LED Strip Lighting – 5050 type, Bulk (by the Foot)

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LED Strip Lighting - 5050 type, Bulk (by the Foot)
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LED Strip Lighting – 5050 type, Bulk (by the Foot)

Our Price: $3.85 - $3.95

Color

Quantity

Qty Discounts

Qty	Price(ea)
0 - 4	$3.95
5 - 9	$3.45
10+	$3.85

For a long time these strips of low-power LEDs offered somewhat poor performance. Not any longer. These things are really bright and boost decent efficiency as well.

About

Strip LEDs are small surface mount LEDs that are mounted on a flexible plastic tape with adhesive backing. They include current limiting LEDs and are designed for 12 volt operation. Each 2 inches of length are an independent strip, so it can be cut to virtually any length in 2 inch increments and hooked up to a 12 volt power source. Compared to an incandescent light bulb, for about the same illumination as a 60 watt bulb, these strips use:

12 watts when broadcast in all directions
6 watts when directed downward toward a work surface

Since they also run on 12 volts DC, they have marvelous potential for different applications:

Off grid locations such as remote cabins, sheds and other structures
Backup lighting for when the grid goes down. In fact, you can light your entire home without interruption simply by converting to these lights and keep a 12 volt marine battery charged for when the grid is not available.
Illuminate difficult to reach areas – the small low voltage wiring can be run on exposed surfaces, embedded into drywall or along molding without danger of fire or electrocution. There is also very little heat from these lights, so large lamp fixtures are also unnecessary. Just peel and stick wherever desired. Examples include:
- Under cabinets and desks
- Above shelves
- Hallways & Stairs
- Bookcases
- Refrigerators and Freezers
- Closets & Medicine Cabinets
- Above kitchen Sinks and Stoves
- Nooks and crannies that are too dark
- Security lighting
- Architectural uses
- Automotive – light up those hard to see dark areas

Choosing

These strips come with two different sizes of LEDs – 3528 and 5050. This fact may be confusing, so here is the difference and how to choose which type you need (the 5050 is the type used in this product. Here is the 3528 product listing).

The 5050 has a larger and brighter LED than the 3528. The numbers stand for the size of the LEDs in tenths of millimeters. The 5050 is about twice as bright as the 3528. It also draws twice the power and costs twice as much. For dollar spent or watt-hour used, they are roughly equivalent. So how do you choose between them? It all depends on how much light you need in a given area. For the brightest illumination, choose the 5050. For areas needing some help, but you really don’t want it overly bright, choose the 3528. For example, in a kitchen with adequate lighting, the 3528 is perfect for brightening up the counters. Ditto for bookcases, shelves and cabinets. For putting these into a table or hanging lamp, use the 5050.

As a rough guide, four feet of the 5050 is roughly equivalent to a 60 watt light bulb when broadcast in all directions. When directed downward, you can expect about twice as much light. Don’t sweat over making your choice. Since both types are roughly the same in terms of light/$ or light/kw-hr, if you find you don’t have enough light, just add another strip. If you have too much light, you can either try using shorter strips or use a PWM dimmer to reduce both the light and the power used.

Using

Simply cut the strip to the length desired (in two inch multiples) at the spot where each two inch piece joins. You can see the thin break in the circuit at this point and pads are found on each side of this joint. Next, attach two wires by soldering them to the pads at either end. Positive and negative are marked on the tape. Peel the backing off the tape and attach to the desired spot. Hook the wires up to 12 volts to light them up.

Tips

If you are not comfortable with soldering wires, you can also purchase this tape in 6 inch increments with wires or wafer connectors already attached.
If your strip does not light when connected, quickly disconnect and try reversing the leads. If it then lights, you have your polarity backwards and you may need to swap your wires. Remember, positive (+) is goes to the red wire and negative (-) to the black wire.
The adhesive is not very strong. It works best on clean, smooth surfaces. If it fails to stick properly, a little hot glue or super glue will work nicely to keep it firmly attached.
We carry what is commonly called the indoor version of these strips. The reason is that the outdoor version is difficult to cut and attach wires because the entire thing is embalmed in heavy silicone rubber. If you want to use these strips outdoors, they will probably work just fine the way the are, but no guarantees! For harsh conditions or long term outdoor use, they are easy to waterproof by merely coating with silicone rubber.

Buying

We sell these strips in bulk by the foot. Just choose the number of feet you want to get and we’ll cut it to that length. You can then cut it into whatever shorter lengths that you want. The maximum continuous length you can get is 16 feet. If you choose longer amounts than that, you will get a 16 foot piece plus the extra length you choose.

NOTE: You do have to solder your own connections with this item. If you don’t want to do any soldering, you can also buy it in pre-cut strips (to 6″ increments) with your choice of attachment – no soldering needed.