DIY LED strip repair for 220 volts

LED strips are widely used in decorative lighting and functional lighting, but from time to time they fail completely or partially, in this regard, it becomes necessary to repair or replace them. It is often possible to do only by replacing a small section of it, which will reduce repair costs. In this article, we will look at typical problems with a Led strip.

Before proceeding, I note that the main emphasis will be on common tapes with 12V power supply, 24V tapes are similar in design, and at the end, the features of repairing network (220V) tapes will be considered.

Design

Before considering the malfunctions, you need to figure out what the LED strip consists of and why it is flexible. The led strip can be divided into two parts:

LEDs and current limiting resistors.

On one side, the flexible PCB is coated with an adhesive.

On the second side there is a metallized layer - conductive tracks. They are made in the form of thin copper strips. SMD LEDs and current limiting resistors are soldered onto the conductive tracks.

The front side can be painted white, then the tracks are not visible, they can be seen by close examination of the structure of the tape.

If we are talking about white LEDs, then a voltage of about 3V is needed for their glow, and the tape is powered by 12, how is this done? The tape consists of segments of three LEDs connected in series and 1 or more resistors.

For the operation of three series-connected LEDs, 8.5-9.5V is needed, the resistors are selected in such a way as to provide the rated current of the LEDs and burn off an extra couple of volts. Each such segment operates on a 12V voltage.

In the tape, such segments of three LEDs are connected in parallel. Therefore, it can be cut in specially marked places to any length. The cut is where the two segments meet.

Such a tape is connected to a household power supply with a voltage of 220V AC using a power supply, usually a pulsed one with an output voltage of 12V DC.

Now that you know what an LED strip is made of, let's move on to troubleshooting.

Fault # 1 - the entire tape does not burn

If, when turning on the power, it turned out that the tape does not glow at all, then you need to first of all make sure: is the power supply plugged into the outlet? Then check if there is voltage in the outlet, it is better to do this with a test lamp or a multimeter.

If you check with an indicator screwdriver, then the maximum that you can find out is the presence of a phase, and there may be no zero. Another option is to check with a two-wire voltage indicator.

If the outlet is working properly, we check if the wire through which 220V is supplied to the power supply unit is intact. To do this, measure the voltage or check its presence with a test lamp on the terminals of the power supply to which it is connected, usually these terminals are designated by the letters L (line) and N (neutral), or by the sign “

If there is voltage, then we check the 12V voltage at the output of the power supply, again with a multimeter or a 12V control lamp, for example, from the side lights of a car, as an option - with a piece of a known good LED strip.

If there is no voltage, then you need to replace or repair the power supply for the LED strip, the procedure for diagnosing and repairing it was described in the article earlier.

If there is voltage, you need to check the condition of the wire and whether there is voltage on the tape.If there is no voltage at the contacts where the wire is connected to the tape, then the wire is probably damaged, you need to either replace it, or find the damage and restore its integrity.

If the voltage comes to the tape, you need to check the quality of the contact between the wire and the contact pad of the tape. The wire can be soldered, then check the quality of the soldering, it is better to solder again, since with the visible integrity of the soldering, there may be no contact.

Or a terminal block can be used to connect the LED strip, then you need to check if there is contact between the spring-loaded plate and the contact pad, it may have oxidized, then it needs to be cleaned of oxide and the structure should work.

If this does not help, the problem is in the ribbon, or rather in the flexible printed circuit board. Since the tape is not completely lit, it would be logical to conclude that the track in the first segment has burned out. To check this, you can apply power to the terminals of the second or third tape segments, and so on until it lights up. To do this, you can choose one of the options:

1. Apply power by bridging the positive contact pads with metal tweezers from those to which the power wire is connected to those that are at the junction of the first and subsequent segments. Most likely, one track burned out - plus or minus, it is unlikely that both could burn out at the same time.

2. Solder the jumper or the power wires themselves to the subsequent segments.

3. Supply power from a 12V battery, suitable from an uninterruptible power supply or auto-moto equipment.

If the tape has a protective silica coating to supply power to the contact pads, the coating must be cut or pierced with a needle.

Having localized the burnt-out area, it must be replaced by joining a new piece of tape with the remaining one.

The tracks might not have burned out, but they might have been torn. The LED strip, like cable products, has such a parameter as a minimum bend radius, due to the class of flexibility. Usually about 5cm. This is especially important if the tape is mounted in such a way that it wraps around a thin pipe.

Fault # 1.2 - the tape burns to the middle

This is a special case of the situation described above. The reason is the same - a track burned out in one of the segments. The methods for diagnosing and repairing the LED strip are the same - supply power to the sections of the strip located after the place that has failed.

Fault # 2 - all or part of the tape is flickering

The entire ribbon flickering can be caused by:

1. Problems with the power supply. You need to make sure that it is working properly either by connecting the tape to a known good voltage source, or to the battery. Or, on the contrary, you can connect a known-good tape or light bulb to the power supply.

2. If the power supply is normal, then you need to make sure the quality of the contact between its terminals and the 12V wires of the LED backlight power supply. Then check the connection of the supply wires and the tape itself.

3. If this turned out to be normal, then check the condition of the tape by applying power to the other contact pads, as described above. If you manage to find a problem area, you need to replace it.

4. The LEDs may have simply run out of service due to aging, overheating, or improper power supply. Then the entire tape needs to be replaced.

Fault # 3 - one or more pieces of LED strip are off or flickering

Individual segments may shine poorly, flicker, or even go out altogether. This can happen because a resistor or one of the LEDs in the series connected circuit is burnt out or damaged. For the same reason, an increased brightness of a separate area can be observed. Perhaps the elements are normal, but the problems, again, are with the flexible printed paths of the board.

It is best to cut out such a site immediately and replace it with a serviceable one.

220V tape - three main differences

With a tape designed for mains power, everything is the same except for a few factors:

1. The multiplicity of the tape cut is different - 50, 100 cm.

2.Since all LED technology operates on direct current, a full-wave mains voltage rectifier is used to power the network tape - a diode bridge, usually installed near the plug in a small box. It can also fail - any one designed for a voltage of more than 400 V is suitable for replacement.

3. The rectified voltage reaches 310 Volts, do not climb with your bare hands to the tape connected to the network.

Conclusion - three main issues: quality, installation and power supplies

Tapes or their fragments often burn out without modifying the declared resource. Although LEDs can shine for 30,000 thousand hours, this number is significantly reduced if the rules for working with them are not followed. Let's summarize:

1. In cheap tapes - cheap LEDs, they shine worse, get hotter and go out faster. By the way, LEDs are catastrophically afraid of exceeding the maximum permissible operating temperature, it is better that it does not go beyond 50-60 degrees.

2. Incorrect wiring leads to overheating of the LEDs and damage to the tracks. Too tight gluing of the tape leads to the fact that the whole structure heats up more. It is necessary to leave a small gap between the adjacent strips of tape, at least 1-3 of its width.

Also, do not forget that bending of the tape with a radius of less than 5 cm should not be allowed. Moreover, avoid fractures at right angles and sharper. It is better to cut the tape, glue it to the surfaces, and make a connection at their corner, either by soldering or by clamping.

3. Do not exceed the rated supply voltage. Better, on the contrary, lower it from 12 to 11.5 - 11.7V. This can be done by rotating the trimmer, usually located near the wire terminals. The increased voltage also entails an increased current, which will heat up the LEDs, the consequences are described above.

To power the LED strip from a regular household AC 220V 50Hz network, three conditions must be met:

• convert the alternating voltage of the network to direct;
• equalize the voltage levels: reduce the mains voltage to 12V or change the LED connection scheme so that high voltage can be applied to them;
• stabilize the parameters of the electric power supply.

The easiest way is to use a ready-made power supply for a 12V LED strip, it is designed for a safe voltage. But there are also disadvantages to using this power supply unit: it costs money and it is not so easy to assemble it, in addition, due to the low voltage, the LED strips should not be located far from the power supply unit; thick wires will have to be used to compensate for voltage losses.

The second option is to remake the LED strip and use serial instead of serial-parallel connection of LEDs.
With this switching scheme, the LED assembly is powered by a low current, but at a high voltage. In addition, if you sacrifice galvanic isolation, then the power driver circuit is greatly simplified.
Attention. Circuits without galvanic isolation from the mains can be used where there is no danger of electric shock, for example, in a dry room on the ceiling.

The most interesting thing is that the circuit of such a driver can be made from parts of an energy-saving light bulb that has served its life!

Consider connecting the LED strip to a 220V network, the diagram is shown in the figure.

Table of nominal values ​​of circuit elements:

• C1 - 2.2 μF 400 V
• R1 - 1.3 kOhm
• R2 - 4.3 kOhm
• R3 - 47 Ohm
• VD1 .. VD4 - 1N4007
• VT1, VT2 - 13002

Three nodes can be distinguished on the diagram:

• AC voltage rectifier and filter on elements C1, R1, VD1 - VD4;
• current stabilizer on R2, R3, VT1, VT2;
• assembly of LEDs HL1 - HLN.

You can read about the work of the rectifier here. In this circuit, in addition to a diode bridge of 4 diodes, a current-limiting resistor R1 is added to protect against current surges, a filter capacitor C1.
When a 220V / 50Hz mains voltage is applied to the input of this rectifier, a constant voltage of about 300V with a ripple of 100Hz appears at the output of the rectifier (on capacitor C1). The larger the capacitance of the capacitor, the less the ripple will be.

LEDs require a constant current supply, often they are supplied with a stabilized voltage through a current limiting resistor, for example, as in LED strips. But why should we make any compromises when making a current regulator that operates at high voltages is easier than a voltage regulator. The operation of the current stabilizer circuit was considered here.

And the last element is the sequential assembly of LEDs from a strip. A standard LED strip is assembled in a pattern of three LEDs in series and one current limiting resistor. Such a section is connected in parallel to a heap of other similar sections and all this is connected to 12 V. The voltage drops from 3.3 V to 3.6 V on each diode, so about one and a half volts remains on the current-limiting resistor.

To increase the voltage, we turn on the sections of three diodes in series with each other, and the resistors can be evaporated, short-circuited or replaced with jumpers, i.e. as it will be more convenient from the point of view of topology.
Attention. Observe the polarity, if an error in the polarity of the LED connection at this voltage will be fatal for the LED.

The current that flows through the three LEDs can be roughly calculated by dividing one and a half Volts by the resistance of the current-limiting resistor. That is, with a resistance of 150 ohms, the current through the LEDs will be 10 mA.

It was such a tape with 10 mA LEDs that I came across, for which the driver parameters were calculated. If you need to reduce the current, you will have to proportionally increase the value of the resistance of the resistor R3.

With a mains voltage of 220 V, the described circuit is capable of providing a series connection of up to 25 groups of three diodes or 75 single diodes. If the voltage in the network is often low, then it is better to reduce the number of LED groups to 20 or even 15.

And here is the board from an energy-saving honey, from where you can get the necessary radioelements.

The light bulb was broken, and the board remained in working order.

By the way, the polarity of connecting the diodes, the terminals of the transistors can be drawn directly from this board, everything that is needed is marked there.
We extract elements from this board and assemble a new circuit. The photo shows that transistors in a low-power TO-92 package will not dissipate more than 600 mW of power. And the total power of the circuit with such a transistor will not allow more than a couple of watts to be delivered to the load. If you need to assemble a circuit for a more powerful load, then the VT2 transistor should be in a more powerful case and preferably with a radiator.

Connecting LED strip to a 220V network diagram: 2 comments

Using a CFL board, you can do without a vegetable garden with cutting the tape into small pieces and soldering them, straightening the voltage, etc., and without hemorrhoids with a continuity in case of failure of one piece. Not to mention the lack of galvanic isolation from the network, which is generally unacceptable for use by untrained people. We just use the ballast as a pulsed power supply.

1. The capacitor connected only to the 2 terminals of the lamp, as well as the (burnt out) lamp itself, is removed. The connection points of its other 2 outputs are closed with a jumper.

2. We turn the choke into a transformer. Why do we drink it, throw it into a container with water, bring it to a boil, take it out, disassemble it. We isolate the existing winding, wind the second one over it (10..20 vit, d 0.3..0.5, it is better to twist from several thinner ones).

3. Putting the trance together, soldering the primary to the board with short wires. To the secondary, the rectifier is a bridge made of high-frequency diodes and 470..1000 uF x 25..35V, with a load of the required power (for example, a 12V autolamp). Consistently with the ballast, we cling to a 220V 40..60W lamp (incandescent) in case of installation errors. We turn on for a short time.If the small lamp is on and the big one is not, continue. Otherwise, we are looking for an installation error, or a malfunction on the ballast board.

4. Remove the large lamp, connect the voltmeter to the small one. We turn on for a short time, measure the voltage. We correct the number of turns of the secondary, measure again. If we have achieved 11..13.5V, we connect as a load that piece of tape that we will power from our device. We measure the voltage, adjust the turns if necessary.

5. We isolate the secondary, assemble the trance on glue, and seal it in place. We also remove the rectifier.

6. Cut the tape into an EVEN number of pieces, connect in TWO parallel groups - in each of them "+" to "+", "-" to "-". And the groups are parallel to each other, on the contrary - "+" of the 1st to the "-" of the second. We connect the resulting "sandwich" to the secondary. We check, we finally assemble the structure.

LEDs work perfectly during breaks due to the counter-parallel connection, each group at its own half-wave, and protecting each other from reverse voltage. To eliminate flickering at 50Hz, change the filter capacitor (usually 1mkF x 450V) by 5..20uF (1..2uF per 1W of load power). It is also advisable to replace the transistors on the ballast board (usually MJE13001) with more powerful ones (MJE13005, MJE13007, or in the cr. Sl. MJE13003), at least for the time of adjustment. If the power consumed by the tape exceeds 70% of the declared lamp power - be sure.

Naturally, when repeating the design with the same ballast and slightly different load, it is not necessary to select the turns again. In the presence of an HF voltmeter, a rectifier is not needed either.

Thus, I transferred more than a dozen table lamps with burned U-shaped 6 / 9W LL to LEDs, simply by gluing pieces of tape, respectively. lengths to the standard reflector over its entire width. Those who wish to repeat: do not use hot melt glue, they get quite hot during prolonged use!

Isn't R2 the other end to be connected to "+" in the diagram? And then the resistor will burn out according to your circuit.

From time to time, questions come to the mail regarding the LED strip operating directly from 220 volts. Site visitors are wondering about the real existence of such a product. In order to fully disclose the topic and give answers to all possible questions, we decided to write an article that will give detailed answers about the 220 V LED strip: types, choice, connection.

The 220 Volt LED strip consists of SMD LEDs designed to operate from 220 Volts. The LEDs on the tape are divided into groups of 60, so you can see the resistances that limit the excess voltage. The LEDs installed on the SMD tape are not designed to operate directly from a 220 Volt network. We need a converter. Depending on the type, it can be sold in a certain length with or without a rectifier by the meter.

Do not try to connect a 220V LED strip directly to a 220V network. It will fail, tk. not designed for the job.

The principle of operation is as follows. A converted voltage of about 200 volts is applied to the LED strip through a rectifier (diode bridge), and it begins to emit light. It's all!

There is no step-down transformer and smoothing filter!

220 Volt LED strips are widely used in business, where they are used as lighting and illumination of billboards, banners, signboards and other elements of advertising and attracting attention.

They gained popularity due to the following factors:

• simplicity,
• not a high price,
• reliability,
• efficiency.

The cost was reduced due to the implementation of operation from the 220 network. Expensive and environmentally-affected, expensive elements (power supply) were excluded from the power circuit, leaving only the diode bridge in the circuit.

The reduction in price entailed not only pluses, but also minuses. It is not recommended to use such tapes in rooms where people are constantly present.The voltage after the rectifier is pulsed with a frequency of 100 Hz. The emitted light flickers at this frequency. The human eye is not able to see this, but such light affects the nervous system and the brain in a negative way. We recommend reading an interesting article about the dangers of LED lamps to broaden your horizons.

Do not use a 220 Volt LED strip in residential premises, at home, as well as in places with a constant presence of people.

Many people know that the problem is solved by adding a smoothing filter (capacitor) to the circuit. But, this will entail a number of disadvantages:

• rise in price,
• increase in size,
• increasing the converted voltage to 280 volts.

All these disadvantages turn a 220 Volt LED strip into a useless device, so it is designed to work through a rectifier and is recommended for use in places without a constant presence of a person, for example, a house facade.

Separation according to the food scheme. On sale you can find two versions of LED strips for 220 Volts:

• with a rectifier divisible by 50 cm or 1 meter (0.5 m; 1 m, etc.),
• without a rectifier, in a coil, the required length is cut off (also in multiples of 50 cm or 1 meter), and the rectifier is connected separately.

Why is the tape cut at 50 cm? Above, we have already said that the LEDs on it are divided into 60 pieces. So, these 60 pieces are located on a segment of 50 cm or 1 meter, depending on the density of the LEDs. This is a production feature and is applicable to all 220V tapes. It is worth noting that you cannot cut off a piece of 40 or 90 cm!

Rarely, but still there are tapes with a cutting line of 200 cm (2 meters).

Division by protection class. In terms of protection against dust and moisture, they are no different from their low-voltage counterparts and have the same classification. The most common:

1. IP 67 - such protection will protect a person from touching live parts.
2. IP 68 - silicone tube, waterproof. Suitable for use in very humid rooms, including baths, saunas or outdoors.

We recommend watching an interesting video, the author of which tells about a sealed (IP 68) 220V tape powered by SMD 5050 LEDs with a density of 60 pieces per meter.

Practice shows that the use of 220V LED strip is practical in an aggressive environment: street, rain, wind, snow, temperature extremes, cold, heat. All these conditions the led strip can withstand and work for a long time.

It should be noted that the self-adhesive tape does not hold well in frost and moisture, so it is worth attaching it additionally to special brackets.

By types of LEDs. This is also the case. The division can be carried out according to the type of SMD LEDs. On sale you can find strips on SMD LED:

3528 and 5050 are the most common in Russia, they can be bought in any large store. Less often, but still appearing on sale on SMD 5630 LEDs. Chinese products are of poor quality, so it is better to refrain from purchasing them.

Also, LED strip 220 can be on a rigid base or flexible glue. The first is often used by amateurs with crazy handles to make lamps or modules.

You can also separate by color, there are one-color: white, red, blue, green, yellow and multi-color - on RGB LEDs.

To change the glow level of the LED strip to 220v, you need to use a dimmer. To control the brightness of a multicolor RGB LED strip, you will need a special controller, you can't do without it.

The main difference lies in the power supply scheme. Power quality affects the light emitted because the tape is powered "almost" directly from the network, without a voltage stabilization unit. Reduced voltage in the network reduces the level of glow of the LEDs of the strip, increased reduces its service life. This is also a minus. We cannot influence this in any way, becauseaccording to GOST, the voltage in the network can be in the range from 190 to 240 volts.

If the voltage in the network where you use the LED strip is 240V or more, use a voltage stabilizer. It will significantly extend the service life.

Low luminous efficiency due to low voltage in the network will not lead to failure of the tape, and, on the contrary, will extend its service life. However, low light output can also be a problem. You can solve the problem by including a stabilizer in the connection diagram.

Take note of the length. If you are going to mount the tape around the perimeter of the room, then you may end up with tails that cannot be gotten rid of. the tape cut is at least 0.5 meters.

Anyone who is able to replace the switch in the house with their own hands can connect a 220-volt LED strip. Above, it has been said more than once that a rectifier (aka a diode bridge) is needed to connect. It is better to buy it immediately with the tape in the store, the sales assistant will help you make the right choice.

When choosing a rectifier, pay attention to its power, it should not be less than the power consumed by the tape. For example, to connect a low-power tape 100 meters long, a 700 Watt rectifier is required. The same bridge can power a powerful tape 40 meters long.

Those who want to save money can make a straightener with their own hands. To do this, you need to solder 4 LEDs according to the diode bridge circuit. If you are not familiar with this, then you can buy a ready-made diode bridge, solder wires to it and place it in a homemade case.

1. Cut the tape to the desired length.
2. We securely seal one end with a plug. If there is none, then we use glue or sealant.
3. We connect the other end to the rectifier using a special connector
4. We also reliably seal the connection.
5. We connect the led strip to the 220 network.

Carefully check all connections, they must be properly sealed to avoid moisture ingress or, even worse, electric shock to a person.

Throughout the article, we have noticed the main pros and cons of using a 220-volt LED strip. Let us mark them again with a small list, summing up the results.

• no power supply needed. Powered by a conventional matchbox-sized rectifier,
• low amperage. You do not need to use thick wires for connection - cost savings and ease of installation,
• length up to 100 meters in one piece.

• flicker at 100 Hz. The main disadvantage, because because of this, it cannot be used in a room with the constant presence of a person,
• not being repaired. After the repair, the tightness will be broken, which excludes its further use due to high voltage.
• DANGEROUSLY! Still, high voltage raises concerns during operation, because can harm a person if safety rules are not followed.
• The multiplicity of the cut is not less than 0.5 meters. It is not always convenient to use such lengths.

Still, a 220-volt LED strip is a functional and practical device that can be used in many ways thanks to the listed advantages. Practice shows that it can be used without problems in an aggressive environment. And power from a homemade rectifier will save you an extra thousand rubles on buying a power supply.

With a variety of lighting devices on the counters of the country, LEDs remain out of competition due to their efficiency and durability. However, a high-quality product is not always purchased, because in a store you cannot disassemble the goods for inspection. And in this case, it is not a fact that everyone will determine from what parts it is assembled. Lamps burn out, and it becomes expensive to buy new ones. The solution is to repair LED lamps with your own hands. This work is within the power of even a novice home craftsman, and the details are inexpensive. Today we will figure out how to check the lighting device, in what cases the product is repaired and how to do it.

LED lighting products have become part of our lives

It is known that LEDs cannot work directly from a 220 V network. To do this, they need additional equipment, which, most often, fails. We will talk about him today. Consider the circuit of an LED driver, without which the operation of the lighting device is impossible. Along the way, we will conduct an educational program for those who do not understand anything in electronics.

The 220V LED lamp driver circuit consists of:

• diode bridge;
• resistances;
• resistors.

The diode bridge serves to rectify the current (converting it from alternating to direct current). On the graph, this looks like a cut-off of a half-wave of a sine wave. Resistances limit current, and capacitors store energy by increasing the frequency. Consider the principle of operation on the circuit of a 220 V LED lamp.

Having understood the principle of operation and the driver circuit, the decision on how to fix a 220V LED lamp will no longer seem difficult. If we talk about high-quality lighting devices, then you should not expect trouble from them. They work for the entire prescribed period and do not fade, although there are "diseases" to which they are also susceptible. Let's talk about how to deal with them.

To make it easier to understand the reasons, we summarize all the data in one common table.

Good to know! Repair of LED fixtures is impossible to carry out indefinitely. It is much easier to eliminate negative factors affecting durability and not to purchase cheap products. Savings today will cost you tomorrow. As economist Adam Smith said, "I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things."

Before you repair an LED lamp with your own hands, pay attention to some details that require less labor. Checking the cartridge and the voltage in it is the first thing to do.

Important! Repair of LED lamps requires a multimeter - without it, it will not be possible to ring the driver elements. A soldering station is also required.

A soldering station is required for the repair of LED chandeliers and lighting fixtures. After all, overheating of their elements leads to failure. The heating temperature during soldering should be no higher than 2600, while the soldering iron heats up more. But there is a way out. We use a piece of copper core with a cross section of 4 mm, which is wound around the tip of the soldering iron with a tight spiral. The more you lengthen the sting, the lower its temperature. Convenient if the multimeter has a thermometer function. In this case, it can be adjusted more precisely.

But before you repair LED spotlights, chandeliers or lamps, you need to determine the cause of the failure.

One of the problems that a novice home craftsman faces is how to disassemble an LED light bulb. To do this, you need an awl, solvent and a syringe with a needle. The diffuser of the LED lamp is glued to the body with a sealant that must be removed. Passing carefully along the edge of the diffuser with an awl, inject the solvent with a syringe. After 2 ÷ 3 minutes, lightly twisting, the diffuser is removed.

Checking the disassembled LED bulb. You shouldn't do this - it's dangerous.

Some lighting fixtures are made without gluing with a sealant. In this case, it is enough to turn the diffuser and remove it from the housing.

Having disassembled the lighting fixture, pay attention to the LED elements. Burned is often identified visually: there are burn marks or black dots on it. Then we change the faulty part and check the functionality. We will describe the replacement in detail in the step-by-step instructions.

If the LED elements are in order, go to the driver. To check the performance of its parts, you need to solder them from the printed circuit board. The value of the resistors (resistances) is indicated on the board, and the parameters of the capacitor are indicated on the case. When dialing with a multimeter in the appropriate modes, there should be no deviations. However, often failed capacitors are determined visually - they swell or burst.The solution is to replace it with a suitable one in terms of technical parameters.

The LED can be ringed with a multimeter without unsoldering from the printed circuit board

Replacing capacitors and resistances, unlike LEDs, is often performed with a conventional soldering iron. In this case, you should be careful not to overheat the nearest contacts and elements.

If you have a soldering station or a hair dryer, this job is simple. It is more difficult to work with a soldering iron, but it is also possible.

Good to know! If there are no working LED elements at hand, you can install a jumper instead of the burnt one. Such a lamp will not work for a long time, but it will be possible to win some time. However, such repairs are made only if the number of elements is more than six. Otherwise, the day is the maximum work of the repair product.

Modern lamps run on SMD LED elements that can be soldered out of an LED strip. But it is worth choosing those that are suitable for technical characteristics. If there are none, it is better to change everything.

Chinese driver - these guys love minimalism

Related article:

For the correct choice of LED devices, you need to know not only the general LED characteristics... Information about modern models, electrical circuits of working devices will come in handy. In this article, you will find answers to these and other practical questions.

If the driver consists of smaller SMD components, use a copper wire soldering iron on the tip. A visual inspection revealed a burnt element - we solder it and select the one that matches the marking. No visible damage is more difficult. We'll have to solder all the details and ring them separately. Having found the burnt one, we change it to a workable one and mount the elements in place. It is convenient to use tweezers for this.

Useful advice! Do not remove all elements from the PCB at the same time. They are similar in appearance, you can later confuse the location. It is better to solder the elements one at a time and, after checking, mount them in place.

Repairing an LED tube in the form of a fluorescent lamp is no different from working with a simple

When installing lighting in rooms with high humidity (bathroom or kitchen), stabilizing power supplies are used, which lower the voltage to a safe one (12 or 24 volts). The stabilizer can fail for several reasons. The main ones are excessive load (power consumption of the luminaires) or the wrong choice of the degree of protection of the unit. Such devices are repaired in specialized services. At home, this is unrealistic without the availability of equipment and knowledge in the field of radio electronics. In this case, the power supply unit will have to be replaced.

The power supply for the LEDs looks like this

Very important! All work on replacing the stabilizing LED power supply is carried out with the voltage removed. Do not rely on the switch - it may be incorrectly wired. The voltage is disconnected in the distribution board of the apartment. Remember that touching live parts with your hand is life-threatening.

You need to pay attention to the technical characteristics of the device - the power must exceed the parameters of the lamps that are powered from it. Having disconnected the failed unit, we connect a new one according to the diagram. It can be found in the technical documentation of the device. This is not difficult - all wires are color-coded, and the contacts are letter designation.

Decoding of IP protection degrees for electrical appliances

Plays the role and degree of protection of the device (IP). For a bathroom, the device must be marked at least IP45.

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In order for the lighting to be stable, and the installed products to serve as long as possible, you should choose the right 12V power supply for LED strip... In this publication, we will consider the types of devices, how to calculate them correctly, how to do it yourself, how to connect, popular models.

If the reason for the flickering of the LED lamp is the failure of the capacitor (it needs to be replaced), then periodic blinking when the light is off is easier to solve. The reason for this "behavior" of the luminaire is the backlight-indicator on the switch key.

The capacitor located in the driver circuit accumulates voltage, and when the limit is reached, it gives out a discharge. The key backlight transmits a small amount of electricity, which does not in any way affect incandescent bulbs or "halogens", but this voltage is enough for the capacitor to start accumulating it. At a certain moment, it gives out a discharge to the LEDs, after which it switches back to accumulation. There are two ways to solve this problem:

1. We take out the key from the switch and turn off the backlight. The method is simple, but indications that add value to the switch are no longer useful.
2. We disassemble the chandelier and change the phase wire with zero places on each cartridge. The method is more complicated, but it retains the functionality of the switch. In the dark, you can see it well, and this is a plus.

Such a switch can cause the LEDs in the device to flash.

Not only LED lamps, but also CFLs are susceptible to flashing. The device of their PRU (starting-regulating device) works on a similar principle, which allows the capacitor to store energy.

Consider an example of a simple LED lamp repair: