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Powerful LED lamps. How to make a lamp from an LED strip with your own hands? Related video

With the rising cost of electricity, many are thinking about buying LED light sources, which bring tangible savings and are excellent substitutes for natural lighting. However, today not many people can afford an LED lamp, because their cost is still quite high. Therefore, thanks to craftsmen, in this article we will consider how you can make a lighting device from LEDs with your own hands.

What is an LED lamp?

LEDs are semiconductor electronic devices that emit light as a result of passing through electric current. Appearing 15 years ago, household appliances literally immediately conquered the market for light sources. Today you can buy LED lamps of any shape, size, power and color. But you can also make them yourself, which even an inexperienced radio amateur can do. The simplest LED devices can operate at a voltage of 3-5 V, i.e. from a conventional battery. However, its power is only enough to illuminate with a flashlight, so below we will look at how to make more serious designs that allow you to illuminate rooms.

lighting fixture

The composition and principle of operation of the lamp

Before proceeding with the manufacture of an LED lamp with your own hands, consider its design and principle of operation.
A diode is a semiconductor device that conducts current through p-n junction only in one direction. As a result of the release of energy during the recombination of electrons and holes, photons are emitted with the release of light and thermal energy.

Heat dissipation in an LED fixture is an important task when assembling a luminaire, because heat leads to degradation and failure of the LED. Therefore, the presence of a radiator - required condition when assembling any LED lamp.

The simplest radiator is an aluminum substrate on which the LEDs are located, however, such heat dissipation will not be enough if the device is assembled on 3 or more semiconductors. In such lamps, special metal radiators are installed. In indoor appliances, it is replaced by a light bulb housing.
In addition to the heatsink, the LED product has a reflector and diffuser that can replace a metallized reflector, and a lens.
Usually LEDs are produced finished assembly, but in order to bright light device did not irritate the eyes, use a frosted flask, which covers the body of the lamp.

Light bulb device

Lamp Assembly

The circuit of the simplest lamp operating from a 220 V network consists of two 12 kΩ resistors and two LEDs installed in parallel. The scheme is relevant for an even number of LED devices.
For odd, there must be a driver in the circuit that stabilizes the output current and voltage. It is best to purchase a ready-made driver, which is selected for the LED device. In addition, the driver can also be made by hand using a rectifier bridge, capacitors and ordinary diodes, which in the assembly convert the mains voltage into a voltage of a given frequency and value. Resistors in such a circuit act as a current limiter.

As can be seen from the above, an LED device can be assembled by any person who at least once in his life held a soldering iron in his hands and knows how to use the Internet, where there are many examples of standard and non-standard schemes and solutions for assembling an LED lamp.

Lamp scheme

Luminaires in the housing

LED Strip Light

The simplest lamp can be made by hand using an LED strip, which is enough to fix on any flat surface with double-sided tape. For greater reliability and expanding the functionality of the device, it is convenient to place the LED strip in a housing from an idle fluorescent lamp, the length of which does not exceed 30 cm.
Such a lamp is adjusted at a height of not more than 80 cm above desk, kitchen surface, aquarium or use it for decorative lighting. The light of the lamp is perfectly diffused and does not tire the eyesight.

Application of the lamp

The following types of tapes are suitable for the manufacture of LED lamps:

• SMD 3528 (60 (4.8 W); 120 (7.2 W); 240 (16 W) LEDs per 1 meter);
• SMD 5050 (30 (7.2W); 60 (14W); 120 (25W).

LED Density

Density and arrangement of LEDs on SMD 3528 and SMD 5050 tapes

The best choice would be the SMD 5050 LED strip, the parameters of which correspond to the following values:

• radiation angle - 120 degrees;
• supply voltage - 12 V;
• current - 1.2 A / m

The LED strip with adhesive tape must be glued to the inside of the case. For work, you can buy a power supply or assemble it yourself using the diagram below. The advantage of a self-assembled power supply is that it is possible to hide it in the lamp housing. Purchased - you will have to "attach" next to the device. Anyway assembled structure will look neat and work economically, perfectly illuminating the desktop.

Electrical diagram of the power supply

An important point during installation is the high-quality insulation of all conductive parts.

Do-it-yourself lamp based on led strip in its parameters does not differ from the purchased version. At the same time, its cost is much lower than the cost of the finished product.

LED lamps on various bases

LED light

An economical version of the LED lamp can be made with your own hands on the basis of a burned-out lamp. To do this, it is necessary to carefully disassemble the burned-out lamp without damaging the base and clean and degrease it.
In the base we place a 100 Ohm protective resistor and two 220 nF capacitors, the operating voltage of which is 400 V, a 10 microfarad capacitor responsible for the absence of flicker, a rectifier (diode bridge) and LEDs in a ratio of 1 (red glow) to 3 (white ). We connect the components of the circuit by soldering and isolate mounting adhesive, filling the entire space of the base between the parts of the circuit and fixing them.

In addition to a conventional lamp, a halogen lamp is used to create an LED lamp with your own hands.

Halogen lamp

Halogen lamp

To assemble a lamp on a halogen lamp, the following components are required:

• assembly diagram, which you can make yourself or take from the Internet;
• LEDs;
• non-working halogen lamp;
• quick-drying glue;
• copper wire;
• soldering iron and solder;
• aluminum substrate 0.2 mm thick, which will replace the radiator;
• resistors;
• hole puncher.

Assembly

The assembly process takes place in the following sequence:

• We clean the halogen lamp from all constituent parts and putty.
• We take it out of the reflector.
• We prepare a reflector disk on which the LEDs will be located. We stick the disk on an aluminum substrate (you can get a disk template on the Internet) and make holes in it.
• According to the diagram, we place the LEDs on the disk with their legs up, taking into account their polarity. We roll a little glue between them, avoiding contact with the contacts.
• We solder the contacts of the LEDs so that the chain starts with positive polarity (“+”) and ends with negative (“-”).
• We connect the positive contacts together by soldering.
• By soldering, we attach resistors to the negative contacts and connect their contacts to each other with solder, getting negatively charged resistors.
• We also connect the contacts of the resistors to each other and solder copper wires to them. To avoid a short circuit, fill the space between the contacts and wires with glue.
• We glue the disk and the halogen reflector together.
• After polymerization of the adhesive, a 12 V power supply can be connected.

Energy saving lamp

After the energy-saving lamp has served its time and burned out, hand-made craftsmen recommend not throwing it away, but using the device to create an LED lighting device. This can be done if the lamp has a working electronic ballast (EB) and a whole housing with a base, which will become the basis of a new product.
To complete the package, you need to purchase 5 mm LEDs and 4 ultra-fast UF4007 diodes.
The essence of creation led lamp on the basis of energy saving is to install a rectifier bridge at the output of the EB, which will allow you to get a constant voltage of 100 V at a current of 130 mA.
To reduce the frequency of the alternating voltage at the output of the EB, we will assemble a rectifier bridge from UF4007 diodes, to the output of which we solder a 0.1 μF capacitor operating at a voltage of 400 V. We install the diode bridge in place of the capacitor C3 (see. typical scheme EB lamp) connecting the filaments of the lamp, which is then connected to each other.

Electrical diagram of the EB lamp

Separately, we assemble a serial circuit of 30 LED devices, the current consumption of which is 20 mA, and check its operation.
With a constant voltage of 100 V and a current of 130 mA, you can assemble 5 chains of LED diodes of 30 pieces each and get a lamp with a power of 15 watts.

As you can see from the above, you can make an LED lamp with your own hands, not only soldering the circuit, but also using various devices - LED strip and lamps of various types.

Secrets of choosing halogen chandeliers with a remote control

In any work, as well as during leisure, good light is needed. You can buy a lamp, but sometimes it is not cheap. In the store, instead of a finished lamp, you can purchase an LED strip. It is relatively inexpensive and cut into pieces of any length. If you put it in a case or fix it in another way, you get a homemade lamp with an LED strip. You can take such a lamp with you to a fishing tent. IN field conditions The LED light is connected to the car battery.

Scope of homemade LED lamps

Homemade LED lamps for LED strip can be used instead of the usual ones:

• illumination of the workplace during execution small jobs in the workshop or garage;
• backlighting from above the aquarium (if the tape is waterproof or in a sealed case, then the lamp can be lowered into the water);
• seedling lighting or indoor plants in winter;
• night light or table lamp;
• illumination of switches and sockets;
• computer keyboard lighting;
• to replace fluorescent lamps.

On the Internet, you can find many other types of floor lamps and ceiling chandeliers made of LED strip with photos and videos, as well as reviews of people who collected and used such lamps.

Types and parameters of LED strips

LED strip color options

LED strips are produced in different designs according to the type of security. They can be of different brightness and various colors, which is determined by the color temperature - from warm white (2700K) to cold (6800K), as well as color or color-changing - RGB tapes. This makes it possible to choose the type of device for specific purposes.

LED strip device

LED strip is flexible plastic strip with conductive strips applied to it. Two are located at the edges and are connected to them. The rest connect the LEDs and resistors to each other. They are arranged in groups - three LEDs connected in series, and a resistor that serves to limit the current flowing through them.

LED Strip Parameters

The strip itself can be cut into sections that are multiples of three LEDs. In these places there are marks indicating the place of the cut and the pads to which the wires are soldered or connected using connectors.

LEDs can be coated with silicone on one or both sides. This determines the degree of protection from external influences. WITH reverse side the adhesive layer is applied on the strip, as on double-sided tape. With it, the LEDs are attached to the base.

The most common supply voltage is DC, 12V. There are designs designed for connection to a voltage of 24V and higher, but these are not common designs.

Types of LEDs used

The LEDs and resistors in the tape are used in the SMD series, without leads. LEDs are used in production different size, which determines the marking of the tape - 5050 and 3528. These numbers show the size of the LED in tenths of a millimeter

Visual difference between 5050 and 3528

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Ask an expert

How larger size, the higher the brightness and the consumed current and power. It also depends on the number of LEDs per meter of length.

Accordingly, the marking of the SMD 5050 tape with a density of 60 LEDs means that 60 SMD 5050 LEDs are installed per meter of length.

Controllers, power supplies for LED strips

controller and power supply

Since the LED strip is designed for a constant voltage of 12V, a power supply or controller is required for connection.

Important! When you turn on the LED strip in a 220 volt network, it will instantly burn out!

Power supplies are produced in different capacities and shapes. From low-power, tablet-like chargers to powerful structures in a metal case with built-in coolers.

Power supply for LED strips

Some power supplies are equipped with dimmers and remote controls remote control. RGB ribbons require an RGB controller to control the color.

There are models with WiFi control, with color and music effects, for example, ARILUX® AL-LC01.

If there is no special block available, then you can use:

• Any transformer with an output voltage of 12V. A diode bridge and a smoothing capacitor must be connected to the output.
• The power supply of the computer, both in the computer itself and separately.
• If 3-6 LEDs are needed, then a capacitor can be used to limit the current, as well as a diode bridge and a capacitor that smooths out the glow pulsations. This scheme is used in LED lamps installed instead of incandescent lamps. The capacitance of a capacitor can be calculated using an online calculator.
• Make a faulty energy-saving lamp out of the board.
• Connect 20 pieces of LED strip in series and connect through a diode bridge and a smoothing capacitor to a 220V network.

Preparation of materials and parts

making a lamp with your own hands

Before starting work, you need to determine the required number and brightness of the LED strip, as well as the power of the power supply.

First of all, you need to determine the length. For luminaires used in different places needed:

• night light and illumination of switches and sockets - a segment of three LEDs;
• aquarium lighting - along the length of the wall;
• illumination of beds with seedlings - several pieces, equal in length to the length of the beds;
• computer keyboard - along the length of the keyboard;
• to replace a fluorescent lamp, several pieces are needed, the length is equal to the length of the lamp.

The brightness of the tape, the size and density of the LEDs is determined based on specific conditions.

The power of the power supply should not be less than the power of the LED lamp, and preferably 20% more. This is necessary for more reliable operation of the unit.

In addition, you will need wires, heat shrink tubing to isolate the connection point, a soldering iron with tin and rosin, or a connector for connection.

Expert opinion

Alexey Bartosh

Specialist in the repair, maintenance of electrical equipment and industrial electronics.

Ask an expert

Attention! Do not solder the tape with acid! Acid fumes oxidize and destroy wires, and can also lead to a short circuit.

If the lamp is to be used in an aquarium for internal illumination, then a transparent tube and silicone sealant to ensure the integrity of the structure.

Lamp Assembly

assembling the led lamp

After developing the design of the future lamp and preparing all the tools and materials, the lamp itself is assembled.

Sometimes the entire assembly process consists of sticking tape to the base, for example, when backlighting a keyboard located on a pull-out shelf under a table.

In other cases, it is necessary to make a lamp or remake an existing one.

Features and stages of installation work

Installation and connection of a lamp from an LED strip has a number of features:

• The power supply should be located as close as possible to the LEDs. The longer the wires, the greater the voltage loss in them, which leads to losses in the brightness of the lamp.
• It is advisable to isolate the LEDs from the base if it is metal.
• When connecting the device directly from the 220V network (through a capacitor), use only a tape coated with silicone on both sides.

Carefully! There is a high voltage on such a tape, so all manipulations with it are performed in the off state.

What to do if there is no finished LED strip

If there is no ready-made LED strip, then you can make it yourself.

To do this, the required number of LEDs must be connected in series, and a current-limiting resistance must be connected to them. You can assemble such a design on a strip of getinax or textolite, where holes are drilled for mounting LEDs. Such a device can be assembled for any required voltage and number of LEDs.

In this article, we will look at examples of making homemade LED lamps for various needs.

1. The simplest lamp for household needs.

To begin with, it is worth deciding which LEDs are best to use. If you choose between powerful and low-power - the first is better in terms of labor intensity. To replace one powerful 1W LED, you need 15-20 low power 5mm or smd LEDs. Accordingly, soldering with low-power is much larger. Let's focus on the powerful ones. Usually they are divided into two types - output and surface mount. To make life easier, it is better to use output. The power of the LED is better to choose no more than 1 watt.

We also need a current driver so that the LEDs receive the necessary voltage and serve for a long time.
In addition, a heatsink is needed for long-term operation of the LED (especially for a powerful one). Aluminum is best suited for its manufacture. For each one-watt LED, you need a piece of aluminum 50x50 mm, about 1 mm thick. The piece may be smaller if bent. If you take a piece of 25x25 mm and 5 mm thick, you will not get the desired effect. To dissipate heat, you need area, not thickness.

Consider the model of the simplest lamp. We will need: three 1 W LEDs, a 3x1 W driver, double-sided heat-conducting tape, a radiator (for example, a piece of a U-shaped profile 1 mm thick and 6-8 cm long).

Thermally conductive tape can conduct heat. Therefore, the usual double-sided tape from will not work. Cut off a strip of adhesive tape 6-7 mm wide.

We degrease the radiator and the bottoms of the LEDs. It is undesirable to use acetone for this - the plastic lens of the LED may become cloudy.

Stick tape on the radiator. Then we mark the radiator to install the LEDs evenly.

We install the LEDs on the adhesive tape. At the same time, we observe the polarity - all LEDs must be deployed in the same way so that the "plus" of one LED looks at the "minus" of the neighboring one. Lightly press them for better contact. After that, we apply tin to the leads of the LEDs to facilitate further soldering. If you have a fear that the adhesive tape may burn out, just lift the LED leads so that they do not touch the adhesive tape. In this case, the LED housing must be held with a finger so that it does not come off the adhesive tape. However, you can bend the conclusions in advance.

We connect the LEDs together. For this, a vein from any stranded wire is quite enough.

Solder the driver.

The simplest lamp model is ready. Now you can insert it into any suitable case. Of course, you can make a more powerful lamp, only you need more diodes and a more powerful driver, but the principle remains the same. This technique is suitable both for the manufacture of a single lamp, and for small-scale production.

2. Chandelier based on LEDs.

We will need:
1. Base from a burned-out energy-saving lamp.
2. Two grips (to connect to the LED);
3. Powerful ten-watt LED, color of your choice;
4. Two small screws;
5. One ten watt LED driver;
6. Thermal paste;
7. Radiator;
8. Heat shrink tube (or insulating tape);
9. wires with a cross section of 2 mm.

First you need to disassemble the old or burned out energy-saving lamp. It is important to be careful not to damage the glass bulb. Otherwise, mercury gas, which is very harmful to health, will come out of it.

We only need a part of the body with a plinth. We cut off the leads from the board going to the base and solder our own leads from the LED driver, insulating them with heat shrink tubes.

With a soldering iron, we will make a couple of holes for the wire, which will hold the entire structure.

Next, use the terminals, crimp, connect to the LED, observing the polarity. We check. It is not recommended to look at the on LED. The intensity of the light is very strong and can harm your eyes. If everything works, we assemble the lamp into a single whole.

The LED is very bright and casts harsh shadows. You can make the light smoother and softer by using a DIY diffuser. Many can be used as a diffuser. various materials. The simplest - cut from a two-liter plastic bottle bottom, process sandpaper on all sides to give full opacity to direct light. We make four holes and attach it to the radiator with wire.

3. Home LED lamp.

We use Cree MX6 Q5 LEDs with a power of 3 W and a light output of 278 lm as a light source. The LED will be placed on a 5x5 cm heatsink removed from an old processor. motherboard.

For simplicity, we will use a switching source along with an electronic adapter, which will provide the necessary voltage and current to power the LEDs. For this purpose, in our case, a non-working charger was chosen. mobile phone having, according to the manufacturer, an output voltage of 5 V and a current of 420 mA.

To protect against external influences, the entire electronic part will be placed in a socket from an old lamp.

Cree MX6 Q5 LEDs can operate at a maximum current of 1 A at 4.1 V according to the manufacturer's instructions. Logically, for normal operation we need a 1 ohm resistor to lower the voltage by about one volt of those five that the charger gives, in order to get the desired 4.1 V, and this is only if the charging produces a maximum current of 1 A. However, as it turned out later, a charger with a design current limit of 0.6 A works without problems. Testing in the same way charging for other mobile phones, it was found that they all have a current supply limit that is 20-50% higher than that indicated by the manufacturer. The meaning of this is that any manufacturer will strive to develop a power supply so that it does not overheat even if the powered device is damaged or a short circuit occurs, and the easiest way in this case is to limit the current.

Thus we have a source direct current limited 0.6 A, powered by 230 V AC, made by a factory method and having small size. At the same time, during operation, it only slightly heats up.

Let's move on to assembly. First you need to open the power supply in order to remove the parts that will be inserted into the body of the new lamp. Since most power supplies are connected by soldering, we open the unit with a hacksaw.

In order to fix the board in the lamp housing, in our case, sanitary silicone was used. Silicone was chosen for its resistance to high temperatures.

Before closing the lamp, we fasten the radiator to the cover (using bolts), to which the LED was attached.

The lamp is ready. The power consumption is just under 2.5 W and the luminous flux is 190 lm, which is ideal for an economical, durable and strong table lamp.

4. Lamp in the corridor.

To illuminate the hallway with LED lights, we used two Cree MX6 Q5 LEDs, each with a power of 3W and a light output of 278lm, and powered by an old power supply from a Samsung mobile phone. And although the manufacturer in the specification indicates a current strength of 0.7 A, after measurements it was found that it is limited to 0.75 A.

The scheme for manufacturing the base of the lamp is similar to the previous version. The entire external structure is assembled using textile Velcro, glue and plastic washers from motherboards.

The total consumption of this design is about 6 W with a luminous flux of 460 lm.

5. Light fixture in the bathroom.

For the bathroom, I used a Cree XM-L T6 LED powered by two LG phone chargers.

Each of the chargers claims to deliver 0.9A, but I found that the actual current is 1A. Both power supplies are connected in parallel to produce 2A.

With such indicators, the LED lamp will produce a luminous flux of 700 lm at a power consumption of 6 watts.

6. Lamp for the kitchen.
If for the hallway and bathroom there was no need to provide a certain minimum of illumination, then in the kitchen this is not the case. Therefore, it was decided to use for the kitchen not one, but two series-connected Cree XM-L T6 LEDs, each of which has a maximum power consumption of 9 W and a maximum luminous flux of 910 lumens.

For effective cooling, in our case, we used a heatsink removed from Slot 1 of the Pentium 3 processor, to which both LEDs were attached using ArcticAlumina hot melt adhesive. Although Cree XM-L T6 LEDs can draw up to 3 A, the manufacturer recommends using 2 A for reliability, at which they produce a luminous flux of about 700 lm. A generating 12V at a current of 1.5A was used as a power source. After testing it with resistors, it was found that the current was limited to a value of 1.8 A, which is very close to the desired value of 2 A.

To protect the heatsink and two LEDs, we used two plastic washers from the motherboard and two neodymium magnets removed from a damaged DVD drive, securing them with superglue and textile Velcro.

I expected this LED fixture to deliver 1200 lumens, which is comparable to the lumen output of a replacement 23W fluorescent lamp, but it was found that the actual light emitted is even more intense, with a power consumption of around 12W - almost half the amount of the old light bulb. .

7. Office lamp
We will need:

1. LED rulers 4 pcs (on powerful American CREE diodes)
2. Suitable driver (power supply) 1pc
3. The metal case of the future lamp.
4. Wiring, soldering iron, hand tool and fixture.th lamp.

Can be used to make the body of an old lamp

Or use a special aluminum profile with glass. In this case, the driver is installed inside the profile.

We install diode lines 4 pcs.

We make a ceiling mount (on cables) + put frosted glass.

Version of the LED lamp in the housing (from fluorescent 2x36W)

with glass

Or you can put everything in an office lamp 600x600 mm.

Well, as a bonus, consider a few examples of decorative lamps based on LEDs.

For decorative lamp we will need:
- 4 wooden planks of the same size;
- drill with a drill 15 mm;
- glue for wood;
- wood stain;
- a brush with a pencil;
- sandpaper;
- LED candles.
First of all, it is necessary to make several holes in each plank with a drill, having previously made markings with a pencil - this is how we get a kind of pattern from circles.

We put stain on the tree.

Using glue, we connect 4 planks into a lamp.

We pass sandpaper over the lamp to give it a vintage look.

We put LED candles inside the lamp.

The nightlight is ready.

9. Lamp in oriental style.
As ceiling lamps for lamps, we use cans of pva glue.

We will need:
- 2-3 cans of PVA glue
- cartridges, wire
- scissors, sharp knife
- hot glue gun
- bamboo placemats or straw ceiling tiles

First you need to cut the napkins into pieces of the desired size.

On the base of the can, circle the cartridge with a 1 watt LED with a marker and cut a circle with a knife.

Then with hot glue gun glue the napkins to the jars.

We glue the braid to the empty places.

At this stage, you can already see how it will glow.

It remains to decorate the braid with wooden beads at the joints.

For safety reasons, holes must be drilled for ventilation. Maybe more, they still won't be visible.

That's all, the lamp is ready.

10. Unusual decorative lamp.

Making a lamp with your own hands began with drawing preliminary sketches on paper. There was a desire that the lamp not only be curved in a plane, but also in space, and have a bizarre 3d wave shape.

After the sketch on paper is ready, we proceed to the manufacture of the lamp. Each pipe in the figure was measured and the pipes were cut to those dimensions. To get the necessary angles, templates were cut out of paper and fastened with tape on the pipe.

All tubes have been laid out on the table and adjustments have been made to the waveform.

The cuts were made on a stationary circular saw. Thus, smooth cuts without burrs with a width of 2 mm are obtained.

Now you need to connect all the pipes into one. The main task is to make smooth bends, for this it does not hurt to apply a template (fiberboard sheet) on the table.

Since the pipes are cardboard, they can be connected accordingly with PVA glue, but I would recommend using adhesives that are stronger and harden faster (moment, superglue).

On the reverse side, wooden planks were screwed onto the screws so that the homemade lamp could be hung on the wall. And holes were drilled in each pipe for the output of wires from the LED strips.

The pipes were painted with ordinary paint in a spray can. Red was used, since the wall on which the lamp should be located was white, I wanted to get some contrast.

The paint dries very quickly, so you can proceed with the installation of LEDs. The main thing to remember is that you can cut the LED strip only in specially marked places. The tape must be marked in advance so that it is enough for all 12 pipes.

We solder red wires to the “+” contact, and black wires to the “-” contact, so as not to confuse the polarity later.

We place the LED strips inside the pipes and fix them with the adhesive side to the pipe wall, and we bring the wires out through the holes made in advance. It remains only to connect all the wires in parallel (connect red to red, and black to black) and connect to the power supply.

Now it's time to hang the homemade lamp on the wall.
The lamp is ready.

Economical lighting lamps are already in almost every home. We suggest considering how to make an LED lamp with your own hands, what materials will be required for this, as well as tips on how to choose them.

Step-by-step development of an LED lamp

Initially, we are faced with the task of checking the operability of the LEDs and measuring the supply voltage of the network. When setting this device To prevent electric shock, we suggest using a 220/220 V isolating transformer. This will also ensure safer measurements when setting up our future LED luminaire.

It should be noted that if any elements of the circuit are connected incorrectly, an explosion is possible, so strictly follow the instructions below.

Most often, the problem of improper assembly lies precisely in poor-quality soldering of components.

When calculating to measure the voltage drop of the current consumption of LEDs, you need to use a universal measuring multimeter. Most of these homemade LED lamps are used at 12V, but our design will be designed for mains voltage of 220V AC.

Video: LED lamp at home

High light output is achieved on diodes at a current of 20-25 mA. But cheap LEDs can give an unpleasant bluish glow, which is also very harmful to the eyes, so we advise diluting a homemade LED lamp with a small amount of red LEDs. For 10 cheap white ones, 4 red LEDs will be enough.

The circuit is quite simple and is designed to power the LEDs directly from the mains, without an additional power supply. The only disadvantage of such a circuit is that all its components are not isolated from the mains supply and the LED lamp will not provide protection against possible electric shock. So be careful when assembling and installing this fixture. Although in the future the scheme can be upgraded and isolated from the network.

Simplified scheme of the lamp

1. A 100 ohm resistor, when turned on, protects the circuit from voltage surges, if it is not there, you need to use a higher power rectifier diode bridge.
2. The 400nF capacitor limits the amount of current needed to make the LEDs glow properly. If necessary, you can add more LEDs, if their total current consumption does not exceed the limit set by the capacitor.
3. Make sure that the capacitor you are using is rated for at least 350 V operating voltage, which should be one and a half times the mains voltage.
4. A 10uF capacitor is needed to provide stable source light, no flicker. Its voltage rating should be twice what is measured across all series-connected LEDs during operation.

In the photo you see a burned-out lamp, which will soon be disassembled for a do-it-yourself LED lamp.

We disassemble the lamp, but very carefully so as not to damage the base, after that we clean it and degrease it with alcohol or acetone. Special attention give a hole. We clean it from excess solder and process it again. This is necessary for high-quality soldering of components in the base.

Photo: lamp socket
Photo: resistors and transistor

Now we need to solder a tiny rectifier, we use an ordinary soldering iron for this purpose and the diode bridge has already been prepared in advance and we process the surface, we work very carefully so as not to damage the previously installed parts.

Photo: soldering the rectifier

As an insulating layer, it is fashionable to use the glue of a simple mounting thermal gun. A PVC tube is also suitable, but it is advisable to use a material specially designed for this, filling the entire space between the parts and at the same time fixing them. We have a ready-made basis for the future lamp.

Photo: glue and cartridge

After these manipulations, we proceed to the most interesting: installing LEDs. We use a special circuit board as a basis, you can buy it at any electronic components store or even remove it from some old and unnecessary equipment, having previously cleared the board of unnecessary parts.

Photo: LEDs on the board

It is very important to check each of our boards for performance, because otherwise all the work is in vain. We pay special attention to the contacts of the LEDs, if necessary, we additionally clean and narrow them.

Now we are assembling the constructor, we need to solder all the boards, we have four of them, to the capacitor. After this operation, we again isolate everything with glue, check the connections of the diodes to each other. We have boards on the same distance apart so that the light spreads evenly.

LED connection

We also solder a 10 uF capacitor without additional wires, this is a good soldering experience for future electricians.

Finished mini lamp Resistor and lamp

All is ready. We advise you to cover our lamp with a shade, because LEDs emit extremely bright light, which is very hard on the eyes. If you place our homemade lamp in a “cut” made of paper, for example, or fabric, you get a very soft light, romantic night light or sconce in the nursery. By changing the soft lampshade to a standard glass one, we get a fairly bright glow that does not irritate the eyes. This is good and very beautiful option for home or garden.

If you want to power the lamp on batteries or from USB, you need to eliminate the 400 nF capacitor and rectifier from the circuit, connecting the circuit directly to a 5-12 V DC source.

This is a good device for lighting an aquarium, but you need to pick up a special waterproof lamp, you can find it by visiting any store of electromechanical devices, such exist in any city, whether it be Chelyabinsk or Moscow.

Photo: lamp in action

Office lamp

Can make a creative wall, table lamp or floor lamp in the office of several dozen LEDs. But for this there will be a stream of light that will be insufficient for reading, a sufficient level of illumination of the workplace is needed here.

First you need to determine the number of LEDs and the rated power.

After finding out the load capacity of the rectifier diode bridge and capacitor. We connect a group of LEDs to the negative contact of the diode bridge. We connect all the LEDs, as shown in the figure.

Diagram: connecting lamps

Solder all 60 LEDs together. If you need to connect additional LEDs, just continue to solder them in series plus to minus. Use wires to connect the minus of one group of LEDs to the next until the entire assembly process is complete. Now add a diode bridge. Connect it as shown in the picture below. Positive lead to the positive lead of the first LED group, connect the negative lead to the common lead of the last LED in the group.

Short LED wires

Next, you need to prepare the base of the old light bulb by cutting off the wires from the board and soldering them to the AC inputs on the diode bridge, marked with a ~ sign. you can use plastic mounts, screws and nuts to connect two boards together if all diodes are placed on separate boards. Do not forget to fill the boards with glue, isolating them from short circuit. This is a fairly powerful network LED lamp that will last up to 100,000 hours of continuous operation.

Adding a Capacitor

If you increase the supply voltage on the LEDs in order to make the light brighter, the LEDs will start to heat up, which significantly reduces their durability. In order to avoid this, you need to connect a 10 W recessed or table lamp with an additional capacitor. Simply connect one side of the base to the negative output of the bridge rectifier and the positive, via an additional capacitor, to the positive output of the rectifier. You can use 40 LEDs instead of the suggested 60, thus increasing the overall brightness of the lamp.

Video: how to make a do-it-yourself LED lamp

If desired, a similar lamp can be made on a powerful LED, just then you will need capacitors of a different rating.

As you can see, the assembly or repair of a conventional DIY LED lamp is not particularly difficult. And it won't take much time or effort. This lamp is suitable suburban option, for example for a greenhouse, its light is absolutely harmless to plants.

The simplest do-it-yourself table or wall LED lamp can be assembled even if you have no experience in the field of electrical engineering.

In this case, you will need to purchase a minimum set of material and tools.

What LEDs should you use?

The choice of diodes is currently very wide.

Depending on the type of luminous flux and design features LEDs can be:

• sources general purpose, characterized by the formation of high-quality diffused light and intended for installation in residential and office premises;
• sources of directional light flux used for arranging accentuated illumination of individual areas;
• linear type sources in demand for lighting office space and trading floors.

Light sources are based on indicator LEDs, SMD diodes, COB diodes and filament diodes. LEDs with high power ratings are much more profitable due to the increased labor intensity. Optimum is a super-bright 1W diode with a power supply of 3.2-3.4V, a current consumption of 350 ma, a wavelength of 6500K and a luminous flux of 140l m.

When choosing a light source, it is advisable to give preference to output LEDs, since their use allows you to perform all installation work as quickly and easily as possible.

Power supplies

Any LEDs are characterized by increased sensitivity to a variety of external influences that can have a very negative impact on the service life and quality characteristics of lighting.

As a power source for an LED lamp, three main directions can be considered, presented:

• current sources in the form of a power supply or driver;
• emergency power units;
• protective devices for LED lighting devices.

Popular models of current sources from leading manufacturers are developed taking into account all the main features of domestic electrical networks.

The series of power supplies for LED-type lighting products differ in power, output voltage and current, ripple coefficients and many other basic parameters.

Using a heatsink for LEDs

In order to cool LED lamps and components that emit a significant amount of thermal energy, radiators are used that work according to the principle:

• thermal energy radiation or thermal convection;
• turbulent convection.

The first option is a passive cooling method, in which a certain amount of energy is released into the atmospheric layers through infrared flow, and a certain amount through air circulation. The second option belongs to the category active ways, therefore, involves the use of fans or other mechanical devices.

Radiator for LED

Advantages and disadvantages of the cooling systems used:

• passive system does not have operating mechanisms, therefore it does not need any maintenance. However, this option will require the installation of a large, rather heavy and expensive heat sink. It is recommended to give preference to aluminum radiators.
• Active system most often based on a high performance cooling process. This method is highly sensitive to many climatic conditions and increased noise levels.

For LED lighting devices, the optimal temperature indicators are 65 ° C. However, at low temperature conditions the level of efficiency of the LED light source and the resource of working capacity increase.

Before assembling the LED device, it is necessary to determine the type of radiator used:

• pin or needle type with natural cooling;
• ribbed type with forced cooling.

As practice shows, a pin-type radiator with equal dimensions with finned radiators has a performance of approximately 65-70%.

Standard Calculation total area cooling element for a lighting device in the form of an LED lamp is carried out by means of a design and verification method.

The process of making a lamp with your own hands

Consider how to make an LED lamp with your own hands. Basic materials and elements for self-manufacturing LED type lamps are presented:

• output type LEDs;
• power supply in the form of a current driver without a housing with galvanic isolation;
• aluminum, heat-dissipating radiator in the form of a U-shaped construction profile;
• thermally conductive double-sided tape.

It is advisable to use as a body metal structure, since semiconductors, represented by diodes, under the influence of electric current, can heat up significantly.

Homemade lamp

It is best to use a 12W LED diode driver with an input voltage level of 100-240V and an output voltage of 18-46V for manufacturing.

The main stages of self-manufacturing of LED lamps with their own hands are as follows:

• insert a resistor and a pair of capacitors into the base;
• solder a small rectifier;
• treat the surface;
• create an insulating layer using a polymer tube;
• inspect the LED contacts and check their performance;
• assemble the structure by soldering the boards to the capacitor;
• perform final insulation with adhesive;
• check the connection of the diodes;
• solder the capacitor and resistor.

On final stage adhesive insulation of all contacts is carried out. A fully ready-to-use lighting structure can be left in its original state or covered with a lampshade, which will significantly soften the glow of the lamp.

For self-creation a powerful diode lamp based on several dozen LEDs at once, you will need to perform the activities presented:

• determining the number of diodes;
• determination of rated power;
• connecting LEDs to the negative terminal of the diode bridge;
• soldering all diodes "plus to minus";
• connecting all groups with wires;
• adding a diode bridge.

The plus terminal is connected to the positive wire on the first group, and the negative terminal is connected to the common wire on the last diode of the group. Then the base part is prepared, and the wires are soldered to the AC voltage inputs of the diode bridge.

Final work includes connecting the board with screws and nuts, as well as insulating the circuit boards with adhesive.

Mounting the cartridge to the resistor and transistor

Soldering work includes a thorough cleaning of the surface and subsequent installation of the rectifier. Then it is heat-shrinkable with mounting adhesive. The finished LED lighting device must be tested to determine its performance.

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