lighting! I'm currently sitting at just a hair over 100' of 24V, 240LED/m dual-row strip lighting across 7 10A power supplies, and I expect about triple that amount by the time I'm done with renovations. 24V setups have a lot of advantages in larger installations, chief amongst which is that the power supplies can be "tuned" downward a bit in their output voltage, allowing both the power supplies and the LEDs to run significantly cooler. Heat management becomes a really big issue when you're talking about 120w per 5m span; even 2" width of 1/8" aluminum in flat-stock or u-channel variants can be too little if you don't have a lot of breathing room!
Wow, I can only imagine how hot all those power supplies get together
@@Fixthisbuildthat They're spaced out quite a lot, and running them at reduced voltage makes quite a difference, but surprisingly, the LEDs produce more heat than the power supplies! At full power, there is a noticeable inversion layer inside the house. LOL
@@rhkips do you mount the aluminum strips on spacers to get a bit more heat flow, and discourage painters from coating them with (insulating to some extent) paint?
@@scottwillis5434 I mount the U-channel upside-down, and have found no significant difference in spacing it off the surface it sits on. Aluminum can shed heat very quickly. The added complexity of integrating a spacer system likely isn't worth the effort. :)
Really Good Video. I love the detail and the explanations... Nice work. 😀
thanks I am just starting a project and your information was invaluable.😊😊
You have no idea how helpful this video is your a hero IMO thank you for the video it was so helpful and answered question I had no idea how to ask
This was the first really helpful vidéo I found on the subject! Thanks!
Great video, really sums it up! I got some LED devices connected to my PC but I'm new to LED strips and now I got a table that has a strip which sucks big time so I need to replace it. This video told me everything I needed to know to figure out what to purchase, however I'm still unsure about the power and control part but I assume some more reading will do the trick.
Thank you, great info! I love all your videos but especially this kind. Since summer is here, it's hard to make myself go into my shop, so this is good inspiration for how I can be productive.
Good idea. Tech Summer!
I’ve been wanting to add some LEDs to my desk. This was very helpful. Thanks!
No problem
Those less dense strips might be cool with a fixture of some kind. Maybe smooth stainless steel or other metal/ shiny material with holes for leds. No need to be shiny, could be just be embedded in to any surface that would look cool with few leds. Just an idea.
I wish this guide existed when I did my DIY LED ceiling panel. It would have been way easier to pick my components
This is so awesome! Thank you for being amazing and making such a good tutorial!
This is such a great video. Thank you.
Great video,well explained and much needed. Cheers
Literally the exact video I needed. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing so much knowledge. I appreciate it.
This was the video I was looking for! Thank you Brad!
Great presentation - nice job -I thank you sir! 👍👍👍
This is the most informative LED video I have ever seen!
Very surprised you didn't mention the Athom controllers, all the advantages of WLED but without needing to sort out your own microcontroller. These will also work at 5, 12 or 24v, you just need to make sure you use the right power supply for the strip.
That was extremely useful and well spoken thank you
Thank you for the advice, David Tennant
This has been the best explainer on LEDs I've seen, hands-down! Thanks Brad!
You're welcome!
I agree! makes this rabbit hole feel a bit cozier 🐰
Great! Love the close up at the end haha
You’re video is answering so many of my questions!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
the cheap rgb strips i got off amazon seemed to have worked alright for the year and a half i used it to light my bedroom, but the power brick that came with it broke after that time. I opened it to see if its something i can replace and what broke was the 2 large cheap capacitors that is used to step down the power, they completely popped so didn't bother but i might repurpose it for something later. Got a variable power brick from canadian tire to power the controller instead and worked well since. I might replace the rbg leds for pure white strips at some point since all i use on them is the white and the dimmer, but kinda lazy to do so.
This was a great video! Would you consider expanding further: For example 2 years ago and recently a resurgence on tiktok cloud ceiling led strip projects are picking up again: a lot of common questions are "is this a fire risk" "how many leds/meter" etc! Either way Thanks for making helpful and useful source videos!
Perfect guide. For newbies led like me. 👍🏼
Great video for a complete amateur many thanks very helpful
Thanks. This gave me some info on LED strips that I didn't know. I want some of the addressable LED strips and this will help me decide which ones to get.
I was literally going to make a video just like this. im glad that you did all the effort for me :) Thanks bud !
Hello i am very impressed of your projects and i love how leds can change the vibe of room. I want to make my room looks crazy but it is little bit big that i have to use 16 meters of rgb strip so can you tell me what strip/power supply and controller i should i get?
This might be one of your best videos ever. The information is laid out so well and it really covers everything. One remaining question I have is integration with. dIY controller such as this with smart home. I hate hue: but they are so good. However I can’t use hue for a project like your bookshelf. I also have Govee outside and some other random crappy bulbs. I use Homebridge to bridge them all into Apple HomeKit; but for a custom bookshelf or table, I still have to figure out which controller to use or if I should just go the Arduino route. (I am a programmer).
you can tie WLED into Home Assistant I believe. I haven't dove too deep into it yet
@@Fixthisbuildthat just placed my order today. For sure can be done with Homebridge into HomeKit. I’ll comment with finding when I set it up.
I know fairly all those features will little bit of cloud. Watching this just make it clear. Thnx a lot.
Ive been talking about doing a project involving leds for a couple weeks. I havent gone into the research process yet. So this saves me time, and yet it is quite weird it was suggested to me. Either way, thanks for the bideo it definitely helps
Super informative, thnaks so much! You've clarified a lot of my questions about LED strip lighting as they are super useful, not just party lights. Any thoughts on motion detector add-ons? I use a kit with a MD for my stairs, so that they are illuminated if someone approaches in the dark (it also senses light level). I want to add one more MD at the bottom step, as there is only one at the top now. Would that cause a problem?
its ok
Be careful when using more than one power supply when powering the same strip. The positive of one supply should never have a path to the positive on another supply. Keep a common ground and data line though the strip but have the positive be separated. For example, if using two power supplies, one at the beginning and one at the end, half way though the strip you can cut out one of the positive copper pads at a cut point. Much more information and good examples available when you google multiple power supply power injection as well. Be safe.
Thanks 👍
Indeed. Had this running in the background whilst tinkering, and when I heard the power injection bit I assumed two power sources were being used. Seen some really botched installations with this mistake, one almost set the bar ablaze in a concert venue. They had just added PSUs at one end of a very long run, in an attempt to compensate for the drain. 10 cheap 12V 40A PSUs working in parallel in an enclosed, unventilated box. Owners of the venue got pissed at me when I said it had to go, and be entirely rebuilt. Fun times.
Wow, best video I've seen on LEDs. I was confused for so long!
I've been thinking about using LED in my subwoofer boxes. Thanks for the tutorial!
No problem!
Truly great content. You really dive deep and have such quality info, plus I love the moments of hilarity. Thanks for doing what you do.
Just a thought, but you should do strips of analouge inputs, all connected with the protocol I2C. Each chip would have its own input, and enough memory to store up to 256 values, eg 256 chips in a strip. The bottle neck of most analog projects is reading the values fast enough and the connections required. A strip would allow each chip to process and store the digital value of the analog input. You would then read these values into an array, as fast as the I2C allows. As for why, the new Midi protocol allows for MPE, eg individual analog valves for at least 3 axis. Strips of analog chips would have so many other uses and free the processing resources of the main controller.
Thank you for sharing this. Very informative!
Fantastic info, Brad! Thanks a bunch!!! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thanks, MC!
Very informative and explained well - thanks
Great vid - quite thorough! Thank you 💯
This was so helpful. Gonna make some drone race gates for a makerspace!
Fantastic introduction. Thank you!
My interest is a white strip that fits around the lid and around the top interior of a Pelican 1615 AIR case with a DIY TrekPak and DIY Lid Organizer that can be remotely turned off or on preferably with a power supply that uses AA batteries. Your video gives me some good ideas. At least where to start. Thanks for sharing.
Great video man! I have a question, do the microcontrolers also allow to animate the lights like a DMX would do? or would you need a totally new controller for that?
Awesome work Brad, thanks for the info! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Thanks, Fred!
Best LED Video ever. Thank you SO MUCH.
I needed this intel. Thank you sir. 👍
Thank you! That was REALLY helpful!
Thanks! However as a noob I would love to hear also for lumens, color temperature and lumens/watt efficacy. Ideally, a thread matter options if there any already would be a plus! :)
The RGBW thing is similar to why printers use black ink for color printing. Full C+M+Y is supposed to be black, but it’s not quite the right color, so a dedicated K ink is added.
And there are great RGBW strips out there. His argument that they are finicky as a blanket statement is false. Just spend a little more on your pixels. Not sure why he’s tackling this subject. I come here for shop stuff not LED stuff, there are KZheadrs out there that really know what they are talking about. I’d take maybe a quarter of this to the bank with me…
I heard that it's also because using full C+M+Y for something as frequent as the color black in printing would quickly use up 3 of your ink carts which sounds awful lol
Great introduction to LED strips. Thanks!
You can even mix 12v and 24v strips using a single controller by adding a led amplifier at the end of the 12v strip and powering the amplifier with a 24v power supply. Setup goes as follows, 12v power supply-controller-12v led strip-led amplifier with 24v supply-24v led strip. Total length of system is roughly 86ft. 2x 16ft 12v led strip 2x 32ft 24v led strip. And works even better if 12v side is a loop and 24v side is a loop by connecting beginning and end of the led strip together. I was ocd about the system being insync
Very informative. What a beautiful shop.
I would suggest RGB A/W (Amber/White). That is what a lot of film lighting is starting to use and it just gives yo more accurate colors throughout the spectrum.
Is that basically RGBWCCT?
RGB A/W is going to an actual Amber Diode as opposed to a Warm White. Depending on the quality of the strip, Amber may be closer to actually orange, An RGBWCCT is also known as RGBWWCW (Warm White/ Cool White) or RGB Tuneable White and is geared more towards having the white color temperature be variable.
Doing some lighting on our boat dock around the platform area and walkway - wondering if they would be suitable for that application. We are Lakefront and periodically when we have a storm the waves will splash up on that area that we want to put them.
yep use waterproof strips AND waterproof the connections
Thank you very much for this great video! Just found your channel, liked and subscribed!