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07.03 Soldering LED Strip Lights

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To solder LED strip lights, you will need the following tools and materials:

  • Soldering iron
  • Solder
  • Wire strippers
  • Wire cutters
  • LED strip lights
  • Power and signal wires
  • Heat Shrink tubing

Soldering Resources

Instructions

  1. Cut the LED strip lights to the desired length. Be sure to cut at the designated cut marks on the strip in the middle of the copper solder pads. Make sure there is plenty of copper left on both sides of the cut.
  2. Strip the ends of the power wires. Use the wire strippers to remove about 1/4 inch of insulation from the end of each wire.
  3. Tin the ends of the power wires and the copper pads on the LED strip lights. To do this, heat the copper with the soldering iron and then touch it with a small amount of solder. The solder should melt and flow evenly over the copper.
  4. Slide a piece of heat shrink tubing over each side of the LED strip. It should be long enough to cover the solder pads and exposed wires. Make sure to move it far enough back that it does not begin to shrink from the heat created by the soldering iron.
  5. Solder the power wires to the copper pads on the LED strip lights. Be sure to connect the positive wire to the positive pad and the negative wire to the negative pad. Remove the soldering iron and let the joint cool completely without moving it.
  6. Solder the data wire to the correct copper pad on each side.
  7. Slide the heat shrink tape over the soldered portions of each soldered side.
  8. Use a heat gun to heat up and shrink the heat shrink tubing in place.
  9. Test the LED strip lights. Once the power wires are soldered in place, plug the strip lights into a the correct power source and data source to test them to make sure they work.

Tips

  • Use a soldering iron with a small chisel tip. This will help you to make precise solder joints that heat up quickly so you don’t overheat the pads.
  • Tin and clean the soldering iron tip regularly. This will help to prevent the solder from sticking to the tip.
  • Hold the soldering iron tip in contact with the contact pad and wire for only a few seconds. Overheating the LED strip lights can damage them.
  • Be careful not to touch the hot soldering iron tip or melted solder as it can cause burns.