Cutting LED Light Rolls to Length

cloud_dog

Hi

Am planning on building some box shelves and was thinking of embedding a line of LED lights (top and bottom) and linking these with extended wiring behind the plaster board between each of the box shelves.

My query (problem) is that I will obviously need to cut the length of LED light strip to the width of the shelf(s). From what I've read LED light rolls can only be cut a certain, specific points. The smallest I've found (documented) was every 30cm.

My problem is that for the smaller of the box shelves the internal width is 17cm.

Are there any options (lights with smaller gaps) or am I stuck with 30cm as pretty much the smallest available length?

flashg67

Just randomly picked one on ebay - this one says cuttable every 3 leds if I'm reading it right?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-1M-2M-3M-5M-3528-Adhesive-Roll-Strip-Light-With-Connector-12V-Adapter-/141602029230?var=&hash=item20f8237eae:m:mDcMQ-Ryp8jlJs4g9s1kNJQ

Cornucopia

cloud_dog wrote: »

The smallest I've found (documented) was every 30cm.

I've never heard of any with gaps as large as that. Most of the ones I've seen have an LED every 2-3cm, and a cutting point every 3 LEDs.

The issue is that there are resistors in the strip, one per three LEDs, so if you cut it in the wrong place, your final LED(s) will not work.

This video looks helpful:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTRLt-fzTwg

cloud_dog

That's great. Thanks to both of you for your posts.

I didn't bother to note/bookmark the sites with the 30cm information so can't re-confirm if it was accurate or my misunderstanding.

One aspect which may be relevant was that I was looking at multi-coloured strips so it is possible that with RGB strips having 1 LED per colour (3 LEDs) and based on the above (usual) limit of 3 LEDs, making a total of 9 LEDs the minimum length that this may equate to 30cm? OR, for an RGB is the 3 LEDS rule (one per colour) still likely to be the same?

Cornucopia

RGB strips that I've seen use a single RGB LED capable of displaying all colours in one device. ISTR them requiring more complex wiring to convey data down the strip to light different LEDs different colours. I think you can get pre-programmed drivers for them.

The only ones I've seen in 30cm lengths are the ones covered in a hard plastic shell. The ones we're talking about here are flexible strips.

cloud_dog

Cornucopia wrote: »

The only ones I've seen in 30cm lengths are the ones covered in a hard plastic shell. The ones we're talking about here are flexible strips.

Yes. I'm not talking about the hard plastic cased strip lights.

Thanks for the info.