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How to make your own LED lamp. How to make lamps from LED strips correctly

Economical lighting lamps are already found in almost every home. We offer you to consider how to make an LED lamp with your own hands, what materials will be required for this, as well as tips on what criteria should be used to select them.

Step-by-step development of an LED lamp

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

Please note that if any elements of the circuit are connected incorrectly, an explosion is possible, so strictly follow the instructions given below.

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

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

Video: LED lamp at home

High light output is achieved with diodes at a current of 20-25 mA. But cheap LEDs can produce an unpleasant bluish glow, which is also very harmful to the eyes, so we recommend diluting your 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 LEDs directly from the network, without an additional power supply. The only drawback 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 light. Although in the future the circuit can be upgraded and isolated from the network.

Simplified lamp diagram

When turned on, a 100 ohm resistor protects the circuit from voltage surges; if it is not there, you need to use a higher power diode bridge rectifier.
The 400 nF capacitor limits the current required for the LEDs to glow normally. If necessary, you can add more LEDs if their total current consumption does not exceed the limit set by the capacitor.
Make sure that the capacitor used is designed for an operating voltage of at least 350 V, it should be one and a half times the mains voltage.
A 10uF capacitor is needed to provide a stable, flicker-free light source. Its rated voltage should be twice that measured across all LEDs connected in series during operation.

In the photo you see a burnt out lamp, which will soon be disassembled for a DIY LED lamp.

We disassemble the lamp, but very carefully so as not to damage the base, then clean it and degrease it with alcohol or acetone. We pay special attention to the hole. We clean it of 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 a regular soldering iron for these purposes and have already prepared a diode bridge in advance and process the surface, working 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 hot-melt assembly gun. A PVC tube is also suitable, but it is advisable to use a material specially designed for this purpose, filling all the space between the parts and at the same time fixing them. We did it ready base for the future lamp.

Photo: glue and cartridge

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

Photo: LEDs on the board

It is very important to check each of our boards for functionality, because otherwise all the work is in vain. We pay special attention to the contacts of the LEDs; if necessary, we further 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 insulate everything with glue and check the connections of the diodes to each other. We place the boards at the same distance from each other 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 recommend covering our lamp with a lampshade, because... LEDs emit extremely bright light that is very hard on the eyes. If we place our homemade lamp“cut” from paper, for example, or fabric, you get a very soft light, a romantic night light or a sconce for a nursery. By replacing the soft lampshade with a standard glass one, we get a fairly bright glow that does not irritate the eyes. This is a good and very beautiful option for a home or cottage.

If you want to power the lamp using batteries or from USB, you need to exclude the 400 nF capacitor and rectifier from the circuit, connecting the circuit directly to the source direct current voltage 5-12 V.

This is a good device for illuminating an aquarium, but you need to choose a special waterproof lamp; you can find it by visiting any store of electromechanical devices; these exist in any city, be it Chelyabinsk or Moscow.

Photo: lamp in action

Lamp for the office

You can make a creative wall, table lamp or floor lamp for your office using several dozen LEDs. But for this, the flow of light will be insufficient for reading; here you need a sufficient level of illumination of the workplace.

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

After that, find out the load capacity of the rectifying 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 sequentially, plus to minus. Use wires to connect the negative of one group of LEDs to the next until the entire assembly process is completed. Now add a diode bridge. Connect it as shown in the picture below. Connect the positive terminal to the positive wire of the first group of LEDs, connect the negative terminal to the common wire 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 the ~ sign. You can use plastic fasteners, screws and nuts to connect the two boards together if all the diodes are placed on separate boards. Don't forget to fill the boards with glue, insulating them from short circuits. 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 to the LEDs in order to make the light brighter, the LEDs will begin 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 side, through an additional capacitor, to the positive output of the rectifier. You can use 40 LEDs instead of the suggested 60, thereby increasing the overall brightness of the lamp.

Video: how to make an LED lamp with your own hands

If desired, a similar lamp can be made on powerful LED, it’s just that then you’ll need capacitors of a different rating.

As you can see, assembling or repairing a conventional DIY LED lamp is not particularly difficult. And it won't take much time and effort. This lamp is also suitable as a summer option, for example for a greenhouse; its light is absolutely harmless to plants.

Making a lamp from an LED strip with your own hands, if you follow the instructions, is not too difficult.

Such a modern and quite original lighting device can be used to organize lighting for rooms for various purposes.

Read on to learn how to make a homemade lamp from LED strip.

Currently, domestic and foreign manufacturers produce several types of light diode strips, which differ from each other in several respects. In order to correctly determine the type of tape, you must carefully study all the markings on the product being sold.

The first digit in the marking	Source	LED
Second digit in the marking	Glow color	Red glow "R"
		Green glow "G"
		Blue glow "B"
		Any glow “RGB”
		White glow "СW"
The third digit in the marking	Installation method	SMD
The fourth digit in the marking	Chip size	3028 or 3.0x2.8mm
		3528 or 3.5x2.8mm
		2835 or 2.8x3.5mm
		5050 or 5.0x5.0mm
Fifth digit in marking	Number of LEDs	30 per meter length
		60 per meter length
		120 per meter length
Sixth digit of marking	Protection against penetration of solid objects	IP 0-6
Seventh digit of marking	Moisture protection	IP 0-6

LED strips IP-20 open type are used in rooms without high humidity. Tapes with IP-65 are most often used in the bathroom and kitchen work area, and devices with IP-68 are completely insulated from moisture, so they remain operational even in adverse outdoor conditions. According to the direction of illumination, all strip LEDs can be front or end.

A feature of the very popular and modern RGB strip with diodes is the ability to use a controller that allows you to get a monochrome glow or blinking in different colors.

Types of LEDs used

To produce a single-color LED strip, SMD-3028 and SMD-5050 diodes are used.

The second option is represented by three crystals, and therefore provides a brighter glow.

Also, the brightness indicators are influenced by the number of light diodes per meter of lighting strip.

The dimensions of the LEDs are reflected in the power level of the lighting fixture:

the presence of 30 SMD-5050 diodes per meter - consumption 7.2 Watts;
the presence of 60 SMD-3528 diodes per meter – consumption 4.8 watts;
the presence of 60 SMD-5050 diodes per meter - consumption 14.4-15.0 Watts;
the presence of 120 SMD-3528 diodes per meter - power at 9.6 Watt;
the presence of 120 SMD-5050 diodes per meter - power at 25.0 Watt;
the presence of 240 SMD-3528 diodes per meter - power at 19.2 W.

Tapes with chips that are placed in two, three or four rows are called multi-row and, as a rule, include diodes with different glow colors.

With the introduction of new connection standards, the functionality of diodes of various types can be ensured by both a DC power supply with a voltage level of 24V and 36V, and an AC network with a voltage level of 220V.

What will you need?

Due to its high flexibility, a lighting device based on LED strip can have a wide variety of formats. However, the basic principles of manufacturing such a lamp remain unchanged, therefore, in addition to the diode strip itself, it is expected to prepare materials and basic tools, presented:

screws;
aluminum corner 10x10 mm;
small-sized switch;
electric drill;
marker;
ruler;
electric jigsaw;
pliers.

If necessary, the aluminum corner can be replaced with a standard plastic electrical box. Functionality and the quality characteristics of the manufactured lighting device, in this case, will not be affected.

LED strips are designed for a voltage of 12 Volts. Therefore, it is a mandatory element for connecting the device.

Let's look at the operating principle of LED lamps.

Are you thinking of replacing your old lamps with LED ones? You can familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the devices.

Controllers, power supplies for LED strips

Installation and connection of a homemade lighting device based on a diode strip requires the use of a rectifier and an adapter.

The purpose of the controller, or adapter, is to convert 220V AC into 12V or 24V DC according to the power level of the tape.

To choose the right power supply for a homemade diode lamp, you need to multiply the power of the diodes of one meter of strip by the length, and then add a power reserve of at least 15% to the result obtained.

Creating a multi-color lighting device with light switching and brightness level adjustment involves the use of a controller and remote control.

Build process

The assembly option for a lighting fixture depends on its type. The device can be on legs, vertical or horizontal. The main stages of self-assembly of the simplest and most common design are as follows:

measure the length of the box or corner;
drill mounting holes for screws in the corner or box, as well as a place to install the switch;
secure the corner to the location chosen for installation of the lighting fixture;
install a switch in the cut-out location;
solder wires to the diode strip;
degrease the surface with acetone;
install a diode strip on a corner or box;
connect the wires to the power supply or adapter;
check all connections.

In this way, a horizontal design is created, which is most often used as effective illumination of the work area in the kitchen, countertops, desks, and wall shelves. Decorative elements can be almost any materials that suit the interior of the room.

When choosing a place to install a diode lamp, you need to remember that the optimal height is 0.7-0.8 m from the illuminated surface. Only in this case can you obtain maximum lighting efficiency.

For stretch ceiling

Diode-type lamps installed in the presence of suspended ceilings are easy to do with your own hands. Modern diode strips are equipped with double-sided tape, so their installation around the perimeter stretch ceiling under a translucent film does not cause any difficulties.

LED lighting for stretch ceiling

In order to correctly and reliably connect the LED strip to a power source or controller, it is advisable to give preference to stranded wires, on one side of which there are tips with a cross-section of 0.75 mm. During the installation process, the tips are installed inside the block and secured with screws.

It is important to remember that all wires soldered to the end of the diode strip need to be completely insulated with a special heat-shrinkable tube, which will significantly increase the strength of the connection and make the operation of the lighting device safe.

For workplace lighting

A small lighting device based on a diode strip can be made using a ready-made housing.

The best option would be to use a failed fluorescent lamp 30cm long and an SMD-5050 diode strip with a light emission angle of 120º, a supply voltage of 12V and a current consumption of 1.2A/m.

After degreasing the inside of the case, the diode strip is fixed with double-sided tape.

The power supply can be factory-made or home-made. After connecting the diode strip to the block, all connections and functionality of the finished, very economical and high-quality lighting are checked workplace, lighting fixture.

During the installation process, all current-conducting areas of the lamp must be carefully insulated, and the power supply must be neatly disguised in the housing or securely fixed next to it.

Conclusion

When designing on your own, you need to remember that in addition to fairly simple diode strips, manufacturers of LED products produce products that have broader capabilities, including special kits through which quite complex dynamic effects are realized, as well as synchronization of simultaneous control of several lighting sections at once.

Video on the topic

Is it possible to make an LED lamp (LED) operating on 220 volts from start to finish with your own hands? It turns out that it is possible. Our tips and instructions will help you in this exciting activity.

Advantages of LED lamps

LED lighting in the home is not just modern, but also stylish and bright. Conservative fans of incandescent lamps are left with weak “Ilyich bulbs” - the federal law“On Energy Saving”, adopted in 2009, from January 1, 2011, prohibits the production, import and sale of incandescent lamps with a power of more than 100 W. Advanced users have long switched to compact fluorescent lamps(CFL). But LEDs outperform all their predecessors:

Energy consumption LED lamp 10 times less than a corresponding incandescent lamp, and almost 35% less than a CFL;
the power of light LED lamps more by 8 and 36%, respectively;
achieving full luminous flux power occurs instantly, unlike CFLs, which require about 2 minutes;
the cost - provided that the lamp is manufactured independently - tends to zero;
LED lamps are environmentally friendly because they do not contain mercury;
LED service life is measured in tens of thousands of hours. Therefore, LED lamps are practically eternal.

Dry numbers confirm: LED is the future.

Design of a modern factory LED lamp

The LED here is initially assembled from many crystals. Therefore, in order to assemble such a lamp, you do not need to solder numerous contacts, you only need to connect one pair.

An LED lamp consists of a base, a driver, a heatsink, the LED itself and a diffuser

Types of LEDs

LED is a semiconductor multilayer crystal with an electron-hole junction. By passing direct current through it, we receive light radiation. An LED also differs from a conventional diode in that if it is connected incorrectly, it immediately burns out, since it has a low breakdown voltage (several volts). If an LED burns out, it must be completely replaced; repair is impossible.

There are four main types of LEDs:

A homemade and properly assembled LED lamp will serve for many years, and it can be repaired.

Before you begin self-assembly, you need to choose a power supply method for our future lamp. There are many options: from a battery to a 220-volt AC network - through a transformer or directly.

The easiest way is to assemble a 12-volt LED from a burnt-out halogen. But it will require a fairly massive external power supply. A lamp with a regular base, designed for a voltage of 220 volts, fits any socket in the house.

Therefore, in our guide we will not consider creating a 12-volt LED light source, but will show a couple of options for designing a 220-volt lamp.

Since we do not know the level of your electrical technical training, we cannot guarantee that you will end up with a properly functioning device. In addition, you will be working with life-threatening voltages and if things are not done accurately and incorrectly, damage and loss may occur, for which we will not be held responsible. Therefore, be careful and attentive. And you will succeed.

Drivers for LED lamps

The brightness of LEDs directly depends on the strength of the current passing through them. For stable operation, they need a constant voltage source and a stabilized current that does not exceed the maximum permissible value for them.

Resistors - current limiters - can only be used for low-power LEDs. You can simplify the simple calculation of the number and characteristics of resistors by finding an LED calculator on the Internet, which not only displays data, but also creates a ready-made electrical diagram of the design.

To power the lamp from the mains, you must use a special driver that converts the input alternating voltage into a working voltage for the LEDs. The simplest drivers consist of a minimum number of parts: an input capacitor, several resistors and a diode bridge.

In the simplest driver circuit, the supply voltage is supplied through a limiting capacitor to the rectifier bridge, and then to the lamp

Powerful LEDs are connected through electronic drivers that control and stabilize the current and have a high efficiency (90-95%). They provide stable current even with sudden changes in the supply voltage in the network. Resistors cannot do this.

Let's look at the simplest and most commonly used drivers for LED lamps:

the linear driver is quite simple and is used for low (up to 100 mA) operating currents or in cases where the source voltage is equal to the voltage drop across the LED;
The switching buck driver is more complex. It allows powerful LEDs to be powered by a source of much higher voltage than is necessary for their operation. Disadvantages: large size and electromagnetic interference generated by the inductor;
A switching boost driver is used when the operating voltage of the LED is greater than the voltage received from the power supply. The disadvantages are the same as the previous driver.

An electronic driver is always built into any 220-volt LED lamp to ensure optimal operation.

Most often, several faulty LED lamps are disassembled, the burnt-out LEDs and radio components of the driver are removed, and one new structure is installed from the intact ones.

But you can make an LED lamp from a regular CFL. This is quite an attractive idea. We are sure that many zealous owners keep faulty “energy savers” in their drawers with parts and spare parts. It’s a shame to throw it away, there’s nowhere to use it. Now we will tell you how to create an LED lamp from an energy-saving lamp (E27 base, 220 V) in just a couple of hours.

A faulty CFL always gives us a high-quality base and housing for LEDs. In addition, it is usually the gas discharge tube that fails, but not electronic device to “ignite” it. We again put the working electronics into storage: they can be disassembled, and in capable hands these parts will still serve something good.

Types of modern lamp bases

The base is a threaded system for quickly connecting and fixing the light source and socket, supplying power to the source from the mains and ensuring the tightness of the vacuum flask. The marking of the socles is deciphered as follows:

The first letter of the marking indicates the type of base:
- B - with pin;
- E - with thread (developed back in 1909 by Edison);
- F - with one pin;
- G - with two pins;
- H - for xenon;
- K and R - with cable and recessed contact, respectively;
- P - focusing base (for spotlights and lanterns);
- S - soffit;
- T - telephone;
- W - with contact inputs in the glass of the bulb.
The second letter U, A or V shows which lamps use the base: energy-saving, automotive or with a conical end.
The numbers following the letters indicate the diameter of the base in millimeters.

The most common base since Soviet times is E27 - a threaded base with a diameter of 27 mm for a voltage of 220 V.

Creating an E27 LED lamp from an energy-saving one using a ready-made driver

For self-made LED lamp we will need:

Failed CFL lamp.
Pliers.
Soldering iron.
Solder.
Cardboard.
Head on shoulders.
Skillful hands.

We will convert the faulty Cosmos CFL to LED.

“Cosmos” is one of the most popular brands of modern energy-saving lamps, so many zealous owners will definitely have several of its faulty copies

Step-by-step instructions for making an LED lamp

We find a faulty energy-saving lamp, which we have had for a long time “just in case.” Our lamp has a power of 20 W. For now, the main component we are interested in is the base.
We carefully disassemble old lamp and remove everything from it except the base and the wires coming from it, with which we will then connect the finished driver by soldering. The lamp is assembled using latches protruding above the body. You need to look at them and use something to pry them off. Sometimes the base is attached to the body in a more complicated way - by punching pinholes around the circumference. Here you will have to drill out the core points or carefully saw through them with a hacksaw. One supply wire is soldered to the central contact of the base, the second to the thread. Both of them are very short. The tubes may burst during these manipulations, so you must act carefully.
We clean the base and degrease it with acetone or alcohol. Particular attention should be paid to the hole, which we also carefully clean from excess solder. This is necessary for further soldering in the base.
A launch board for a gas-discharge tube built into a fluorescent lamp is not suitable for us to create an LED device
The cap of the base has six holes - gas-discharge tubes were attached to them. We use these holes for our LEDs. Let's put it under top part a circle of the same diameter cut out with nail scissors from a suitable piece of plastic. Thick cardboard will also work. It will fix the contacts of the LEDs.
On the reverse side, the base has six round holes into which we will install LEDs
We have HK6 multi-chip LEDs (voltage 3.3 V, power 0.33 W, current 100-120 mA). Each diode is assembled from six crystals (connected in parallel), so it shines brightly, although it is not called powerful. Considering the power of these LEDs, we connect them three in parallel.
Each LED shines quite brightly on its own, so six of them in the lamp will provide good light intensity
We connect both chains in series.
Two chains of three parallel-connected LEDs are each connected in series

The result is a rather beautiful design.

Six LEDs inserted into the sockets form a powerful and uniform light source

A simple ready-made driver can be taken from a broken LED lamp. Now, to connect six white one-watt LEDs, we use a 220-volt driver, for example, RLD2-1.
The driver is connected to the LEDs in a parallel circuit
We insert the driver into the socket. We place another cut-out circle of plastic or cardboard between the board and the driver to avoid short circuits between the LED contacts and the driver parts. The lamp does not heat up, so any gasket will do.
A positive difference between Chinese bases and Russian ones: they solder much better
Let's assemble our lamp and check if it works.
After assembling the lamp, you need to connect it to a voltage source and make sure that it lights up

We created a source with a luminous intensity of approximately 150-200 lm and a power of approximately 3 W, similar to a 30-watt incandescent lamp. But due to the fact that our lamp has a white glow, it visually looks brighter. The area of the room illuminated by it can be increased by bending the LED leads. In addition, we received a wonderful bonus: the three-watt lamp does not even need to be turned off - the meter practically does not “see” it.

Creating an LED lamp using a homemade driver

It is much more interesting not to use a ready-made driver, but to make it yourself. Of course, if you are good with a soldering iron and have basic skills in reading electrical diagrams.

We'll look at etching the board after drawing the circuit diagram on it by hand. And, of course, everyone will be interested in tinkering with chemical reactions using available chemicals. As in childhood.

We will need:

A piece of copper foil on both sides of fiberglass.
The elements of our future lamp according to the generated diagram: resistors, capacitor, LEDs.
Drill or mini-drill for drilling fiberglass.
Pliers.
Soldering iron.
Solder and rosin.
Nail polish or correction pencil.
Table salt, copper sulfate or ferric chloride solution.
Head on shoulders.
Skillful hands.
Accuracy and attentiveness.

Textolite is used in cases where electrical insulating properties are required. This is a multilayer plastic, the layers of which consist of fabric (depending on the type of fibers of the fabric layer, there are basalt textolites, carbon textolites, and others) and a binder (polyester resin, bakelite, etc.):

Fiberglass is fiberglass fabric impregnated with epoxy resin. It is characterized by high resistivity and heat resistance - from 140 to 1800 o C;
foil fiberglass is a material covered with a layer of galvanic copper foil 35-50 microns thick. It is used for making printed circuit boards. The thickness of the composite is from 0.5 to 3 mm, the sheet area is up to 1 m 2.

Foil-coated fiberglass laminate is used for the manufacture of printed circuit boards.

Driver circuit for LED lamp

It is quite possible to make a driver for an LED lamp yourself, for example, based on the simplest circuit that we looked at at the beginning of the article. You just need to add a few details:

Resistor R3 to discharge the capacitor when the power is turned off.
A pair of zener diodes VD2 and VD3 to bypass the capacitor if the LED circuit burns out or breaks.

If we select the stabilization voltage correctly, we can limit ourselves to one zener diode. If we set the voltage to more than 220 V, and choose a capacitor for it, then we will do without any additional parts at all. But the driver will be larger in size, and the board may not fit in the base.

This circuit allows you to make a driver for a lamp of 20 LEDs

We created this circuit to make a lamp from 20 LEDs. If there are more or less of them, you need to select a different capacitance for capacitor C1 so that a current of 20 mA still passes through the LEDs.

The driver will lower the network voltage and try to smooth out voltage surges. Through a resistor and a current-limiting capacitor, the mains voltage is supplied to a diode-based bridge rectifier. Through another resistor it is supplied constant pressure onto the LED block and they start to shine. The ripples of this rectified voltage are smoothed out by a capacitor, and when the lamp is disconnected from the network, the first capacitor is discharged by another resistor.

It will be more convenient if the driver design is mounted using a printed circuit board, and is not some kind of lump in the air made of wires and parts. You can easily make the payment yourself.

Step-by-step instructions for making an LED lamp with a homemade driver

Using a computer program, we generate our own pattern for etching the board according to the intended driver design. Very convenient and popular among radio amateurs, free computer program Sprint Layout, which allows you to independently design printed circuit boards of low complexity and obtain an image of their layout. There is another excellent domestic program - DipTrace, which draws not only boards, but also circuit diagrams.
The free computer program Sprint Layout generates detailed diagram Etching the driver board
We cut out a circle with a diameter of 3 cm from fiberglass. This will be our board.
We choose a method for transferring the circuit to the board. All methods are terribly interesting. Can:
- draw a diagram directly on a piece of fiberglass with a stationery correction pencil or a special marker for printed circuit boards, which is sold in a radio parts store. There is a subtlety here: only this marker allows you to draw tracks less than or equal to 1 mm. In other cases, the width of the track, no matter how hard you try, will not be less than 2 mm. And the copper patches for soldering will turn out sloppy. Therefore, after applying the design, you need to correct it with a razor or scalpel;
- print the diagram on inkjet printer on photo paper and iron the printout to the fiberglass. The circuit elements will be covered with paint;
- draw a diagram with nail polish, which is definitely in any house where a woman lives. This is the simplest method, and we will use it. Carefully and carefully, using a brush from a bottle, draw tracks on the board. We wait until the varnish dries well.
We dilute the solution: stir 1 tablespoon of copper sulfate and 2 tablespoons of table salt in boiling water. Copper sulfate is used in agriculture, so it can be purchased at gardening and construction stores.
We immerse the board in the solution for half an hour. As a result, only the copper traces that we protected with varnish will remain; the rest of the copper will disappear during the reaction.
Use acetone to remove the remaining varnish from the fiberglass laminate. You immediately need to tin (coat with solder using a soldering iron) the edges of the board and the contact points so that the copper does not quickly oxidize.
The contact points are soldered with a layer of solder mixed with rosin to protect the copper tracks from oxidation
According to the diagram, we make holes with a drill.
We solder the LEDs and all the details of the homemade driver on the board from the side of the printed tracks.
We install the board into the lamp body.
After all the operations performed, you should get an LED lamp equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lamp

Safety Notes

Although assembling an LED lamp yourself is not a very difficult process, you should not even start it if you do not have at least basic electrical knowledge. Otherwise, the lamp you assembled may damage the entire electrical network your home, including expensive electrical appliances. The specificity of LED technology is that if some elements of its circuit are connected incorrectly, then an explosion is even possible. So you have to be extremely careful.
Typically the luminaires are used at 220 VAC. But designs designed for a voltage of 12 V cannot be connected to a regular network under any circumstances, and you must always remember this.
In the process of making a homemade LED lamp, the components of the lamp often cannot be immediately completely isolated from the 220 V supply network. Therefore, you can be seriously shocked. Even if the structure is connected to the network via a power supply, it is quite possible that it has simple diagram without transformer and galvanic isolation. Therefore, you should not touch the structure with your hands until the capacitors are discharged.
If the lamp does not work, then in most cases poor-quality soldering of parts is to blame. You were inattentive or acted hastily with the soldering iron. But don't despair. Keep trying!

Video: learning to solder

It’s a strange thing: in our age, when stores have absolutely everything, usually inexpensive and very varied, after twenty years of euphoria, people are increasingly returning to doing household things with their own hands. Handicrafts, carpentry and plumbing skills flourished beyond belief. And simple applied electrical engineering is confidently returning to this series.

Step-by-step development of an LED lamp

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

Please note that if any elements of the circuit are connected incorrectly, an explosion is possible, so strictly follow the instructions given below.

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

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

Video: LED lamp at home

Simplified lamp diagram

When turned on, a 100 ohm resistor protects the circuit from voltage surges; if it is not there, you need to use a higher power diode bridge rectifier.
The 400 nF capacitor limits the current required for the LEDs to glow normally. If necessary, you can add more LEDs if their total current consumption does not exceed the limit set by the capacitor.
Make sure that the capacitor used is designed for an operating voltage of at least 350 V, it should be one and a half times the mains voltage.
A 10uF capacitor is needed to provide a stable, flicker-free light source. Its rated voltage should be twice that measured across all LEDs connected in series during operation.

In the photo you see a burnt out lamp, which will soon be disassembled for a DIY LED lamp.

Photo: lamp socket

Photo: resistors and transistor

Photo: soldering the rectifier

Photo: glue and cartridge

Photo: LEDs on the board

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 recommend covering our lamp with a lampshade, because... LEDs emit extremely bright light that is very hard on the eyes. If you place our homemade lamp in a “cut” made of paper, for example, or fabric, you will get a very soft light, a romantic night light or a sconce for the nursery. By replacing the soft lampshade with a standard glass one, we get a fairly bright glow that does not irritate the eyes. This is a good and very beautiful option for a home or cottage.

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

Photo: lamp in action

Lamp for the office

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

Diagram: connecting lamps

Short LED wires

Adding a capacitor

Video: how to make an LED lamp with your own hands

If desired, a similar lamp can be made using a powerful LED, but then you will need capacitors of a different value.

A 220-volt LED lamp saves 1.5–2 times more electricity than a fluorescent lamp, and 10 times more than an incandescent lamp. In addition, when assembling a burnt-out lamp, the cost of manufacturing such a lamp will be significantly lower. Assembling an LED lamp with your own hands is quite simple, although working with high voltage you can only if you have the appropriate qualifications.

Advantages of a homemade lamp

You can find many types of lamps in the store. Each type has its own disadvantages and advantages. Incandescent lamps are gradually losing their position due to high energy consumption, low light output, despite a high color rendering index. Compared to them, fluorescent light sources are a real miracle. Energy-saving lamps are their more modern modernization, which makes it possible to use the advantages of fluorescent light in the most common lamps, with E27 bases, without the unpleasant flicker of the old representatives of this family.

But fluorescent lamps also have disadvantages. They quickly fail due to frequent switching on and off; moreover, the vapors contained in the tubes are poisonous, and the design itself requires special disposal. Compared to them, the light-emitting diode (LED) lamp is the second revolution in lighting. They are even more economical, do not require special disposal and last 5–10 times longer.

LED lamps have one significant drawback - they are the most expensive. To reduce this minus to a minimum or turn it into a plus, you will need to build it from an LED strip with your own hands. At the same time, the cost of the light source becomes lower than that of luminescent analogues.

A homemade LED lamp has a number of advantages:

The service life of the device, when properly assembled, is a record 100,000 hours;
In terms of watt/lumen efficiency, they are also superior to all analogues;
the cost of a homemade lamp is no higher than that of a fluorescent lamp.

Of course, there is one drawback - the lack of guarantees for the product, which must be compensated by strict adherence to the instructions and the skill of the electrician.

Assembly materials

There are a lot of ways to create a lamp with your own hands. The most common methods are using an old base from a burnt-out fluorescent lamp. Everyone will have such a resource in their home, so there will be no problems finding it. In addition to this you will need:

Base from a burnt-out product.
Directly ICE. They are sold in the form of LED strips or individual NK6 LEDs. Each element has a current of approximately 100–120 mA and a voltage of approximately 3–3.3 Volts.
You will need a diode bridge or 1N4007 rectifier diodes.
You need a fuse, which can be found in the base of a blown lamp.
Capacitor. Its capacity, voltage and other parameters are selected depending on electrical diagram for the assembly and the number of LEDs in it.
In most cases, you will need a frame on which the LEDs will be mounted. The frame can be made of plastic or similar material. The main requirement is that it must not be metallic, conductive, and must be heat-resistant.
To securely attach the LEDs to the frame, you will need superglue or liquid nails (the latter is preferable).

One or two elements from the above list may not be useful in some schemes; in other cases, on the contrary, new chain links (drivers, electrolytes) may be added. Therefore the list necessary materials must be drawn up individually in each specific case.

Assembling a lamp from LED strip

Let's look at the step-by-step creation of a 220 V light source from an LED strip. To decide to use an innovation in the kitchen, it is enough to remember that LED lamps assembled by yourself are significantly more profitable than their fluorescent counterparts. They live 10 times longer and consume 2–3 times less energy at the same lighting level.

For construction you will need two burnt out fluorescent lamps half a meter long and 13 watts in power. There is no point in buying new ones; it is better to find old ones that are not working, but not broken and without cracks.
Next, we go to the store and buy an LED strip. There is a large selection, so please purchase responsibly. It is advisable to buy tapes with pure white or natural light; it does not change the shades of surrounding objects. In such strips, LEDs are collected in groups of 3 pieces. The voltage of one group is 12 volts, and the power is 14 watts per meter strip.
Then you need to disassemble the fluorescent lamps into their component parts. Carefully! Do not damage the wires or break the tube, otherwise toxic fumes will escape and you will have to clean up, like after a broken mercury thermometer. Do not throw away the removed entrails; they will be useful in the future.
Below is a diagram of the LED strip we purchased. In it, LEDs are connected in parallel, 3 pieces in a group. Please note that this scheme does not suit us.
Therefore, you need to cut the tape into sections of 3 diodes each and get expensive and useless converters. It is more convenient to cut the tape with wire cutters or large and strong scissors. After soldering the wires, you should get the diagram below.
The result should be 66 LEDs or 22 groups of 3 LEDs each, connected in parallel along the entire length. The calculations are simple. Since we need to convert alternating current into direct current, the standard voltage of 220 Volts in the electrical network needs to be increased to 250. The need to “throw up” the voltage is associated with the rectification process.
To find out the number of LED sections, you need to divide 250 Volts by 12 Volts (voltage for one group of 3 pieces). As a result, we get 20.8(3), rounded to big side, we get 21 groups. Here it is advisable to add another group, since the total number of LEDs will have to be divided into 2 lamps, and for this you need an even number. In addition, adding one more section, we will make general scheme safer.
We will need a DC rectifier, which is why we cannot throw away the removed insides of the fluorescent lamp. To do this, we take out the converter and, using wire cutters, remove the capacitor from the common circuit. This is quite simple to do, since it is located separately from the diodes, you just need to break off the board.
The diagram shows what the end result should be, in more detail.
Next, using soldering and superglue, you need to assemble the entire structure. Don't even try to fit all 22 sections into one lamp. It was said above that you need to specifically find 2 half-meter lamps, since it is simply impossible to place all the LEDs in one. You also don't need to rely on the self-adhesive layer on the back of the tape. It will not last long, so the LEDs need to be secured with superglue or liquid nails.

Let's summarize and find out the advantages of the assembled product:

The amount of light from the resulting LED lamps is 1.5 times greater than that of their fluorescent counterparts.
The power consumption is much less than that of fluorescent lamps.
The assembled light source will last 5–10 times longer.
Finally, the last advantage is the direction of light. It does not dissipate and is directed straight down, so it is used near the desktop or in the kitchen.

Of course, the emitted light is not very bright, but the main advantage is the low power consumption of the lamp. Even if you turn it on and never turn it off, it will consume only 4 kW of energy in a year. At the same time, the cost of electricity consumed per year is comparable to the cost of a ticket on a city bus. Therefore, such light sources are especially effective to use where constant illumination is required (corridor, street, utility room).

Assembling a simple light bulb from LEDs

Let's look at another way to create an LED lamp. Chandelier or desk lamp requires a standard E14 or E27 base. Accordingly, the circuit and diodes used will differ. Compact fluorescent lamps are now widely used. We will need one burnt-out cartridge, and we will also change the general list of materials for assembly.

You will need:

burnt out E27 base;
driver RLD2-1;
NK6 LEDs;
a piece of cardboard, but better - plastic;
Super glue;
electrical wiring;
as well as scissors, soldering iron, pliers and other tools.

Let's start creating a homemade lamp:

Light flow assembled lamp equals 100–120 lumens. Pure white light makes the bulb appear significantly lighter. This is enough to illuminate a small room (corridor, utility room). The main advantage of the LED light source is low energy consumption and power - only 3 Watts. Which is 10 times less than incandescent lamps and 2–3 times less than fluorescent lamps. It operates from a conventional cartridge with 220 volt power.

Conclusion

This means that, having on hand non-working linear or compact fluorescent lamps and several elements given above in this article, you can create an LED lamp with your own hands, which has a number of advantages. One of the main ones is low cost compared to lamps that can be purchased in a store. During assembly and installation, safety precautions must be observed, since you have to work with high voltage, so you should follow the installation sequence according to the diagram. As a result, you will get a lamp that will work for a long time and be pleasing to the eye.