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Do-it-yourself LED lamp scheme. How to assemble LED lamps with your own hands

A few years ago, the popularity of LED strips just rolled over. To date, the need for them has decreased, but despite this, many people still use these light sources as lighting and decoration for stretch or plasterboard ceilings. And by following the instructions below and the rules of electrical safety, you can make a unique lamp from light diode tape with your own hands.

Concept and scope

LED lamps have a lot of advantages, but the main disadvantage is still too much high price. The latter is offset by low power consumption and a long working life, but it is still much cheaper to build your own lighting fixture by purchasing cheap flexible boards and LEDs separately. The cost of one running meter of LED strip is about 100-250 rubles.

If you want to save money, then buy the tape in coils of 10 m, carefully choosing the required class of LEDs. These devices are used in all spheres of life, at facilities where artificial lighting is required.

Compared to incandescent lamps, flexible LED light sources have a huge number of advantages:

  • high profitability;
  • long service life;
  • availability;
  • the choice of forms;
  • safety;
  • flexibility.

The applications for LED strips are endless. It is used as a backlight for an aquarium, ceiling, furniture and other interior items, work areas, shop windows (most often neon ribbons). It is impossible to list all possible options. The main thing here is to learn how to choose the right LED strip depending on the specific task, focusing on the technical and operational characteristics.

The use of a multi-colored flexible board on stretch ceilings due to the glossy surface, which perfectly reflects the incident light rays, which makes it possible to achieve interesting effects- from visually enlarging the room to creating an unforgettable romantic atmosphere. To do this with a classic chandelier or spotlights is much more difficult.

In general, the LED strip is the most versatile light source. From it you can create unique patterns and shapes, and for her self-manufacturing almost any material is used. The most common are devices made of plastic and polyvinyl chloride.

Types and options

For self-production of an LED lamp, you need to properly study a wide the lineup diodes, represented by both budget and elite counterparts.

The most popular are inexpensive diode designs of the following series:

  1. SMD 3528 - diodes are located tightly to each other, while there can be either 60 or 240 pieces per linear meter. Their number affects the power of the device (5–16 W) and the luminous flux (5–9 lm).
  2. SMD 2835 Premium is one of best tapes budget performance, characterized by higher brightness compared to other types. There are 60-120 led-diodes per linear meter, while the segments can be cut into lengths of 5 cm (about three diodes). An ideal solution for decorating and highlighting small interior items or creating spot lighting. The value of the luminous flux is 20-23 lm.
  3. SMD 3014 is similar to the previous model. On one linear meter there can be from 60 to 120 semiconductors. Depending on their number, the power is 36/72 W, the luminous flux is 6/11 lm.

From LED strips equipped with more powerful semiconductors, we highlight the following models:

  1. SMD 5050 - 30–120 LEDs per linear meter. Power varies from 7.2 to 25 W, luminous flux - 50-60 lm.
  2. SMD 5630 and SMD 5730 are similar series characterized by increased power, long life and brightness of 50-60 lm. Most often used in LED lamps.

In addition to the classic models, more modern and extraordinary designs have already been invented:

  • high-voltage flexible board designed for direct connection to a 220 V network;
  • low voltage solutions for 12 or 24 V, electrical circuit which the rectifier is connected;
  • waterproof models.

The LED strip is sold in coils of 5–10 m, but if necessary, it can be cut into pieces of the required length with ordinary scissors. If it became necessary to mount the tape on a large surface, then remember the general rule for all: for every 15 linear meters. m need to install one power supply.

High-voltage boards do not have any restrictions on the footage and are sold in coils of 100 m. Typically, cutting is performed in lengths of 50 or 100 cm.

Instances with increased moisture protection are structurally identical to conventional boards. The difference is due to the presence of a protective silicone coating that provides some protection against the ingress of dust and moisture:

  • IP44- good protection from dust and dirt;
  • IP65 - protection against dust and moisture while maintaining high elasticity at low temperatures;
  • IP67 - the protective coating is made in the form of a durable silicone tube;
  • IP68 - increased protection in the form of a two-layer silicone tube with a special filler.

Products with protection class IP67 and IP68 are used for high-quality illumination of aquariums, pools and other artificial reservoirs. In this case, the immersion depth should not exceed 1 m. If the IP33 class is indicated on the packaging, then such a device is produced without silicone protection.

Types of LED diodes used

When creating a home-made tape that glows in one color, semiconductors such as SMD 3028 or SMD 5050 are suitable. In the second case, three crystals are used, so the glow will be the brightest, but the power consumption is higher. Also, the brightness depends on the number of elements located on 1 lin. m.

The number of LEDs per conventional meter affects the total load of the product:

  • 30 SMD 5050 elements - 7.2 W;
  • 60 SMD З528 - 4.8 W;
  • 60 SMD 5050 - 15W;
  • 120 SMD З528 - 9.6 W;
  • 120 SMD 5050 - 25W;
  • 240 SMD З528 - 19.2 W;

Boards with semiconductors arranged in several rows are called multi-row. In such cases, RGB technology is usually used, which allows you to get a multi-colored glow.

Due to the presence of several standards, manufacturers make a tape that runs on a 12 or 24 V DC source, or directly on a 220 V AC mains.

What are controllers and power supplies for?

In the manufacture of home-made lighting fixtures based on LEDs, it is necessary to install a special adapter (rectifier, power supply), which will convert 220 V alternating electricity into D.C. 12/24 V according to the power of the semiconductors used.

To make the right choice and buy a suitable power supply, count the number of diodes per linear meter, then first multiply it by the power of one led diode, and then by the number of linear meters. At the end, be sure to give a small margin - about 10-15%.

For example, if you use SMD 5050 diodes, install approximately 60 pieces per linear meter and the length of the board is 5 m, then (based on the table above) the total load will be 15 * 5 = 75 watts. Increase the value by 15% and get required power adapter - 86–87 watts. When assembling a flexible board with adjustable brightness level and light switching circuit diagram must be supplemented with a controller and remote control.

Preparation of materials and parts

Before starting work, calculate the required number of LEDs, their brightness and the power of the adapter used. Depending on the purpose of the lamp, the length of the board will be:

  • night light, backlight for a switch or socket - a small segment with three diodes;
  • aquarium - a segment equal to the length of the wall or the perimeter of the container;
  • bed lighting - several parts, the length of which corresponds to the length of the bed;
  • backlight for computer keyboard - according to the length of the peripheral equipment;
  • when replacing fluorescent lamp- several parts, the length of which corresponds to the length of the lamp.

The brightness of the glow of the tape, its dimensions and the density of the semiconductors located depend on the specific conditions. The power of the block, as noted above, should be equal to the total load with a margin of 10-15%.

You may also need wires, a tube for heat shrinkage and insulation, a soldering iron, tin, rosin. Instead of a soldering iron, you can use special connectors. Never solder the tape with acid, which will oxidize and destroy the conductors or short circuit.

If the board is used as a backlight for an aquarium, use a transparent tube, and to increase moisture protection, use silicone sealant.

Lamp Assembly

Having carefully thought over the design of the lamp, having collected the necessary tools and materials, you can begin to manufacture it. In some cases, the whole process consists in banal gluing the board to some kind of base - for example, to a keyboard. In other situations, a partial or complete alteration of the light source may be required.

When installing such a lamp, you need to consider several additional factors:

  1. The power supply used to lower the voltage should be placed as close as possible to the diodes. With an increase in the length of the wiring, voltage losses increase, which will lead to a decrease in the level of illumination.
  2. When placed on a metal base, an insulation layer must be laid between the tape and the LEDs.
  3. If the tape is connected to a 220 V industrial network through a capacitor, then it must be covered with silicone sealant. Preferably two layers.

Important! The tape connected through the power supply is characterized by increased electrical and fire safety, which cannot be said about item 3 from the previous list. Work with such a board should be carried out under complete shutdown voltage.

Features and stages of installation work

To create an unusual lamp from a diode tape, a variety of objects are suitable - from a standard incandescent lamp base to a fluorescent light source housing.

Such procedures are accompanied by numerous requirements, the main of which are:

  1. When connected homemade device stranded wire must be used. One end is equipped with a tip with a cross section of 0.75 mm and is connected to the controller, and the other end is soldered to the ends of the LED board. Heat shrink tubing should be used to increase fixation.
  2. If the device is mounted on false ceilings, it is advisable to use a self-adhesive tape. Before gluing, pre-clean and degrease the surface of the ceiling, allowing it to dry properly. Take off protective film on the back side of the flexible board immediately before installation. The slightest dirt or dust deposited on the adhesive layer will lead to poor adhesion. The presence of moisture also adversely affects adhesion. If the tape is installed in a room with high humidity, then it is necessary to establish ventilation. On the street, such actions should be performed only in dry weather.
  3. At a distance of more than 7 m between the power supply and the homemade tape, you need to increase the cross section of the wire.

The adapter is connected in accordance with the polarity and terminals:

  • for single-color tapes, the technology is as simple as possible - “plus” is soldered to “plus”, and “minus” to “minus”;
  • multi-colored tapes have their own markings - V + (voltage), R, G, B for color switching (to the controller).

Additionally, multi-colored LED boards are equipped with dimmers designed to change the brightness and change the color of the glow. They come with a remote control for remote control. Low-voltage equipment for 12 or 24 V is an ideal solution for a house or apartment, high-voltage flexible boards are for organizing street lighting.

By following a number of technical recommendations and safety rules, you can easily create unusual lighting for interior items, an aquarium, a pool, a ceiling, etc. The cost of lamps made according to this principle with your own hands is much lower than factory led devices.

A 220 volt LED lamp saves 1.5–2 times more electricity than a lamp daylight, and 10 times more than an incandescent lamp. In addition, when assembling from a burnt-out lamp, the cost of manufacturing such a lamp will be much lower. A do-it-yourself LED lamp is assembled quite simply, although you can only work with high voltage if you have the appropriate qualifications.

Advantages of a homemade lamp

In the store you can find many types of lamps. Each type has its own disadvantage and advantage. Incandescent lamps are gradually losing ground 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 - their more modern modernization, which made it possible to use the advantages of fluorescent light in the most common lamps, with E27 socles, devoid of 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, but a 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.

Homemade LED lamp has several advantages:

  • the service life of the device with proper assembly is a record 100,000 hours;
  • in terms of watt / lumen efficiency, they also surpass all analogues;
  • the cost of a homemade lamp is not 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 the exact observance of instructions and the skill of an 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 in the house will find such a resource, so there will be no problems with the search. In addition, you will need:

  1. Base from a burnt product.
  2. Directly LED. They are sold as LED strips or individual HK6 LEDs. Each element has a current strength of approximately 100–120 mA and a voltage of approximately 3–3.3 Volts.
  3. You will need a diode bridge or 1N4007 rectifier diodes.
  4. You need a fuse, which can be found in the base of a blown lamp.
  5. Capacitor. Its capacity, voltage and other parameters are selected depending on the electrical circuit for the assembly and the number of LEDs in it.
  6. In most cases, you will need a frame on which the LEDs will be attached. The frame can be made of plastic or similar material. The main requirement is that it should not be metallic, conductive and should be heat resistant.
  7. 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 made on a case-by-case basis.

We collect a lamp from an LED strip

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

  1. For construction, you will need two burned-out fluorescent lamps half a meter long and 13 watts. There is no point in buying new ones, it is better to find old and non-working ones, but not broken and without cracks.
  2. Next, we go to the store and buy an LED strip. The choice is large, so approach the acquisition responsibly. It is advisable to buy tapes with pure white or natural light, it does not change the shades of surrounding objects. In such tapes, LEDs are assembled in groups of 3 pieces. The voltage of one group is 12 volts, and the power is 14 watts per meter tape.
  3. Then you need to disassemble the fluorescent lamps into their component parts. Carefully! Do not damage the wires, and do not break the tube, otherwise the toxic fumes will escape and you will have to clean up, as after a broken mercury thermometer. Do not throw away the extracted insides, they will come in handy in the future.
    Below is a diagram of the LED strip we bought. In it, LEDs are connected in parallel, 3 pieces in a group. Please note that this scheme does not suit us.
  4. 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, the diagram below should be obtained.
    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 to direct current, the standard voltage is 220 volts electrical network need to be increased to 250. The need to "throw" the voltage is associated with the rectification process.
  5. To find out the number of sections of LEDs, you need to divide 250 Volts by 12 Volts (voltage for one group of 3 pieces). As a result, we get 20.8 (3), rounding up, we get 21 groups. Here it is desirable to add another group, since the total number of LEDs will have to be divided into 2 lamps, and this requires an even number. In addition, by adding another section, we will make the overall scheme safer.
  6. We will need a DC rectifier, which is why you can not throw away the removed insides of a fluorescent lamp. To do this, we take out the converter, with the help of wire cutters we remove the capacitor from the common circuit. It is quite simple to do this, since it is located separately from the diodes, it is enough to break off the board.
    The diagram shows what should happen in the end, in more detail.
  7. Next, using soldering and superglue, you need to assemble the entire structure. Don't even try to fit all 22 sections into one fixture. 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. Also, you do not need to rely on a self-adhesive layer on the back of the tape. It will not last long, so the LEDs need to be fixed 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 fluorescent counterparts.
  • The power consumption is much less than that of fluorescent lamps.
  • The assembled light source will serve 5-10 times longer.
  • Finally, the last advantage is the directivity of the light. It does not scatter and is directed strictly downwards, thanks to which it is used at 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 in a city bus. Therefore, it is especially effective to use such light sources where constant illumination is required (corridor, street, utility room).

We collect a simple light bulb from LEDs

Let's take a look at another way to create an LED lamp. A chandelier or table lamp needs a standard E14 or E27 base. Accordingly, the circuit and the diodes used will be different. Compact fluorescent lamps are now widely used. We need one burned out cartridge, we will also change the general list of materials for assembly.

You will need:

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

Let's start creating a homemade lamp:


The luminous flux of the assembled lamp is 100–120 lumens. Pure white light makes the bulb appear significantly brighter. This is enough to illuminate a small room (corridor, utility room). The main advantage of the LED light source is low power consumption and power - only 3 watts. Which is 10 times less than incandescent lamps and 2-3 times less than fluorescent ones. It works from a conventional cartridge powered by 220 volts.

Conclusion

So, having at hand non-working linear or compact fluorescent lamps and several elements given above in this article, you can create it yourself led lamp, which has a number of advantages. One of the main ones is low cost compared to lamps that can be purchased at the store. During assembly and installation, safety measures are required, since you have to work with high voltage, so you should follow the installation sequence according to the diagram. As a result, you get a lamp that will work for a long time and please the eye.

Video

Is it possible to make a LED lamp (LED) powered by 220 volts with your own hands from start to finish? It turns out you can. Our tips and instructions will help you in this exciting activity.

Advantages of LED lamps

LED lighting in the house is not only 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 (CFLs). But LEDs bypass all their predecessors:

  • the power consumption of an LED lamp is 10 times less than that of a corresponding incandescent lamp, and almost 35% less than that of a CFL;
  • the power of light LED lamps more, respectively, by 8 and 36%;
  • the achievement of the full power of the luminous flux occurs instantly, unlike CFLs, which require about 2 minutes for this;
  • the cost price - 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 almost eternal.

Dry figures confirm: LED is the future.

The design of a modern factory LED lamp

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

The LED lamp consists of a base, a driver, a radiator, the LED itself and a diffuser

LED types

LED - a semiconductor multilayer crystal with an electron-hole transition. By passing a direct current through it, we get light radiation. An LED 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 the 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 last for many years, while it can be repaired.

Before proceeding with 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 rather massive external power supply. A lamp with a conventional base, designed for a voltage of 220 volts, fits any cartridge in the house.

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

Since we do not know the level of your electrical training, we cannot guarantee that you will get a properly working device at the output. In addition, you will be working with life-threatening voltage, and if something is done inaccurately and incorrectly, damage and damage may occur, for which we will not be 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 allowable value for them.

Resistors - current limiters - can be dispensed with only for a few powerful LEDs. You can simplify the simple calculation of the number and characteristics of resistors by finding an LED calculator on the network, in which not only data is given, but also a ready-made electrical circuit of the structure is created.

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

In the simplest driver circuit, the supply voltage is supplied through a clamping 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 a stable current even with sudden changes in the supply voltage in the network. Resistors cannot do this.

Consider 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 you to power high-power LEDs with a source much more high voltage than is necessary for their work. Disadvantages: large size and electromagnetic interference generated by the choke;
  • 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, burned-out LEDs and driver radio components are removed, and one new design is assembled from the whole ones.

But you can make an LED lamp from an ordinary CFL. This is quite an attractive idea. We are sure that many zealous owners have faulty “energy savings” in boxes with parts and spare parts. It's a pity to throw it away, there is nowhere to apply 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 for its "ignition". We again put the operating electronics in the stash: it can be disassembled, and in skillful hands these details will still serve something good.

Types of socles of modern lamps

The base is a threaded system for quickly connecting and fixing the light source and cartridge, 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:

  1. The first letter of the marking indicates the type of base:
    • B - with a pin;
    • E - threaded (developed back in 1909 by Edison);
    • F - with one pin;
    • G - with two pins;
    • H - for xenon;
    • K and R - respectively with cable and recessed contact;
    • P - focusing base (for searchlights and lanterns);
    • S - soffit;
    • T - telephone;
    • W - with contact inputs in the glass of the flask.
  2. The second letter U, A or V indicates whether the lamp base is used in energy-saving, automotive or tapered ends.
  3. 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-production of LED lamps, we need:

  1. Failed CFL lamp.
  2. Pliers.
  3. Soldering iron.
  4. Solder.
  5. Cardboard.
  6. Head on shoulders.
  7. Skillful hands.

We will remake a defective LED CFL brand "Cosmos".

"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

  1. We find the faulty energy saving lamp, which has long been with us "just in case." Our lamp has a power of 20W. So far, the main component of interest to us is the base.
  2. We carefully disassemble old lamp and remove everything from it, except for the base and the wires coming from it, with which we will then solder the finished driver. The lamp is assembled with the help of latches protruding above the body. You need to see them and put something on them. Sometimes the base is attached to the body more difficult - by punching dotted recesses around the circumference. Here you have to drill out the punching points or carefully cut them with a hacksaw. One supply wire is soldered to the central contact of the base, the second to the thread. Both are very short. The tubes may burst during these manipulations, so care must be taken.
  3. We clean the base and degrease it with acetone or alcohol. Increased attention should be paid to the hole, which is also carefully cleaned of 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.

  4. The base cover has six holes - gas discharge tubes were attached to them. We use these holes for our LEDs. Let's put under upper part a circle cut with nail scissors of the same diameter from a suitable piece of plastic. Thick cardboard will work too. He will fix the contacts of the LEDs.

    On the reverse side, the base has six round holes in which we will install the LEDs.

  5. We have HK6 multi-chip LEDs (voltage 3.3V, power 0.33W, current 100-120mA). Each diode is assembled from six crystals (connected in parallel), so it shines brightly, although it is not called powerful. Given the power of these LEDs, we connect them three in parallel.

    Each LED shines quite brightly on its own, so six pieces in the lamp will provide good light intensity.

  6. Both chains are connected in series.

    Two strings of three parallel-connected LEDs are each connected in series.

    7. As a result, we get a rather beautiful design.

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

  7. A simple ready-made driver can be taken from a broken LED lamp. Now, to drive six white one-watt LEDs, we use a 220 volt driver such as the RLD2-1.

    The driver is connected to the LEDs in parallel.

  8. We insert the driver into the base. Another cut out circle of plastic or cardboard is placed between the board and the driver to avoid a short circuit between the LED contacts and the driver parts. The lamp does not heat up, so any gasket is suitable.

    The positive difference between Chinese and Russian socles: they are soldered much better

  9. We 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 burns

We have created a source with a light intensity of about 150-200 lm and a power of about 3 W, similar to a 30-watt incandescent lamp. But due to the fact that our lamp has a white glow color, it visually looks brighter. The part of the room illuminated by it can be increased by bending the LED leads. In addition, we received a wonderful bonus: a three-watt lamp can not even 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 circuits.

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

We will need:

  1. A piece of fiberglass foiled with copper on both sides.
  2. The elements of our future lamp according to the generated circuit: resistors, capacitor, LEDs.
  3. Drill or mini-drill for drilling fiberglass.
  4. Pliers.
  5. Soldering iron.
  6. Solder and rosin.
  7. Nail polish or stationery corrective pencil.
  8. Table salt, copper sulfate or ferric chloride solution.
  9. Head on shoulders.
  10. Skillful hands.
  11. Accuracy and care.

Textolite is used in cases where electrical insulating properties are needed. 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 impregnated with epoxy resin. It has a high resistivity and heat resistance - from 140 to 1800 o C;
  • foil fiberglass is a material covered with a layer of galvanic copper foil with a thickness of 35-50 microns. It is used for making printed circuit boards. Composite thickness - from 0.5 to 3 mm, sheet area - up to 1 m 2 .

For the manufacture of printed circuit boards, foil fiberglass is used.

LED lamp driver circuit

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

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

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

This circuit allows you to make a lamp driver from 20 LEDs.

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

The driver will lower the mains voltage and try to smooth out power surges. Through a resistor and a current-limiting capacitor, the mains voltage is fed to a diode bridge rectifier. through another resistor constant pressure on the block of LEDs, 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 mains, 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 does not represent a kind of lump in the air from wires and parts. You can make the payment yourself.

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

  1. 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 computer program Sprint Layout, which allows you to independently design printed circuit boards of low complexity and get 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 etched driver board

  2. We cut out a circle with a diameter of 3 cm from fiberglass. This will be our board.
  3. Select the method of transferring the scheme 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. Yes, and copper patches for soldering will come out sloppy. Therefore, after applying the drawing, it is necessary to correct it with a razor or scalpel;
    • print out the diagram inkjet printer on photographic paper and steam the printout with an iron to 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 easiest way, and we will use it. Carefully and carefully with a brush from the bottle, draw tracks on the board. We are waiting for the varnish to dry well.
  4. 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 you can buy it in gardening and hardware stores.
  5. We lower the board into the solution for half an hour. As a result, only the copper tracks that we protected with varnish will remain, the rest of the copper will disappear during the reaction.
  6. With acetone, remove the remaining varnish from the fiberglass. Immediately you need to tin (cover with solder with a soldering iron) the edges of the board and the contact points so that the copper does not rapidly oxidize.

    The contact points are soldered with a layer of solder mixed with rosin to protect the copper tracks from oxidation.

  7. According to the scheme, we make holes with a drill.
  8. We solder the LEDs on the board and all the details of the home-made driver from the side of the printed tracks.
  9. We install the board in the lamp housing.

    After all the operations carried out, you should get an LED lamp equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lamp

Security Notes

  1. Although self-assembly of an LED lamp is not a very difficult process, it is not even worth starting if you do not have at least basic electrical knowledge. Otherwise, the lamp you have assembled, with an internal short circuit, can harm the entire electrical network of your home, including expensive electrical appliances. The specificity of LED technology is that if some elements of its circuit are connected incorrectly, then even an explosion is possible. So you have to be extremely careful.
  2. Typically, the luminaires are used at 220 V AC. But designs designed for a voltage of 12 V cannot be connected to a conventional network in any case, and you should always remember this.
  3. In the process of making a homemade LED lamp, the components of the lamp often cannot be completely isolated from the 220 V mains immediately. Therefore, you can be seriously electrocuted. Even if the design is connected to the network through a power supply, it is quite possible that it has a simple circuit without transformer and galvanic isolation. Therefore, the structure must not be touched with hands until the capacitors are discharged.
  4. If the lamp does not work, then in most cases poor-quality soldering of parts is to blame. You were inattentive or hastily acted with a soldering iron. But don't despair. Try further!

Video: learning to solder

It's strange: in our age, when stores have absolutely everything, usually inexpensive and very diverse, after twenty years of euphoria, people are increasingly returning to making homemade things with their own hands. Needlework, carpentry and locksmith skills flourished unthinkably. And in this series, simple applied electrical engineering is confidently returning.

The LED is a semiconductor device that allows you to convert electricity into light emission. Structurally, this is a semiconductor crystal (chip), which actually emits light, a substrate, a housing with contact leads and an optical system.

As you already know, they are different colors, it depends on the material of manufacture and various additives. As a rule, one crystal (chip) is installed in the case, but if necessary, the manufacturer can install several crystals.

Features of types of LED lamps

Their application is extremely wide, they can be divided into 2 groups:

Indicator (LED)- are used as indicators, due to the fact that they are dim and low-power. Green lights are on on your router - these are indicator LEDs, on the TV a light is on in the corner - it is also on.

In fact, LEDs are used in many places. In different electronic appliances, car panel backlight, computer display backlight, LCD TV backlight and countless other devices.

Colors may vary: red, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, even ultraviolet. Remember that the color of an LED is determined not by the color of the plastic the case is made of, but by the type of semiconductor material it is made from. But most LEDs are made of colorless plastic, and the color can only be recognized by turning it on.

Lighting structures- are used, as you already understood, for lighting. Unlike indicator lamps, they are distinguished by their brightness and power, with a rapidly declining price, they are used in domestic and industrial lighting, table lamps, LED lamps, lighting of offices and work areas, wherever possible.

Since it cheap, efficient and environmentally friendly lighting. The level of development of technology allows them to be produced with a very high level of light output per 1 W. For powerful mass-produced LEDs, this value reaches the 140th Lumen (a unit of luminous flux in SI). This allows them to be used in a very wide range of applications.

Use of LED for fixtures

First of all, this is their main plus - durability. Mechanically it reliable and durable. In theory, its life can reach up to 100,000 hours. This is about 100 times longer than incandescent lamps and 10 times longer than fluorescent lamps.

But the service life of an LED directly depends on itself, the strength of the current supplied to it, the cooling of the chip (crystal) that directly emits the light itself, and, accordingly, the very quality of the LED.

Branded products will be more expensive, but they will also last much longer than ordinary Chinese nameless LEDs. This directly affects consumer properties.

It is also worth noting about environmental friendliness. They are environmentally friendly light sources, unlike fluorescent lamps which contain mercury.

Fluorescent lamps after their failure should be handed over to specialized collection points. And in our reality, few people hand over such lamps to the appropriate points, but simply throw them into a landfill, where they cause irreparable harm to the environment.

Do-it-yourself LED lamp installation

And now let's start creating our LED lamp, which we will make with our own hands.

LED (lighting)- as mentioned above, it consists of a crystal, a substrate, a housing with contact leads and an optical system (lens). For the lamp, we use 8 pcs. powerful 1W LEDs. This will make a large area of ​​​​illumination.

Driver (power supply)- to convert alternating current 220V into direct current for supply to the circuit. It is necessary to determine the main criteria for choosing a driver, they are the power of the LEDs used, these are 1W, 3W, 5W. It also lies in the number of LEDs, the requirement for protection from external influences.

Note that if you don't have a driver, you can use limiting resistors, but a driver would be preferred. Why not save on the driver, you ask? Just look at the market, a bunch of inexpensive LED lamps with a bunch of LEDs and relatively inexpensive.

But as a rule, such lamps do not last long, 4–5 months, and during this time they still manage to lose almost half of the brightness, all this is due to the fact that they saved money on the driver in this lamp, they simply did not install it. And since we are set to long work our handmade lamp, we will use driver as a necessary component of the device.

Light fixture body material

For the manufacture of the case, you can use an old lamp. It is advisable to take metal body , since LEDs are semiconductors that pass electric current, and heat up accordingly.

Temperature is one of the main indicators of durability, so it is important for us to have good cooling.

An overheated LED has a shorter lifespan. The case can be taken from an old fluorescent lamp, or from another object that is suitable for us in size.

If there is no metal case, but only a plastic case, then this situation can be slightly corrected by gluing directly onto the plastic case of the lamp aluminum tape which can dissipate some heat.

Assembling the design of the LED lamp

Let's proceed directly to the assembly of the lighting device with our own hands.

LEDs with factory-made aluminum substrate attach to radiator, which in this case is the metal case of the lamp or, if the case is plastic, then aluminum tape glued to the case, the main thing here is heat dissipation. It is necessary to solder the LEDs in the circuit in series.

Since we have a LED with a substrate, we will mount it on a radiator using hot glue, hot melt adhesive allows you to remove heat from the LED, which will increase the life of the latter. We will take a super-bright 1W LED on a substrate.

Here are its brief characteristics:

  • Supply voltage 3.2–3.4V (volts).
  • Current consumption 350 ma (milliamps).
  • Wavelength 6500K (Kelvin), cold light.
  • Luminous flux 140 lm (lumen).

A 12W LED driver should be used for the luminaire.

Driver Features:

  1. Input voltage (AC): 100–240V.
  2. Output voltage: 18–46V.
  3. Output current: 300 ma ± 5%.
  4. Operating temperature -45 +75 degrees Celsius.

Two parameters are important - current and operating voltage LED. The operating voltage can also be called "voltage drop". This term means that after the LED, the voltage in the network will be less by the size of the "voltage drop".

If in a simple way, then if you apply power to the LED, which has a voltage drop of 3V, then for next element in the network, this voltage will be 3V less. Our lamp will have 8 LEDs with a supply voltage of 3.2–3.4 volts. On average - 3.3V.

In the driver for our lamp, the range of this value is 18–46V. We just get into it, it suits us according to this indicator.

Another indicator of the driver and the LED, on which the performance of the lamp depends, is current consumption of the LED, and the output current of the driver. This value is 350 ma in the LED and 300 ma in the driver. This is also suitable for the functioning of our lamp.

It should be remembered that the LED is not able to control the current consumption. it's the same important reason why you should use the driver.

Please note that the LEDs are already located on an aluminum substrate, which will also contribute to heat dissipation.

It remains only to solder the circuit itself with your own hands. Do not forget that it is impossible to keep the soldering iron on the LED contacts for too long, so as not to cause harm in the form of overheating.

The main thing is attentiveness, if you solder everything correctly, it will turn out bright and even light lamps, from 8 LEDs with a power of 1W. Next, using hot glue, we glue our LEDs onto the lamp body, which will serve to remove heat, as previously agreed.

The driver is also attached inside for the compactness of the device. Closing diffuser glass housing, we get a wonderful lamp that emits a total of 1120 lumens and consumes 8 watts.

Over time, if desired, you can transfer all the lighting in the house to LED, again with your own hands, so as not to overpay too much. The advantages of this lighting are obvious: low power consumption, environmental friendliness, pleasant and clean light. So boldly grab a soldering iron and make a high-quality LED lamp with your own hands.

Many will wonder - why make an LED chandelier with your own hands, if you can buy such a thing in a store?
To some extent, this question is indeed true. There are inexpensive Chinese chandeliers that are easier to purchase ready-made. the price gain from home-made production of such a thing will still not be so significant.

However, things are very different with expensive big models, such as you can see in good restaurants, hotels or theaters. Their price most often lies in the range of 60,000 rubles or more. In many cases, this amount can be unbearable. At the same time, the cost of such a product may well be within 3000 - 6000.

In addition, there are situations when an absolutely individual approach is required for interior design, and not a single purchased standard model will simply look good.

In general, sometimes making a chandelier yourself can be very profitable.

Today we will look at a small example, the purpose of which was not to make a masterpiece. We would just like to show some interesting practical tricks in this matter. Knowing them, you can come up with your own interesting design and bring it to life.

So - we need:
1) Black plexiglass plate 50cm by 50cm
2) Pieces of 200 transparent glass beads
3) RGB LEDs
4) Controller for LEDs
5) Heat shrink
6) Power supply
7) Glue
8) Optical fiber
9) Plywood sheet
10) Insulating tape, socket and a number of other little things, the list of which directly depends on your idea.

First of all, we mark the base of our chandelier on plywood. In this case, it will be a circle. Carefully cut it out, mount the socket there and connect the power supply. In our case, we used a socket similar to the one on the back. system block computer. This choice, in fact, is not conditional on anything - you can use any other option.



Then we make a mount for our chandelier and cut off the chains of the desired length, it will hang on them. We cut out the second plywood circle and a very even circle of org glass, so that it is 5 millimeters larger than the plywood. Then we will connect them together. This step is needed to strengthen the org glass, which is not designed for loads.

Now we have one plywood circle and one two-layer (plywood + plexiglass). This is the base of our chandelier.


Let's connect these 2 levels with small neat planks to get some kind of cylinder.






We mark the circle with concentric circles, thereby denoting the contours where the balls will be located.

We drill small holes where the centers of the balls will be.




Now you need to assemble a box in which the light from the RGB LED will go into the optical fiber. In the example we used a 12 Volt LED, however in real life we would advise to put 4 3 volt RGB LEDs connected in series. We connect the controller to the LEDs.

We use a plastic fitting as a clamp for the optical fiber.


We proceed to the preparation of the balls, in each of which a non-through hole should be drilled approximately to the center. This is a difficult task, requiring quite a lot of time. It is best to use a dremel. It is also important to consider the issue of fastening the ball during the drilling process.


The main feature of our project is the use of optical fiber. It is to them that we will deal further. We cut the fiber very carefully.
ATTENTION! Consider the fact that in addition to the length of the fiber from the ball to the plexiglass, there must be some margin for connecting to the LED.

In our case, the dimensions are as follows

7 strands 75cm + 10cm = 85cm
21 strands 60cm + 15cm = 75cm
35 strands 45cm + 20cm = 65cm
50 strands 30cm + 25cm = 55cm
64 strands 15cm + 30cm = 45cm





We assemble the fiber into a bundle, put a heat shrink tube on the end, rest the bundle on the table (as a result, all the fibers will be at the same level), heat the heat shrink so that it tightly compresses the fibers to each other. It turns out like a "panicle" with a handle. We fix the end compressed with heat shrink in the fitting and spread the fibers along the holes drilled in the org glass.

Pour a little glue on a piece of paper, dip a toothpick in it and carefully coat the hole in the ball. Insert the fiber there and temporarily secure the connection with tape. Give it some time for everything to cool down. Check the strength of the connection. It is important to exclude the possibility of the ball falling off.


We hang the chandelier together with the balls and carefully adjust the length of the fibers for each ball. It is necessary to achieve that the balls hang perfectly at the planned level. We fix the correct position of the fiber with hot glue.

Then we make the sides for our cylinder.



Everything! As a result, we have an original chandelier with luminous balls that can change their color depending on the button you press on the remote control. Also at your disposal will be a lot of interesting effects.











This idea seems very promising to us and has several extensions, for example:

Obviously, in the scheme described above, it does not shine with ordinary light and can only be an element of decor. But no one is stopping you from doing more on your own. full version by adding ordinary white LEDs to it.

You can make the outer rings of the balls glow in one color (for example, red), while the inner rings are with a controlled color. It will turn out a very beautiful multi-colored chandelier. In this case, you will need to make several fittings, each of which will shine a different color.

In general, this approach provides a truly wide field for maneuver!

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