A bargain for anyone building things with LED tape

[bruce]

I’ve been using quite a lot of LED tape recently. Most of it has been in kitchens, for under-cabinet lighting, but a few have been for stage effects.

 

Recommendations are that the LED tape should be fixed on to a metal surface rather than wood, to aid heat dissipation. For the under-cabinet lights, I’ve been using aluminium channeling with an opal diffuser. Comes in 1m lengths, and you stick the LED tape inside it. The opal diffuser gives quite a nice soft effect. £20 or so for a pack of 5 1m lengths from your favourite online supplier.

 

I was asked to build some LED fixtures for a stage event. Nothing fancy, just half a dozen straight lengths of RGB, about 6 foot long, with DMX control. And it had to be moveable - so either hanging via a hook clamp, or on a wall with a couple of screws.

 

The initial idea was simply to have a 2m 2x1 batten, with a channel routed for the tape, sprayed black. Dead simple. But the supplier recommendation is fo the tape to be stuck to metal, not wood, so I had to re-think it.

 

Plan B was to use the same sort of aluminium channel as is used for kitchen cabinet lights. Most suppliers sell it in 1m lengths, but a few will do 2m lengths. Some also do anodised black. But the 2m lengths are considerably more expensive - around 15 pounds each.

 

 

I was in B&Q last week, and found a product that was ideal for this application. It’s a brushed aluminium channel, 20mm wide, with the sides raised about 5mm - so you can stick the LED tape inside and the sides offer some protection in transit.

 

It’s a tile trim - Diall Silver Aluminium Listello tile trim - and it comes in 1.8m lengths. Normally £16.56 for 1.8m. But it’s currently on special offer (no doubt it’s about to be discontinued!) at £2.00

 

https://www.diy.com/departments/diall-silver-aluminium-listello-tile-trim/1442907_BQ.prd

 

Half a dozen of those, 2 rolls of RGBW tape and a controller gave quite an effective effect.

[Alan Pickwick]

Dear Bruce,

 

Excellent idea to heatsink the strips.

 

Interestingly I have had some failures of strips stored in not damp but not dry conditions in a theatre store. The resistors or connections were open circuit in patches.

 

Thanks, Alan.

[alistermorton]

Worth knowing. I bought some 2m lengths of channel from tlc- cost about a fiver a metre IIRC

[J Pearce]

I've got a pile of 4' battens I made with aluminium L section from metals4u.co.uk

I made them up when I kept needing 4' strips of LED tape for flats and decks and was bored of trashing it on the out. Sod's law has struck and they haven't been out since the show I built them for...

[alistermorton]

Dear Bruce,

 

Excellent idea to heatsink the strips.

 

Interestingly I have had some failures of strips stored in not damp but not dry conditions in a theatre store. The resistors or connections were open circuit in patches.

 

Thanks, Alan.

 

4 or maybe 5 years ago I stapled a length of RGB cheapo tape from the bay to the back of the fascia boards on the front of the house. It's not in direct rainfall, but it's not exactly dry conditions It's still working fine, so it's a bit of a lottery.

[Tim gregory]

I am looking for some channel with a diffused front suitable for external signage use.

 

Need about 20 meters at between 65mm - 80mm wide.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

 

Tim

[allanr]

Thanks for the heads-up Bruce. I managed to get a few lengths for the "next project".

Allan