Before introducing LED strips RGB, first let us have a look at the definitions of LED strips and RGB strips.
What is a LED strip
To make a LED strip, which means a Light Emitting Diode strip, we assemble LEDs on a strip-shaped FPC (flexible circuit board) or PCB hard board. LED light strips can be divided into rigid LED light strips and flexible LED light strips.
What is an RGB strip
RGB light strip means that each LED on the light strip is composed of three chips controlling red, green and blue white. When the three lights emit together, a white light is created. If you add a controller, you can realize the changing colors of red, verde, azul, and white as well as different light effects. RGB strips include marquee lamp strips and RGB strips and both need controllers. The difference is that there are more light effects marquee lamp strips can create than RGB strips. Marquee lamp strips can simulate movements such as chasing, showing, flowing water, and horse racing. While RGB can only provide gradient, breathing, and strobe effects.
The difference between LED strips and RGB strips
LED light strips include monochromatic light strips and RGB light strips. Las tiras de luz monocromáticas no requieren controladores de atenuación, while RGB light strips require them to adjust different light effects. Simply speaking, an RGB light strip is one type of LED light strips that can emit different colors.
Advantages of RGB LED strips
- It is soft and can be curled like a wire. It can be easily installed in complex environments such as building corners.
- Able to be cut and extend. It is very flexible to use, and you don’t need to buy a new one because it is too long or too short.
- Seguro. There is a layer of insulating glue covering the lamp bead and the line that connects the lamp bead, so the waterproof performance is relatively good.
- Fuerte resistencia a la intemperie. It is safe to use the strips outdoors.
- Larga vida útil. LED lights have a long lifespan. Además, the protection of the outer layer of glue can also increase the service life of the circuit.
- Energy saving. The power of LED is low, and the efficiency of converting electric energy into light energy is high.
- Protección ambiental. The materials used in production are all environmentally friendly.
- There are no complicated installation processes and it doesn’t need lots of tools to install. Just plug and then it starts working.
- It can be placed in a variety of shapes, so it can be used in different scenes for the needed shapes.
Classifications of LED strips
LED light strips are very popular lighting products. According to different classification standards, LED light strips can be divided into multiple types. The following are some common classifications of LED strips:
Materials used:
1. LED hard light strip / PCB light strip
LED rigid light strip refers to the mounting of the LED chip group on the PCB hard board. It is called an LED rigid light strip because of its shape. LED hard light strips usually use PCB as the circuit board, and apply SMD or DIP technology for assembly. There is a difference between the two: LEDs assembled by SMD are more stable and not likely to fall off, ensuring the normal use of LED chips; The DIP way of installation is simple and convenient, but the arrangement is not very neat, and it is easy to fall off, resulting in damage to the chips.
LED rigid strip lights can be used in a variety of venues. It can change the splicing method according to different scenes, which is more in line with lighting needs. The use of LED rigid strip lights is inseparable from excellent design. Reasonable use of light strips will make the venue high-end and classy. Actualmente, hoteles, barras, restaurants, and other venues have used rigid strip lights in large quantities.
The low-voltage light bar uses a lower DC input. When installing, you must use a voltage converter. Además, how many transformers are needed depends on the length of the strips. The high-voltage hard light bar can directly connect to household electricity.
2. Flexible LED Strip
LED flexible light strip uses a strip-shaped FPC (flexible circuit board) when assembling. LED flexible light strips are mostly packaged with MAZORCA (Chips on Board) tecnología, so they are also known as COB flexible light strips. Most chips are flip-chip. The chips are firstly bonded on the PCB with solder paste, and then covered by a layer of packaging glue mixed with phosphor powder. Through the reflection and reaction within the packaging colloid, LED emits its light. The colloid emits lights of different colors and temperatures evenly.
Colores:
- Single-color LED strip: can only display one color, usually white, rojo, verde, azul, amarillo, etc.;
- RGB LED strip: it can display three colors, and can achieve various effects by adjusting different color ratios;
- RGBW LED strip: on the basis of the RGB strip, it adds white LED lamp beads to achieve more colors and softer color transition effects;
- RGBWW LED light strip: On the basis of the RGBW light strip, it adds warm white LED lamp beads to create more comfortable lighting.
Voltage:
- 12V low-voltage LED strip: using DC 12V voltage, seguro, suitable for home and office environments;
- 24V low-voltage LED strip: using DC 24V voltage, reliable, suitable for commercial, exhibition, and other environments;
- 220V high-voltage LED light strip: using AC 220V voltage, easy to install, suitable for large-area outdoor lighting.
Packaging methods:
- SMD LED light strips: using surface mounting technology, the LED lamp beads are small and compact, and are suitable for smaller lighting scenes;
- COB LED light strips: using packaging technology, the LED lamp beads are larger and the luminous effect is uniform. They are suitable for larger lighting scenes;
- Filament LED light strips: using LED filament packaging technology, the light is uniform and soft, and are suitable for creative lighting and decoration.
Application scenarios:
- Indoor decorative LED light strips: suitable for indoor lighting decoration in homes, businesses, hoteles, lugares de entretenimiento, etc.;
- Outdoor lighting LED strips: suitable for outdoor lighting scenes such as billboards, building facades, puentes, and landscapes;
- Car LED light strips: suitable for interior and exterior lighting of automobiles, electric vehicles, and other vehicles.
There are many types of LED strips, and the application scenarios are also different. Users can choose the appropriate type of LED strip according to their needs. The above are the common classification methods of LED strips.
How to choose an RGB LED strip
- According to the solder joints
Generalmente, the LED light strips produced by regular manufacturers use SMT chip technology, solder paste, and reflow soldering technology. Por lo tanto, the solder joint shapes of the LED light strip are very smooth. The amount of solder is very small, and they are in the shape of the arc. The inferior LED light strip has uneven solder joints, using many layers to cover the solder feet, which affects the aesthetics.
- According to the quality of FPC
FPC has two types: copper clad and rolled copper. The copper foil of the copper-clad plate is convex outward. As for the rolled copper, it is connected to the FPC and can be bent without the pads falling off. If the copper-clad board is bent, the pads will fall off.
- According to the cleanliness of the surface
The light strips assembled by the SMT process are easy to clean, and impurities and stains are almost invisible on the surface. If the light strip is hand-welded, no matter how the surface is washed, some stains and marks will remain.
- According to the packaging
The light strips of regular manufacturers are packaged in 5-meter or 10-meter anti-static reels, and sealed with anti-static and moisture-proof packaging bags. As for low-quality light strips, they use non-static and moisture-proof packaging bags in order to save costs. So the quality is not guaranteed.
- According to the label
Printed labels on the light strips, packaging bags, and reels produced by regular manufacturers are more meticulous. The labels are printed on a large scale. As for the labels of inferior light strips, the printing is crude, and the parameters are different.
You can learn more through the above content, and choose the right light strips for the decoration style you desire.
How to install the RGB LED strip
The first light strip wiring method: welding method
After purchasing the RGB LED strip, you must first read the relevant parameters of the strip, and judge whether the LED strip is a high-voltage strip or a low-voltage strip. If you buy a low-voltage light strip, you can find the solder joints on the light strip, and then solder the wires to the solder joints. If you purchase a light strip that is of high voltage, you only need to connect the pins of the light strip to the plug, and directly connect the plug to the household power supply. The safety of high-voltage light strips is not as good as that of low-voltage light strips, and the service life of high-voltage light strips will be much shorter. So buying low-voltage light strips is a better choice.
The second light strip wiring method: the terminal wiring method
Some light strips require 12V DC to work, which is safe and energy-saving. Batteries or other 12V DC power sources can directly drive a 12V DC light strip . The LED is unilateral conductive. When installed, the positive and negative electrodes of the light strip should connect to the corresponding electrodes of the power supply, de lo contrario, the light strip will not light up.
The third light strip wiring method: the driver connection method
You need to purchase a constant current driver suitable for the light strip. It can be a capacitive ballast type or a switch type. Connect the two electrodes of the light strip with the two pins of the driver, and then plug the driver into the household power socket to work. This installation method is relatively safe, but the cost is relatively high because the price of the driver is high.
Precautions when installing RGB LED strips
- Do not connect the power supply when the LED light strips are not unpacked or the light strips are entangled, as this will easily generate high temperatures and burn out the light strips.
- When you need to cut the LED light strip, you can only cut the light strip at the place where there is scissors mark, otherwise part of the light strip will not light up.
- When connecting two light strips, the connectors of the light strips should not be left too long, and the connecting wires should not be entangled. This way you can avoid circuit breakage. If the connection is broken, the entire light strip will be burned out.
- The rated working voltage and rated working current of the light strips connected in a series circuit must be the same. The total length of the light strips in a series circuit cannot exceed the maximum length advised by the manufacturer.
- When connecting multiple sections of light strips, you need to keep testing when you finish the installation of one section. This is to ensure that all of them work normally, so you don’t have to reinstall the whole circuit when some parts don’t light up because of installation mistakes.
- A PVC tail plug is necessary to cover the end of the light strip. It needs to be fastened with a tape and then the surroundings of the interface should be sealed with neutral glass glue to ensure safety.
- LEDs are devices with unilateral conductivity. If there are electronic components that convert AC to DC in the connected circuit, you need to do a power-on test after installation to ensure the connection of positive and negative poles of the light strip are correct.
TOP LED Strips RGB Manufacturer in 2023
Philips
Philips is a well-known global lighting brand, headquartered in the Netherlands. It is one of the main manufacturers of LED lights and also produces RGB LED lights. Philips continues to innovate in the professional lighting and consumer lighting markets. The RGB LED strips produced by Philips have a high CRI and are safe to use.
Mokolight
Mokolight is a thriving manufacturer with over 16 años de experiencia en diseño de PCB. Hay 5 líneas SMT automáticas, 3 Líneas DIP, 2 líneas de montaje de lámparas terminadas, y 600 workers in their factory. RGB LED strips made by Mokolight are of high quality, safe to use, and energy-saving. These RGB LED strips have been widely used as indoor and outdoor decorative lighting in houses, barras, hoteles, etc..
Govee
Fundado en 2017, Govee is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development of smart light products. Their RGB LED strips are good at creating light effects so they can provide customized atmospheres to different space.
Nexillumi
Nexillumi produces high-end LED lights and aims to make the lights more energy-saving and easy to use. One of their renowned products is the TV back light strip. It creates various of light effects and is easy to install and control.
Pangton villa
Pangton villa is also a competitive producer of RGB LED strips. They have responsible staffs and a reliable production process. Their RGB LED strips make it possible to plug and use and can bring colorful mood lighting according to customers’ needs.