Where do you get them? I’ve been using hippo type clips with pins that penetrate the contact pads. I find they quickly arc/become high resistance and fail.
I think all these solderless LED connection clips are great as when sparks use them and they inevitably fail I get paid to do the job properly. Also that soldering demo was a complete car crash! You should also make sure any silicone you use is non-corrosive.
This looks so simple to connect and use. Regarding the polarity issue, surely the manufacturer could shape the tape to make one side slightly thicker than the other or something similar. Over 20 years ago I was installing ASi cable (also IDC) that negated the possibility of reverse polarity.
Funnily enough I'm currently putting a load of addressable LED stirip onto a restaurant attached to a five star hotel near At Pancras, one of the maintenance guys saw me soldering and asked if I could do a quick LED repair in the hotel, guess what it was one of these clips that has failed, it didn't take all that much longer to solder the joints and put a bit of clear heatshrink with some hot snot over the joint than the clip would have taken in the first place.
There are a number of issues generally with connection of multiple LED tapes sequentially. Rght at the top of the list is current distribution which is UTTER GARBAGE and basically non existent, causing power loss, localised overheating, and reduced lifespan and potential fire risk, even when backplated with aluminium strip! The CORRECT way to connect LED strips of 3 or 4 Leds per 12v section, is to the CENTRES of multiple short strips and NOT to the end of one LONG strip! This is definitely a case of keeping Sparkies with minimal to ZERO electronics knowledge well away from electronics (LEDs)! Current should be split, ideally, such that the MAXIMUM current being shared per "short" strip is
I guess I've found this video too late to find these connectors. I'd need the 3 line or 4 line ones but I still don't see them anywhere on the site linked here. They look awesome for a newbie solderer like myself.
These are not "Insulation displacement" connectors, IDC's are very reliable, widely used in the telecoms/data industry but these DO NOT work in the same way, not even remotely. This is closer to pushing a wire through some tinfoil and hoping it makes a good long term connection.
Spot on. I couldn’t have put it better myself. I have seen various clip-on / solderless LED tape connections before (bought various different types for testing) and this looks similar. Absolute waste of space. No WAY would you install this up a ladder in 40 different places around a house, behind coving etc… not a chance
@@MatSmithLondon couldn’t have said it better myself these so called easy connectors do nothing but damage the tape and cause an arc connection and very unreliable. There’s nothing better than a soldering iron and a steady hand for a perfect connection on any tape from 2 - 5 tabs or more. My advice is stay away from these and do it correctly the first time!
the system I've been getting the last few years is a one piece connection clip that pushes onto the end of the tape, and a cover latches over the contacts. less steps, but also less positive.
Now I just need a U shaped Dado (or similar) that I can put these lights in and so I can get some mood lighting near the ceiling of my front room.. the "big light" is too harsh, and there are dark spots with lamps.. so something that could go around the whole thing without dots would be nice.. Wonder if they would do a 90° angle quick connect thing rather than having to have such a large amount of slack just to do a right angle
I love soldering I find it very therapeutic. The thing that I find so strange is that a lot of electricians can't even solder properly. If there is no screw terminal to put a wire in, they run a mile.
You guys really dont show how to connect bare wires using the clips. Your wires are already soldered to a "pcb" board. so there is soldering required. DO you sell these pcb boards? Or is there another method?
Could you do a video on the max distance drivers can be away from the led tape . I’ve heard if it’s a constant current driver it’s not really a problem with volt drop but a constant voltage drive it is .
Constant current driver will automatically compensate for wire resistance, otherwise distance is a variable dependant on type/length of LED strip, number of injection points, gauge of cable feeding them. Just like many sparks maybe shouldn't get involved with Cat5/IT installations maybe they shouldn't get involved in this either (I say this after having had to fix a load of badly crimped Cat5 and bodged LED strip done by an electrician who I would say was otherwise totally competent as long as he sticks to fuse boards and sockets etc.)
See this video as a starter on CC drivers - ua-cam.com/video/_YnZmQLOfA4/v-deo.html We will look at the issues around Volt drop for fixed voltage drivers.
Can you use any type of silicon at the connector ... are they all suitable for electrical connections ? 12/24 VDC shouldnt be a problem ... but when you using 230 DC strip lights ... does silicon have the correct properties to make the insulation resistant properties suitable?
Is the corner connector available with a shorter wire or in the ip20 version just a right angled connector both flat angle and inside/outside would be great ,like you get for trunking.
Every time I watch something on this chanel i ask myself this questions 'how much money they get for creating this advert'. You could be more transparent if video is a paid advert, sponsored, or completely not paid or sponsored product. #ad is not enough
Your soldering techniqe is wrong. The joint on the led strip didn't got any flux. There are 2 proper ways - you heat up the wire and the pad, then add solder, or tin the pads, tin the wire, add liquid/paste/gel flux to the pad or wire, then heat up the wire and pad.
You do not need to add extra flux for normal soldering of clean wires to pads with flux cored solder. The only time I ever use flux is for repair/re-work and some surface mount stuff.
@@mfx1 You don't need flux, when you are adding solder to the joint, but here, when soldering tinned pad to tinned wire, there is no flux in the solder core. The joint shouldn't look like a ball, the solder can't flow well without flux (in the solder core or added externaly). You can do it the way they did without flux, but you need to be really quick, so the flux won't evaporate.
@@kubaxd25 That's most likely due to the iron being way too hot (evidenced by it being badly oxidised in the video) or used for too long, do it right and there will still be enough flux left for a good joint. I've done thousands of joints on LED tape for TV, retail and night club installations with no additional flux and no issues.
However Gary is a greater instructor and has the quality and confidence to be self effacing. To me that confidence is in someone who has nothing to prove.
Check out our full review of the Macau COB LED strip used in this video.
ua-cam.com/video/U_F6R6sWx4I/v-deo.html
Where do you get them? I’ve been using hippo type clips with pins that penetrate the contact pads. I find they quickly arc/become high resistance and fail.
Wow the growth of this channel to 194k subs, well deserved too always so informative 👏
Thanks a ton!
The soldering iron you're using at 4:10 is absolutely massive. You'll probably have a better time if you use a smaller iron.
And badly oxidised, running it far too hot for too long.
I think all these solderless LED connection clips are great as when sparks use them and they inevitably fail I get paid to do the job properly. Also that soldering demo was a complete car crash! You should also make sure any silicone you use is non-corrosive.
Agreed. Solder is far better. Its a 'Paid For' promotional video however, so perhaps there's a slight bias.
The silicone is RTV supplied by the manufacturers.
This looks so simple to connect and use. Regarding the polarity issue, surely the manufacturer could shape the tape to make one side slightly thicker than the other or something similar. Over 20 years ago I was installing ASi cable (also IDC) that negated the possibility of reverse polarity.
Or. You could just look at the LED/COB tape instead?
That IP67 kit is exactly what I'm looking for to go around my shed.
Really enjoyed that whole series,fantastic tips and accessories,thanks for the knowledge gained
Where did you get that heat gun with the metal shield around it? That’s pretty smart.
Funnily enough I'm currently putting a load of addressable LED stirip onto a restaurant attached to a five star hotel near At Pancras, one of the maintenance guys saw me soldering and asked if I could do a quick LED repair in the hotel, guess what it was one of these clips that has failed, it didn't take all that much longer to solder the joints and put a bit of clear heatshrink with some hot snot over the joint than the clip would have taken in the first place.
do you also have 4 pin connectors? for Govee M1 light strip? they have a thick silicon layer
There are a number of issues generally with connection of multiple LED tapes sequentially.
Rght at the top of the list is current distribution which is UTTER GARBAGE and basically non existent, causing power loss, localised overheating, and reduced lifespan and potential fire risk, even when backplated with aluminium strip!
The CORRECT way to connect LED strips of 3 or 4 Leds per 12v section, is to the CENTRES of multiple short strips and NOT to the end of one LONG strip!
This is definitely a case of keeping Sparkies with minimal to ZERO electronics knowledge well away from electronics (LEDs)!
Current should be split, ideally, such that the MAXIMUM current being shared per "short" strip is
I use L&S light from Italy. No soldering needed, just plug and play
I guess I've found this video too late to find these connectors. I'd need the 3 line or 4 line ones but I still don't see them anywhere on the site linked here. They look awesome for a newbie solderer like myself.
These are not "Insulation displacement" connectors, IDC's are very reliable, widely used in the telecoms/data industry but these DO NOT work in the same way, not even remotely. This is closer to pushing a wire through some tinfoil and hoping it makes a good long term connection.
Spot on. I couldn’t have put it better myself. I have seen various clip-on / solderless LED tape connections before (bought various different types for testing) and this looks similar. Absolute waste of space. No WAY would you install this up a ladder in 40 different places around a house, behind coving etc… not a chance
@@MatSmithLondon couldn’t have said it better myself these so called easy connectors do nothing but damage the tape and cause an arc connection and very unreliable.
There’s nothing better than a soldering iron and a steady hand for a perfect connection on any tape from 2 - 5 tabs or more.
My advice is stay away from these and do it correctly the first time!
the system I've been getting the last few years is a one piece connection clip that pushes onto the end of the tape, and a cover latches over the contacts. less steps, but also less positive.
I see straight end to end connector's but why don't they just do the same as with plastic trunking?
Now I just need a U shaped Dado (or similar) that I can put these lights in and so I can get some mood lighting near the ceiling of my front room.. the "big light" is too harsh, and there are dark spots with lamps.. so something that could go around the whole thing without dots would be nice..
Wonder if they would do a 90° angle quick connect thing rather than having to have such a large amount of slack just to do a right angle
I love soldering I find it very therapeutic. The thing that I find so strange is that a lot of electricians can't even solder properly. If there is no screw terminal to put a wire in, they run a mile.
Most have never been trained to do it properly.
Single insulation is outside of an enclosure where it enters the driver. What is the solution for this? Ie. If it was on top of a kitchen unit?
It’s SELV so single insulation is fine.
@@efixx Thanks!
You guys really dont show how to connect bare wires using the clips. Your wires are already soldered to a "pcb" board. so there is soldering required. DO you sell these pcb boards? Or is there another method?
Could you do a video on the max distance drivers can be away from the led tape . I’ve heard if it’s a constant current driver it’s not really a problem with volt drop but a constant voltage drive it is .
Constant current driver will automatically compensate for wire resistance, otherwise distance is a variable dependant on type/length of LED strip, number of injection points, gauge of cable feeding them. Just like many sparks maybe shouldn't get involved with Cat5/IT installations maybe they shouldn't get involved in this either (I say this after having had to fix a load of badly crimped Cat5 and bodged LED strip done by an electrician who I would say was otherwise totally competent as long as he sticks to fuse boards and sockets etc.)
See this video as a starter on CC drivers - ua-cam.com/video/_YnZmQLOfA4/v-deo.html We will look at the issues around Volt drop for fixed voltage drivers.
Can you use any type of silicon at the connector ... are they all suitable for electrical connections ? 12/24 VDC shouldnt be a problem ... but when you using 230 DC strip lights ... does silicon have the correct properties to make the insulation resistant properties suitable?
This connector is for the low voltage system only. We’ll be looking at mains voltage strips soon.
Brilliant
Does Robus have a distributor for the United States?
What water proof enclosure did you use to extend the cables to the strip.
Is the corner connector available with a shorter wire or in the ip20 version just a right angled connector both flat angle and inside/outside would be great ,like you get for trunking.
Can see one in the catalogue- they would be a good addition.
Are the rgb cobs bright enough to light up a room
Do they make these in 3, 4, or 5 pin for addressable / rgb LEDS?
You can get them but DO NOT use them unless you want complaints/callbacks down the line.
Nice 👍 even I can do it
Great video guy’s as always 👍👍❤️
How do you hide those monster power supplies for the cob led strip.
What strip width do the connectors work with? Or are they specific to the Macau strip?
These are specific for this strip but may work with others depending upon the solder pad / track location.
Would they fit in a led cealing plastering profile
Yes
seems you need to be a wholesaler to buy from the site. and I can't find it for sale anywhere.
Great content as always lads, thanks
This could be a game changer. RGB is the one that most people struggle with.
That system reminds me of the gel scotch locks.
gel scotch locks are long term proven proper IDC connectors, these LED connectors are neither long term proven or IDC.
@@mfx1 Absolutely true! I trust my workmanship over these marketers efforts. They didn't even use resin filled heat shrink on the soldered model.
Was it silicon grease or silicon sealer.
RTV sealer not grease
Is there a 90 degree solder-less connector for going around corners?
yes
What are the part codes for these products
Link in description
Nice 😍
3:00 tried to do that didn't work 😒
A smart electrician would test before shrinking.
That's an oxymoron.
A smart electrician wouldn't touch these or any other type of piercing connectors with a bargepole.
I guess if the strip was only white (no WRGB or 6 pin contacts) this would be great
Need it for RGBIC
I would prefer soldering.
Every time I watch something on this chanel i ask myself this questions 'how much money they get for creating this advert'. You could be more transparent if video is a paid advert, sponsored, or completely not paid or sponsored product. #ad is not enough
Says paid promotion at the start of the video in the in screen annotation.
TOP
I now see why the are made the way they are
2:20 that's what she said
I told you so.
what about if you want a decent LED strip
👍👍
Your soldering techniqe is wrong. The joint on the led strip didn't got any flux. There are 2 proper ways - you heat up the wire and the pad, then add solder, or tin the pads, tin the wire, add liquid/paste/gel flux to the pad or wire, then heat up the wire and pad.
You do not need to add extra flux for normal soldering of clean wires to pads with flux cored solder. The only time I ever use flux is for repair/re-work and some surface mount stuff.
@@mfx1 You don't need flux, when you are adding solder to the joint, but here, when soldering tinned pad to tinned wire, there is no flux in the solder core. The joint shouldn't look like a ball, the solder can't flow well without flux (in the solder core or added externaly). You can do it the way they did without flux, but you need to be really quick, so the flux won't evaporate.
@@kubaxd25 That's most likely due to the iron being way too hot (evidenced by it being badly oxidised in the video) or used for too long, do it right and there will still be enough flux left for a good joint. I've done thousands of joints on LED tape for TV, retail and night club installations with no additional flux and no issues.
Be careful with that colestreal gray ,Christmas is coming??
Don't think it gets much easier than that
The dude on the left reminds me about a manager that was a prick all the time mister wise guy nobody liked his duty smile.
However Gary is a greater instructor and has the quality and confidence to be self effacing. To me that confidence is in someone who has nothing to prove.
You can have any colour you like so long has its white.????!!!!!!!!!
Warm or cool 😎
Not really IDC, tho, innit.