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Topic: Can't get LED strip lights to work (Read 627 times) previous topic - next topic

Can't get LED strip lights to work

I cannot get these LED strip lights (see the links below) to work as replacements for my 18 inch fluorescent lights, so I have given up. I have wasted six double-ended connectors and about 15 inches of light strips. The connections are just not reliable for me.

Triangle Bulbs T93007 - Waterproof Flexible LED Strip Light, 300 LED's, 3528...

Amazon.com: ZITRADES &reg 2013 Waterproof Version 10pcs 2Pin LED 5050 Single...

So I am looking for replacement fluorescent F15T8/CW connectors as two of the connectors in one of my fixtures is defective and another one is broken. I have not been able to find them online. Does anyone have any of those connectors that they no longer need? I will gladly pay shipping costs. Thanks - Royce

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Royce & Denise, MC #17410
'01 U320 4220 ISM450 Build #5895 SOLD
Toad: '10 Honda CR-V

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. - Gustave Flaubert

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #1 –
Royce, I also found those connectors are not reliable but I have soldered 22 guage wires to the contacts on the strips instead. Just cut the required length and do it on lines so you have 1/2 of a gold connection on each strip. Using a low heat (max 40w) pointed soldering iron fix a drop of solder to that contact and tin the end of each wire. Hold one up to the led contact and just for maybe 2 seconds apply the heat to wire. They should join fine and stay there. Remember to connect the red wire to the + contact on LED and a green wire to the -. It is very important that you check which is positive and negative or they will not work. It shows on the strip every few inches which is which. Connect the wires to circuit with marrets or?
I also do not rely on the adhesive backing but use clear silicone along edges after they are taped on.
JohnH
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #2 –


So I am looking for replacement fluorescent F15T8/CW connectors as two of the connectors in one of my fixtures is defective and another one is broken. I have not been able to find them online. Does anyone have any of those connectors that they no longer need? I will gladly pay shipping costs. Thanks - Royce
[/quote]

On EBay there a seller that goes by rvoutlet that sells the LED F15T8 conversion kits. You can wire them using the light socket or a pigtail wire, also they are directional. Took 12 of them to convert the entire house.
2001 U320 40' IF$ Build #5798
2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Toad
2015 GMC Duramax HD2500 Toad
2014 Polaris RZR 1000
Litchfield Park, AZ- Soon to be Paulden, AZ

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #3 –
What John H. said.  We did the same thing.  ^.^d
Scott & Carol Seibert
2001 42' double slide U320 - Sold
Previous - 2002 36' U320

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #4 –
I ripped the guts out of all our fluorescent lites, removed all the opaque covers except for the ends where I needed to hide the connectors. I first tried the lousy connectors but gave up on them as being unreliable. I soldered speaker wire onto each indicated point on each wire strip, then checked my solder job and verified my polarity. I wiped down the fl reflectors before pressing the LED light strips in place. The 3M adhesive held pretty well until the hot weather arrived. Then the light strips started coming down in a very few places. A dab of Shoe Goo and  pieces of cardboard to hold the lights in place until the Shoe Goo cured and things have been great ever since.
I did use the 600 LED, 15.8 foot long cool white lights and am very pleased with how well they light up the coach. Absolutely love how the meter doesn't even budge when we turn on ALL the LED lights!
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #5 –
I had good results with LED strips from SuperBrightLEDs. They are more expensive than most, but have worked flawlessly for over a year. All connectors worked as designed and adhesive has remained secure.

My recollection is that I used three strips of single LEDs, each about 15" long. Two strips were warm white and one strip was bright (cool) white.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #6 –

Royce,  Don't give up.  Be sure you cut the strip at the right place.  Be sure the end is inserted all the way as you close the connecter.  You might want to squeeze it with a pliers.  Test the lights.  If the crimp-on is good then I will put a piece of heat shrink around it and shrink it up.  Test again.  Go to the  next one.  You can see the copper pads thet the crimp on teeth have to engage. 

These are definitely +/- orientation critical.  If you put the wrong end of the LED strip in the connector, it will not work.

I have about 40 of these connections in my coach.  One quit working.  Some fussing and it is OK again.

If you have to solder which is a very positive way to do it use 18 ga duplex wire.  It is like mini romex. The Ancor is marine grade wire, very high quality.

Amazon.com : Ancor 121910 Marine Grade Electrical Standard Duplex Tinned...

I have all of the fluorescents I took out. If all alse fails I may have parts you can use.

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Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #7 –
The ends you buy for the strips don't work well. Soldering is by far the best way. A 30 watt pencil iron works well with scratching the little copper dots on the strips and then soldering a tiny amount of solder there. Tin the very smallest wires you can find and then make the connection with about only one second with the iron necessary. Strong reading glasses make it MUCH easier. The strips are VERY sensitive to polarity with only one chance for the correct connection. Once you have the action down, it's fun.

The surfaces has to be super clean or they won't stick well. When one end started to sag a bit, I used super glue and have not had a problem years later.

They work well in the closets,  the compartments below and the outside entry light. I used LED spot bulbs for reading lights.

See photos below. The overhead lights have a red strip down the middle for night work.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #8 –

Nice work, Pierce.  I have a very small, adjustable power strain guage soldering iron (from many decades ago) that works great.  Royce has the waterproof strips which have the top of the strip covered with something like silicone. It makes soldering a bit trickier with more to clean off.

Most of the strips from China seem to have pretty useless stick on tape.  I got a big spool of 3/8" wide tape.  It works very well.

JVCC DC-WGT-01 Double Coated Window Glazing Tape: 1/16 in. thick x 3/8 in. x...

So keep at it Royce.  Don't worry about some trial and error, the strips are inexpensive and the results will be very pleasing.  We have replaced all of the lighting inside the coach with LED and added LED lighting to the inside of almost all overhead cabinets and closets.  Magnetic switches turn on the lights when the doors open.  Makes it much easier to find things than it was in the black hole.

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Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #9 –
Roger,

I bought a couple rolls of the waterproof variety with the silicone covering making a bit of a dome over the LEDs. I have a bunch of razor blades (pictured below) so I made a vertical cut across the strip about 1/2" long and the silicone peeled right off exposing the copper "dots" that are already to go with the solder without taking any oxidation off since the covering has kept the air from the copper. Yes the OEM sticky tape is not that good on the strips. Good work on the tape. Link for blades: 100 Pack Industrial Quality Single Edge Utility Blades

Besides the added long strips in the closet, I cut short strips and added them to the small plastic lights.

Good idea for the magnetic switches. Where did you get them and what do they look like?

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #10 –
Don't forget to make sure you have a good ground for the 12v. I had lots of problems until I picked up the negative side to complete the circuit. Its pretty basic but I wasn't smart enough to figure it out until I sat and thought about it. . Once I did that the leds work perfect.
1995 U320 40', 2013 chevy sonic toad, my real love are corvettes have owned 30

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #11 –

I'll have to try the razor blade trick.  I have boxes of razor blades like that. I used NO/NC switches somthat there was no chance of getting the wrong ones. Many on line sellers call them one thing when they are the other. These are small, attach with 3M tape.  They actuate at about 1".  Mine were $3.25.  Look like they are more now.  Look elsewhere or wait. I see prices at Amazon go up and down based on supply quite often.

I put a regular switch in the power line to the door actuated switches so that I can just turn them off independent of the door position.  Having internally lighted cabinets was something I wanted to do for a while. DW sort of rolled her eyes at another hairbrained idea. Now she really likes them.  The pictures are at night for dramatic effect but they help a lot even during the day.

NC NO Door Window Contact Magnetic Reed Switch Alarm 3W 10-20mm - Switch...

Making life easier or better in the coach is always a rewarding project.

Most of my basement bays have LED lighting as well as the entire engine bay around the bed box.  The tech at Cummins thought that was very nice.

These are the best LED bulbs I have found to use in place of halogen G4 base bulbs.

Highest quality and Cheap JRLED G4 3W 130lm 3000K 3-COB LED Warm White Light...

very nice!

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Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #12 –
Thanks to everyone for these hints. I didn't realize that soldering on these tiny pads would be that easy, so I will give it a try.
Royce & Denise, MC #17410
'01 U320 4220 ISM450 Build #5895 SOLD
Toad: '10 Honda CR-V

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. - Gustave Flaubert
 

Re: Can't get LED strip lights to work

Reply #13 –
Royce,

The only tip I can give now is the fact that the leds are heat sensitive with no more that three seconds with a 30 watt pencil iron to get the job done. With tinning the leads and a tiny amount of solder on the copper "dots", it usually takes well under a second to melt the two together. I usually have the soldering iron tip on the wire end and then touch both to the strip copper dot. In an instant, they are bonded.

A small area around where the wires are soldered may have a tendency to lift off the aluminum fixture because of the wires so super glue or alternative is a good idea. I noticed the fixtures were super slick before and after cleaning so giving the aluminum some "tooth" will make the strips stick better.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)