In this article, we’ll discuss how to connect multiple LED lights to one switch with our easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide.
Led strip lights are one of the main ingredients in lighting up our home spaces for special occasions, whether it’s Christmas, a birthday party, or any other special family gathering.
However, laying down and connecting multiple LED strip lights isn’t much of a hustle. especially when we don’t have any experience playing with electronics!
One of the major issues that people face is that they don’t know how to connect multiple LED lights to one switch. That’s today’s topic of discussion, and we’ll go through each and every step that you should follow to securely connect multiple LED light strips to one switch.
Without wasting any more time, let’s start discussing our step-by-step guide.
Steps to connect multiple LED lights to one switch
Here are six steps that you can use to connect multiple LED lights to one switch:
Step 1: Determining the circuit
Any lighting system’s power requirements determine the type of circuit to be used. If you haven’t been to an electronics class, you won’t need to worry because the circuitry is very simple to understand.
Series mode is the simplest circuit style you can use for fixing your LED strips. Do remember that the current follows a single direction in this type of circuit from beginning to end.
If you are planning to connect your LED strips in this mode, then what you need to do is join the positive end of one LED strip to the negative end of the next. This sequence continues until the LED strip splitter at both ends, which then directly connects to the wall’s power supply,
My suggestion to you would be to connect the led strip lights in series, as, firstly, it is pretty easy to do and, secondly, you won’t require any external adapters or connectors. The series circuits are also versatile, as your strips can generate almost any pattern.
Step 2: Connecting the LED strips
When you choose the series circuit, learning how to link multiple LED strips to one power source isn’t difficult. The next step is to connect the LED strips together. How would we do it?
Everything you need to do is define each LED strip’s anode (positive) and cathode (negative) ends. Most of the LED strip manufacturers mark those points accordingly, so identifying them won’t take long!
Still, the decision of which form the lights want to take would be upon you. In fact, the pattern can depend on the region or object that you want to illuminate according to the room’s decor.
Proceed to connect the anode of the first strip to the cathode of the next one after selecting your desired form until you have carefully joined all the LED strips together. You now have a much wider length of multiple strips joined together from end to end.
Now, filter out the ends of the sequence of LED strips that you’ve just wired together and attach them to the 2.1 mm female plug.
Boom! The LED strip lights are now connected together!
Step 3: Checking the strips’ power requirements
The next step would be to check the strips power requirements. Before you plug them into a power source, you need to consider the power ratings on the LED strips.
The total amount of power required by each strip in the series is the sum total of the voltage needed.
Recall that the same amount of current flows from one end to the other in the series circuit, but at each point, the voltage is different.
The power output must be adequate to power all the strips; otherwise, they may not illuminate at their full intensity.
If the power outlet is too big, the strips can burn, making them unusable. Of course, you won’t want excessive power to ruin your party. Moreover, apart from being costly, you may have to wait for a few days to receive a new order, so pay special attention to this step.
Step 4: Placement of LED Strips
Arrange the LED strips in such a way that they remain close to the power source. It’ll help you reduce the length of wires that could cover more space than the LED strips themselves.
I would be sure that, just like me, you also won’t like a distributed tangle of wires spread across the whole room. Well, if they cover much of your space, where will you party?
Thus, having the nearest possible power source is of utmost importance. If you can place the LED strip lights perfectly, you’ll have more space around the room or house to enjoy the event. So, spend some time planning how you’ll place the strip lights.
Step 5: Verifying the connections
After checking the placement of your LED strips, you can directly connect them to the power source. However, my recommendation would be to first verify the connection properly, as it’ll save you from any misadventure that could ruin your day. Thus, you are just one step away from connecting your multiple LED strip lights to one switch.
Now, you need to go through each connection to check for loose joints or any hanging wire that you might have forgotten to take off during the process. You’ll have to do this before plugging them into the mains supply.
To be on the safe side, take the time to evaluate each node and verify that all is well. After making sure that the anodes and cathodes are in good working order or not. If everything is perfect, move on to the next step of connecting the LED strips to the power source.
Step 6: Plugging into a source of power
You should try plugging in the strip lights when you are completely confident that your joints are fault-safe.
Afterward, provide both the 2.1-mm female connector and its corresponding male equivalent. This ensures a smooth connection to the power supply.
In order to see whether the strips brighten up, plug the female component into its male counterpart. Then, turn on the switch. The LED strips should light up beautifully if your links are good and all devices are in good working order. The bright look of these light-up led strip lights would vanish your tiredness!
FAQs:
Can LED strip lights catch fire?
Any heating appliance, such as a heater iron, or any flammable object, such as burning wood, is placed near the LED strip light. Then, it can get very hot, and fire may erupt. It’ll spread to the surface it is attached to, and if you don’t notice it quickly, it can spread to the whole room or even the house. The result can be catastrophic, especially if you are outside your house enjoying the party.
How long do LED strip lights last?
LEDs boast a life expectancy of 50,000 hours in general. This amounts to approximately six years of continuous use. LEDs lose their light output slowly and gradually over time, and 50,000 is the number of hours it usually takes for LED lights to decrease to 70% of their original light output. Thus, you won’t have to buy new ones for every new event.
Final Thoughts!
I’ve explained each and every step carefully to help you securely connect the multiple LED lights to one switch. Now, you would be in a position to do this on your own.
Still, taking some help from a technician would make things even simpler. Planning things ahead of time would be really great to comfortably enjoy the time with your loved ones!