Welding LED strips looks simple, but correct skills are needed if you want the solder joints is firm, and don’t damage the components. Whether it is repair、DIY and produced in batch, the quality of welding will directly affect the conductivity, life, and even safety of the LED strip. If the temperature is too hot may burn out the led beads, while temperature is low will lead to virtual soldering. Using the wrong tin wire can lead to environmental non-compliance, and improper operation may also cause the solder pads to detach.
This article will provide a detailed introduction to some key steps in how to solder LED strip. Such as how to choose tools, how to set the temperature, and practical operating techniques.
If the LED strip cannot work properly, it is also very troublesome. But don’t worry, we also have a dedicated article about Half of the LED Strip Not Working to troubleshoot for you.
The quality of welding has a great impact on the quality of LED strips. Correct guidance can help you easily complete stable and reliable welding, avoiding common mistakes.
Preparation of tools for hand Soldering:
Solder wire：
Wires:
Electric soldering iron
Solder paste
Heat-shrink tube
Heat gun
Led strip
For example, the commonly used LED strip with 2pin wire is regular single white led strip ,3pin wire is regular CCT led strip ,4pin wire is regular RGB led strip,5PIN wire is RGBW LED strip,6PIN wire is RGBWW LED strip,the picture as below：
Temperature for Electric soldering iron welding the LED strip
If there is lead tin wire, then need to adjust the temperature to 300~350°
If using lead-free tin wire, adjust the temperature to 350-400°
If welding a hard LED strips, the temperature should be raised appropriately, but not exceeding 400 degrees is better.
The skill of welding the led strip by Electric soldering iron：
- Rapid welding（Per operation need to control within 3 seconds)
- Using a pointed or blade soldering iron requires precise heating of the solder pads and wires to avoid touching the LED chips。
- Pretinning of solder pads and wire heads is required (pretinning can reduce heating time)。
- If the first welding fails, it is necessary to cool down before repeating the welding to avoid continuous high-temperature welding
- During welding, it is necessary to ensure ventilation in the work area to avoid inhaling solder fumes.
- When the soldering iron is not in use, it needs to be turned off or adjusted to standby temperature (about 200 ℃) to prevent oxidation.
Let me see what are the effects of flux on welding LED strips
What is needed to remedy welding failure? Solder paste to help:
Solder paste is a chemical agent used during welding. It’s mainly be used to clean the metal surface, promote solder flow, and ensure that the solder joints are firm and reliable. It usually comes in the form of paste, liquid, or core (embedded in tin wire), and is activated and activated at high temperatures to function.
1. Clean the solder pad and wire
The soldering pads and wire surfaces of LED strips are easily oxidized or stained. The flux can dissolve the oxide layer well, and it can make the tin wire stick more firmly.
2. Enhance the fluidity of solder to make processing easier
Flux can reduce the surface tension of solder, making it easier for solder to spread, which can effectively avoid cold solder joints or solder joint protrusions.
3. Solder paste can also prevent secondary oxidation
The high temperature generated during welding will accelerate the oxidation of metals. The use of flux can form a protective layer to isolate the air, ensuring the stability of the welding process and the quality of the soldering process.
4. Can greatly improve welding efficiency
Especially for lead-free tin wire (poor wettability), flux can make up for its shortcomings and reduce the damage of high temperature to light strip components.
Detailed process of the welding
There are also many options for wires, which we will explain one by one based on the number of wire cores and different LED strip types:
① Single color led strip（2pin wires welding）
| Wire Color Example | LED Strip Pad Marking |
|---|---|
| Red (+) | (+) |
| Black (-) | (-) |
The method of welding ：
- The red wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“+”
- The black wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“-”
There are many different choices for the color temperature of single white light LED strips. Different color temperatures are used in different fields to create a unique atmosphere. The visual differences brought by different color temperatures can be seen in 2200k vs 2700k vs 3000k LED Lighting.
② CCT led strip（3pin wires welding）
| Wire Color Example | LED Strip Pad Marking |
|---|---|
| Red (+) | V+ |
| Yellow (Warm White) | WW (Warm) |
| White (Cool White) | CW (Cool) |
The method of welding ：
- The red wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“V+”
- The yellow wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“WW”（Warm white).
- The white wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“CW”（Cool white).
③ RGB LED strip（4pin wires welding）
| Wire Color Example | LED Strip Pad Marking |
|---|---|
| Black (Common Positive) | V+ |
| Red (Negative for Red) | R |
| Green (Negative for Green) | G |
| Blue (Negative for Blue) | B |
The method of welding ：
- The black wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“V+”（Public postive electrode).
- The red wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“R”.
- The green wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“G”.
- The blue wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“B”.
④ RGBW led strip（5pin wires welding）
| Wire Color Example | LED Strip Pad Marking |
|---|---|
| Black (Common Positive) | V+ |
| Red (Red Negative) | R |
| Green (Green Negative) | G |
| Blue (Blue Negative) | B |
| White (White Negative) | W |
The method of welding ：
- The black wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“V+”（Public postive electrode).
- The red wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“R”.
- The green wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“G”.
- The blue wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“B”.
- The white wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“W”.
⑤ RGBWW (RGB+CCT) LED strip（6pin wires welding）
| Wire Color Example | LED Strip Pad Marking |
|---|---|
| Black (Common Positive) | V+ |
| Red (Red Negative) | R |
| Green (Green Negative) | G |
| Blue (Blue Negative) | B |
| White (Warm White Negative) | WW |
| Yellow (Cool White Negative) | CW |
The method of welding ：
- The black wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“V+”（Public postive electrode).
- The red wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“R”.
- The green wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“G”.
- The blue wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“B”.
- The white wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“WW”（Warm white).
- The yellow wire need to be soldered on to the pad which marked with“CW”（Cool white).
In addition to Non addressable LED strips, we also have many addressable LED strips. We have detailed explanations on how to control Connect and wire addressable LED strips. If you are interested, you can also check them out.
Detailed steps for insulation protection of the welding area using heat shrink tube and heat gun after welding completion
Positioning of heat shrink tube after the weld
- After welding is completed and cooled, need to confirm that the surface of the welding point is flat.
- Carefully move the heat shrink tubeto the middle position of the welding point with tweezers, making sure that the welding area is at the center of the heat shrink tubing and that both ends are evenly covered.
- After confirming the correct placement of the heat shrink tube, then use a heatgun to shrink it by hot air.
Using the heat gun to shrink the heat shrink tube
- Turn on the heat gun, set the temperature to around 200℃~300℃。
- Keeping the distance between the heat gun and heat shrink tube around 3cm~5cm, to avoid the led strip be Burnt out by the hot temperature.
- Slowly blow hot air back and forth along the direction of the heat shrink tubing, to make the heat shrink tubing evenly and smoothly shrink。
- During operation, it is necessary to rotate the wire and adjust the angle to avoid uneven heating of the heat shrink tub
- Keeping around 5~10seconds，until the heat shrink tubes fully adheres to the wire and welding pants, ensuring no gaps and get a smooth surface.
The last step is to test the LED strip. If the LED strip can light up it means the welding is successful. By using the correct and careful welding methods mentioned above, it is possible to ensure a secure connection of the LED strip and guarantee its long-term safety and stable operation.
The quality of LED strips on the market is also uneven, and it is very important to purchase high-quality LED strips at the beginning to avoid repairing them yourself later. This article on how to check the quality of LED strips can help you quickly choose the products you like.