How to connect an LED cord to 220v. How to connect LED duralight. Wiring diagrams for connecting the Duralight cords to the network

LED duralight, a widespread option for today's time of the beloved LED strip. The only difference between LED duralight and ordinary LED strip is that the LEDs in the duralight are not fixed on a thin tape, but are enclosed in a silicone shell.

Like LED strip, LED duralight itself can be easily bent at different angles and into different shapes. LED duralight is an excellent lighting solution for a beautiful interior design in the house. All that is required in order to give the interior a zest is to purchase an LED duralight and connect it yourself.

How to connect LED duralight? It's very simple! To do this, you just need a special adapter and adapter.

The huge advantage of such a backlight is that you can install and connect an LED duralight with your own hands, without outside help and electrical installation skills. You can make a good garland from LED duralight, which will be much more beautiful than an ordinary factory product.

To connect an LED duralight with your own hands, you need to know and prepare this:

Have a minimal set of tools. Soldering iron, screwdriver, sharp knife and electrical tape;
It is better to connect the LED duralight to a permanent connection, and not, as many do, through an outlet;

If the light duralight has already been purchased together with the power adapter, then you can safely proceed to its installation and connection.

To connect LED duralight, you must have a special adapter. It is installed at the end of a power cord that connects to an outlet or directly to a 220 volt network. An adapter is built into the power cable itself for connecting the light duralight, which reduces and equalizes the voltage from the 220 Volt network by means of a diode bridge.

Depending on which LED duralight is purchased (single-row or double-row), an adapter is also needed to connect it. For a single-row duralight, an adapter is needed in the form of two pins, and for a two-row duralight, an adapter, at the end of which there are three pins.

If it is necessary to connect two pieces of light duralight, then an adapter is used for this, with exactly the same pins. Necessarily the opposite end of the light duralight, on which there are bare wires, must be closed with a plastic plug before connecting.

Installation of the light duralight to the ceiling surface or to the walls is carried out by means of special plastic brackets. There is nothing complicated in this. The only thing you should know when connecting an LED duralight with your own hands is that most often it is cut into pieces of one or two meters.

This is done due to the special schematic capabilities of the light duralight, therefore it is very important to take this fact into account when decorating the interior with it in the room.

In recent years, LED duralight has almost equaled in its prevalence with LED strips. This model is actively used today to create decorative lighting. Despite the fact that it has a certain similarity to LED strip, there are significant differences in connection.

LED duralight

Our article will help you figure out how you can connect this cord to the power supply with your own hands and not spoil it with inept handling.

Features of the light cord and its types

Duralay is a kind of analogue of the LED strip, in which the diodes are placed inside a PVC cord. It is a silicone shell that provides a high degree of protection against moisture and dirt for the LEDs.

Note! To connect LED duralight, know that here the circuit does not need a power supply. This is the main difference from LED strips. A possible connection diagram is shown below.

Connection diagram

LED light cord is often used for street lighting today. With the help of duralight, they create figures of fairy-tale characters, geometric shapes and various inscriptions of the advertising plan. You can learn how to make figures out of it in a special video tutorial.
To create a shape, you can use the following types of LED light cords:

duralight chasing. It has multiple channels for LED placement. Therefore, by connecting a controller to it, you can create various lighting effects. Duralight chasing is often used for festive or themed lighting;
duralight fisting. Has only one channel. Therefore, he is capable of simultaneously illuminating all of his light sources. If you make figures out of it, then they can only blink. But this requires a controller.

Glowing figures

In addition, the LED light cord can be of the following types:

duralight round. It has a circular cross-section. Using round duralight, you can make various shapes. It should be remembered that round duralight can sometimes slide off the frame. Therefore, it must be properly attached to the base of the figure;
duralight flat. It is more suitable for creating a luminous figure due to the fact that it can most closely adjoin the frame of the product.

Duralight incision mark

For whatever purpose you use this glowing cable, you need to be able to properly connect it to a 220 V power supply. But in order to do this, you need to know the technical characteristics of the lighting product.

Parameters of the light cord and what you need for installation

A light cable made on the basis of LEDs has the following technical characteristics and features:

increased resistance to moisture;
can function in a fairly wide temperature range: from -20 to +50 degrees;
easy installation;
working from a mains voltage of 220 volts;
may have one or more channels (depending on the model).

Note! To connect to the network, it is important to know how many channels the light cable has.

When connecting such LED products, you need to know that it, like the tape, can be cut into separate pieces. But you only need to cut where the cable is marked accordingly.

In order to install everything yourself, you will need the following materials and tools:

the LED cord itself;
adapters (connectors). They are necessary to fasten the cut segments together;
a network cable with a special connector and a 220 volt adapter. It should be purchased simultaneously with duralight;
protective caps. They are put on cuts, from the side that does not need to be attached anywhere after cutting the lighting product;
knife and scissors;
fasteners, a screwdriver and a hammer in order to secure the glowing cable in the right place.

After all the materials and tools have been collected, you can start connecting the duralight with your own hands.

Step-by-step instruction

It is recommended to connect the LED light cable not to an outlet, but through a permanent connection. This will avoid the need to call a professional electrician for electrical work.
The adapter plays an important role in the installation process. It is a bridge diode rectifier that converts the alternating voltage of the network into a pulsating unipolar voltage necessary for the operation of the light cord.

Duralight adapter

The step-by-step instructions for connecting the LED light cable look like this:

take duralight and cut it according to the marks. Remember that you need to cut only according to such marks, otherwise you will simply ruin an expensive product;

Note! The cutting step is one or two meters!

Duralight cutting

you need to cut the cord with scissors or a sharp knife. When cutting it, you need to be very careful. If you make an oblique cut, then the product may not work correctly in the future. If you do not want to risk it, you can buy a ready-made kit with a length of 10 meters and an already installed controller;
The power cord with the adapter must be connected to the duralight using a special adapter in the form of a metal pin located in the case. The same adapter must be used when it is necessary to dock together for a piece of light cable;

Note! This adapter will be different for different models. For a single-row product, it will have two pins, for a two-digit product, three.

Duralight connection for a network adapter

now it remains only to connect all the lighting elements. To do this, insert the plug (adapter) of the power cord into the cable. Moreover, it must be inserted in such a way that the location of the pins coincides with the wires running inside the light cable;
then you need to fix the connection with the snap-on cover. It is located in the network cable.

Ready-made duralight that can be connected to the network

Now you can connect the product to the power supply and check its functionality.
After all the backlighting elements have been assembled into a single circuit, you need to install the luminous LED cord on the surface. To do this, you need to use transparent special plastic staples.

What

When using different types of duralight, the process of connecting them may undergo some changes. But the connection principle itself, described above, will remain unchanged.
So that your work is not in vain and you ultimately get the desired result, you must adhere to several recommendations:

before connecting, it is imperative to make sure that the connected product is operational;
unwind the cord carefully to avoid possible overheating. Only an unwound product can be connected;
the incision must be made strictly along the line. Due to the fact that the product has a sufficiently powerful silicone protection in the form of a tube, it is not always possible to make an even and clear cut;
the connection points of the light tube must be positioned in such a way that they have maximum protection against adverse external influences. This is especially true of mechanical stress;
to increase the tightness of the sections, the cuts after connection should be additionally treated with silicone sealant or waterproof glue;

Connector and cap for cord light

to avoid the risk of a short circuit, this lighting product must be checked for any damage of various kinds in the contacts.

It should also be remembered that, despite the high protection, the light cord is, first of all, a rather complex electrical device. Therefore, it must be placed out of reach of pets and small children. Otherwise, it is possible both a breakdown of the lighting device and the risk of electric shock to children and animals.

Conclusion

Connecting LED duralight may seem complicated only at first glance. In fact, it is enough to follow a simple instruction to create an excellent backlight. The main thing is to be careful when working with this LED cord.

Secrets of choosing halogen lamps for the kitchen

The illumination of buildings and festive decoration have long been performed with the help of garlands. Recently, most of them are LED. Such lighting is done in the form of ribbons or cords. The LED cord is correctly called duralight, in this article we will look at how it works and connects.

What is duralight, features of LED - duralight

The word "duralight" can be literally translated as "durable light" (from the English durable light). Indeed, the duralight, upon close examination, turns out to be a transparent polymer flexible cord, inside which there are lamps or light-emitting diodes (LED Duralight), in fact - a strong tubular garland. The PVC tube as a frame provides the duralight with moisture resistance, flexibility, UV resistance and physical strength.

A typical LED duralight can operate at ambient temperatures from -50 ° C to + 60 ° C, and the service life is limited only - tens of thousands of hours.

Device and types

Duralight is a LED garland in a PVC sheath. It connects to a 220V network, there are several types of it.

By operating mode:

1. Fixing. A cord that has a constant glow over time. That is, you turned it on, and it just glows.

2. Chasing. This is the name of the duralight operating mode when it flickers. In order for the LED cord to work in chasing mode, you need to additionally purchase a controller.

3. Chameleon. Essentially the same chasing, but with different colors.

There are various types of duralight. The number of lines can be from 2 to 7 cores, respectively, the number of LED strings increases, which allows you to obtain various lighting effects and color combinations.

Round and flat LED duralight are distinguished in shape. The shape determines the ease of installation for a particular lighting configuration.

Since the duralight is a PVC cord, it is sealed, which ensures normal operation on the street.

The duralight cord can be cut, for this there are special marks on its surface either in the form of a strip or in the form of scissors. The multiplicity of a cut is usually 2 meters.

You can see an approximate diagram in the figure below. The duralight cord consists of conductive cores, LEDs and a sheath. The number of cores and LEDs can be different, as well as their color.

Inside, the cord is by no means hollow, the gaps between the LEDs are also filled with PVC to give the duralight extra strength. So, duralight can be safely used in outdoor and indoor advertising structures, in various architectural lighting, for decorating trees and for interior design.

The tube is simply attached to clips or glue wherever needed, and is held securely due to its lightness. The flexibility of PVC allows you to bend the tube at the discretion of the designer, make letters, inscriptions, shapes from duralight, or simply distribute the luminous LED tube along the facade of the building. Round and flat duralights, constant glow or with different blinking modes - provide truly the broadest possibilities for lighting design.

Monochromatic and multicolored, flickering and iridescent - modern LED controllers will allow you to realize any design idea.

Pressed into a round tube or flat tape, the LEDs are spaced between each other at a distance of 1.25 to 27.7 mm, and the power consumption is about 1.5 watts per meter, which is incomparable with the duralights on incandescent lamps.

In comparison with incandescent lamps, LEDs give an even saturated color, bright glow, while there is almost no heating, which makes LED duralight much safer than ordinary lamp duralight, more economical and more durable.

Connection and installation of LED - duralight

The LED duralight is connected to the network from one end of the cord segment using a special adapter sleeve, while the other end is closed with a plug. A conventional bridge rectifier serves as an adapter. It is possible to combine several sections using couplings.

In order to build up a garland cord or connect in case of repair, pin connectors are used, the connection is sealed and, we will tell you more about this below.

What you need to connect

To turn on the duralight cord, you need to use a special adapter designed for a certain length. It is a conventional rectifier -. The length for connecting the cord depends on its power. Typical lengths for connecting to most adapters are from 50 to 100 meters.

In addition to the adapter, you need connectors, both for connecting power to the cord, and for connecting several pieces or for connecting branches. Typical types of connectors are shown below.

In addition, you will need mounting brackets and duralight plugs. They are shown at the bottom of the previous figure.

Make sure that both the adapter and the connectors are suitable for your duralight, both in shape (flat and round) and in the number of cores, for example, below is the connector from the power adapter for a 5-core cord.

As already mentioned, to connect the duralight in flickering mode (chasing), you will need a controller. They differ in the number of channels, respectively, there are so many channels in the controller and there may be wires in the duralayite which it can supply.

Controllers for a two-wire duralight provide simple blinking, blinking and smooth switching on, followed by switching off the entire garland.

Models for three-core cords already allow you to alternately connect the cores, thus simulating the effect of rain or overflowing colors. The figure below shows that such a controller has three pins in the connector.

You will get a great visual effect by using a five-wire cord with a controller like the one shown below.

Connection diagram

Depending on the number of cores, each of them has a certain polarity of connection. Since the duralight garland is powered by a rectified pulsating voltage, it must be remembered that the polarity of the connection is important - plus and minus.

If you plug in the cord and it is off, unplug it immediately to avoid damage, and flip the connector 180 degrees.

In the picture below, you can see the pinouts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the conductor duralight, both flat and round.

It is desirable to connect pieces of equal power. A special plug is put on the end that is free from the connection. In the manufacture of decorative frame structures, wire or metal tape is used. Special guides will enhance the brightness of the duralight.

Installation rules

Before you start working with the duralight, read the rules for its installation. Remember that it operates on rectified 220 volts. This means that the peak voltage reaches 310 volts !!! Therefore, we have made for you a selection of tips or an algorithm for installing a 220V LED cord.

1. Cut the cord only when unplugged - otherwise you may create a short circuit.

2. Make a cut only at the specially designated marks, otherwise the section will not work.

3. Fill the connecting connectors and power supply connectors with sealant, silicone or glue, you can also additionally protect the joint with a heat-shrinkable tube. This is especially important if the backlight will be used outdoors.

4. Avoid mechanical stress on the connectors, remember they can come loose.

5. Put a plug on the end of the garland - this will save you from electric shock if you suddenly touch it. Also seal it as described above.

6. It is advisable to place the backlight out of the reach of children and animals.

Nuances when working with duralight

The coiled coil of duralight cannot be connected to the network for a long time, as this will cause excessive heating. However, before starting the installation, the entire cord is checked by plugging it into the network. The contacts must be dry.

Duralight can be cut only by marks, by multiples of lengths. Mount - only in the off state, turn on - only after the installation is completed. Unused contacts must be protected with plugs. The joints with couplings must not be strongly deformed, bent.

The use of heat shrink tubing to improve insulation is encouraged. It is allowed to combine pieces of equal size in terms of specific power, designed for the same voltage. Observe polarity!

Ensure normal heat exchange, do not cover the duralight with metal objects. The supply voltage must correspond to the nameplate for this duralight. Damaged pieces must be removed from the chain. Power supply - only with rectified voltage.

Conclusion

The LED cord can be used both indoors and outdoors. This is a convenient solution for lighting or festive illumination. The advantage of the LED strip is that it works from a conventional diode bridge, that is, from a rectified voltage from a 220V network.

At the same time, there are tips on the Internet that using duralight you can organize lighting for the pool. Of course, if all safety measures are followed, this can be done, but remember - the high voltage power has not gone anywhere, and this is extremely dangerous. For such purposes, a 12V LED strip with dust and moisture protection is ideal.

To organize the lighting along the contour, secondary lighting, inscriptions and decorations; for the implementation of all of the above, duralight is best suited at the moment. The idea of hiding lighting elements in a transparent tube to protect them from moisture, mechanical damage and for ease of installation is not new, but only with the advent of duralight, it became possible to perform such an installation quite simply and without undue effort.

Duralight is an assembly of incandescent lamps or diodes in rulers on a flexible board, they are combined into long cords, where each store of lamps is connected in parallel to a single power bus.

Main technical characteristics:

Protection degree - IP44;
Service life - 25,000 hours for incandescent lamps. 100,000 hours for LEDs;
Section - round, rectangular from 5 mm;
Insulation material - PVC;
Resistant to vibrations and ultraviolet radiation;
Power consumption is on average 15-25 W per one meter.

All duralights are divided into two main types: fixing and chasing.

Fixing is a duralight, in which all lamps are powered from a single power bus, and the entire cord has only two power outlets, in which one wire is a neutral, and the other is the power channel itself. Naturally, all the elements light up at the same time, and there is no way to control them separately. The only control option is to control the brightness using the appropriate controller.

Chasing is a more massive version of duralight, in which even elements of one whole group are connected to one normal and several channels in a certain alternation. Power is supplied through several pins, where one is normal, and all the others are channels.

Chasing allows you to implement garlands with sequential or arbitrary inclusion of elements, the organization of running lights or other light and music. The control is carried out by means of an appropriate controller capable of covering all duralight channels.

Typically, such light cords are slightly wider than fixings and therefore require more space in the niches for installation.

There is another notable product on the market - flexible neon that you can read about. However, unlike duralight, it is not able to produce sufficient light intensity for backlighting, but it glows completely evenly. Flexible neon is only able to indicate the contours of an object, and is clearly visible only in poor lighting conditions or in the dark. Duralight gives out a powerful luminous flux, moreover, both with and with LEDs, and can play the role of a lighting device. Its glow will be well discernible both day and night. So the choice of one or another glowing cord, it is important to accurately outline the requirements for the product, depending on the installation location and the desired effect.

Where is duralight used and how to choose the right one

Due to the high protection IP44, the duralight can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is not afraid of moisture and is sufficiently resistant to mechanical stress. It will not break or break from the wind. A polymer jacket, usually PVC, provides flexibility and protection along its entire length.

The installation method is extremely simple, the connecting elements have in their list splitters for parallel connection of sections of the glowing cord.

Having such technical characteristics, duralight is perfect for forming, decorating building facades, lighting niches, stands, ceilings. In the interior, it is perfect for highlighting the contours in multi-level ceilings, niches in the walls, stairwells or the formation of decorative elements. The brightest and most festive way to use is, of course, the creation of bright and spectacular garlands on trees, buildings, etc. Especially when it comes to controllable chasing.

Duralight Christmas decorations

It is easier to use a fixing for illumination, it is cheaper and easier to install, and takes up less space. LED duralights have gained great popularity, which, unlike incandescent lamps, do not heat up. Read about the advantages of LEDs. In addition, diode duralights can be made both in a round and in a flat design, which allows you to mount the tape in various ways. In the simplest version, the power supply of the duralight is presented in the form of a small adapter designed for power supply from a 220 V network and an output corresponding to the light cord. It is easier to hide it than a power supply unit from diode tapes.

It is reasonable to use chasing only where it is really necessary to use, for example, or change the color of the duralight if LEDs are used.

It is worth remembering that tubes with incandescent lamps cannot change their glow color, it depends only on the color of the tube itself, diodes in this regard are much more practical and even look better. The tube is always used transparent, and the color depends on the diodes themselves.

All duralights are equal in degree of protection IP44. Therefore, you can choose a more reliable one only among different manufacturers, counting on the best workmanship. Duralight can be used in a wide temperature range from -40 to +70. Incandescent lamps are still more responsive to temperature changes and heat up by themselves, therefore the upper limit is lower in practice.

What you need to connect duralight

The special charm of duralight is in the simplicity of its connection and installation. For these products, the corresponding fasteners, power elements, wires, adapters, etc. are already provided. It is best to naturally purchase duralight and all related items from one manufacturer for full compliance.

In the simplest version, to install the duralight you will need:

Construction knife or side cutters;
Duralight;
Power cord with adapter;
Connector, power contacts;
Plug;
Mounts;
Silicone glue or any other waterproof.

The light cord is structurally divided only into segments of 1, 2 or 4 meters, but not less. In this it is inferior, for example, to an LED strip, where you can divide a strip of 3-5 elements (2-10 cm). On the duralay itself, the places where they can be divided are marked with a cross line and a scissors icon.

Controller for connecting duralight

Duralight connection process

On a flat hard surface with a knife, the common cord is cut into the desired pieces. In this case, the cut should be even and perpendicular to the axis of the cord. It is unnecessary to expose the wires or solder in the future, but it is desirable that the site be as even as possible.

It is checked that all the wires of the power bus that go out to the end are cut neatly and do not diverge to the sides, are not tattered.

The connector is a plastic plate, into which metal pins with thinning at the ends are inserted, while they hold onto their middle with plastic and stick out in both directions. Usually on the plastic there are sides or edging of the appropriate diameter for the used duralight. The pins are inserted into the cord all the way so that each contact falls between the veins of each power supply wiring.

The power cord for the duralight already has a corresponding connector, with a mating connector for the pins installed in the cord. There is also a shell, a protective casing, which is put on the joint. So all that remains is to connect the power cable and the light cable. It is advisable to additionally protect and glue the junction where the protective casing is on the duralight.

Duralight connection

More often, controllers for duralight have their own power adapter unit, and therefore the installation is performed as described above. Otherwise, the controller is inserted between the power adapter and the light cord using connectors.

On the back of the cord, there is an end with exposed power bus wires. An appropriate plug is put on it, tightly fitting to the body of the cord. For reliability, again, it is better to use glue for reliability. After that, you can fix the cord in the prepared niche using fasteners. They wrap around the cord and have a screw eyelet.

Precautionary measures

The duralight is actually powered with a voltage of 220 V. The adapter only converts it from AC to DC voltage required to power the elements. So the safety precautions are the same as when working with high voltage, this concerns the moment of checking the operability and installation, ensuring the tightness of the connections.

The cord can bend quite strongly, however, the recommended bending radius is 5-6 diameters of the duralight itself. It is forbidden to bend at a right angle, as well as spoil the outer sheath, cut or strip some of the wires, mount in places where it can rub against the enclosing structures. When damaged areas of the shell are found, the corresponding piece from mark to mark is cut out and replaced with a new one.

In contact with

I. Connecting the duralight to the AC mains.

1. Any duralight has a minimum section marked with symbols (if you did not find such a mark on the cord itself, look at the instructions in the product passport or contact the supplier)
2. The cut of the flexible cord of the LED duralight is allowed only according to special marks (or according to the frequency of cutting). Use a cutting knife or sharp scissors to cut.

3. Bend the duralight first in one direction and then in the other. The protruding sections of the wire should be carefully cut off with a pair of wire cutters to the level of the cord sheath. This is done so that a short circuit does not occur during the installation work of the light cord.

4. To avoid electric shock or moisture ingress, be sure to close the free ends of the duralight.

5. If it is necessary to connect two equivalent types of duralight, use.

6. If you use mounting system No. 1, then the finished connection of two sections of the duralight must be fixed with screwed plastic nuts.

7. In order to make constructions of free design, the duralight is fixed on a metal base - it can be a stiff thick wire, a small metal tape, etc.

8. To enhance the brightness of the duralight glow, special "guides" are used.

II. Duralight connection to the controller.

In addition to constant glow LED duralight, you can also purchase LED duralight chasing, the glow of which can be controlled using special controllers.

How to connect LED duralight chasing? What duralight connection diagram is used in this case?

To connect the duralight chasing to the LED controller, you need the following components: contact, cord and plug. Duralight connection is carried out directly with the controller. At the same time, the LED duralight is also powered through this controller (which, in turn, is connected to a 220V network).

There are several options for LED controllers for duralight. Depending on the type of duralight light cord (round, flat) and size, duralight can be equipped with various controllers. There are two main types of LED controllers - 100 meters and 20 meters, which are connected to a 220V network. To connect two pieces of duralight, use a coupling, a cord with a plug and a plug on the free end of the duralight for additional protection against moisture ingress. Care must be taken to ensure that the clutch and duralight contacts are correctly aligned and connected. All duralight connections begin only from the point where the cord is cut. In the future, after putting the plug on the free end of the duralight cord, the final installation of the duralight is performed using staples, clips or a special plastic guide.

To connect a duralight bay and a 100-meter controller, the following action scheme is required:

1. Checking the performance of the duralight light cord. To do this, the duralight is connected to a standard electrical network using the power cord included in the kit.
2. Connecting the power wire of the duralight: it must be cut off from the side where the connector is located, immediately after the square or oval rectifier.
3. Stripping three multi-colored duralight wires - blue, yellow, brown.
4. Determination of the common current-carrying wire among these three and its connection to the controller (white terminal).
5. Other contacts are connected to red terminals, the connection sequence is not important.
6. Final connection of the dyuralayt to the network, adjustment of special effects programs using the power switch.