[Pduk]

Spent over 4 hours at the weekend trying to get this to work with no success, hopefully someone can offer me some help. Basically I'm trying to get the led's working to fit into my van ceiling, but I can't get the second length to illuminate.
I've got rgb led's, cut the first length and fitted the connectors and connecting cable, but the second length doesn't work...

However when putting the 2 lengths together so their points touch, it works...

Put a volt meter on the connector coming off the 1st length and power is coming through, so I'm thinking the cable is the problem, can't understand why though.
If anyone can shed any light (yep that's a pun right there) please say.
Thanks in advance 💡👈👍

 

[teerak2uk]

Blue wire on left cable looks iffy

 

[Pduk]

That time I'd stripped the wires which was pointless as the connector has blades that pierce the cable to make contact, tried a number of ways but nothing worked.
Do the cables need to follow suit i.e red to red, green to green, blue to blue etc?

 

[teerak2uk]

Try twisting the cable and plug it in i.e presuming pin 1 is blue if you know what I mean

 

[Charcoalflunky]

That time I'd stripped the wires which was pointless as the connector has blades that pierce the cable to make contact, tried a number of ways but nothing worked.
Do the cables need to follow suit i.e red to red, green to green, blue to blue etc?

From the look of the strip just wire same side to same side
Ie + to + b to b etc

have you got any other connectors you can try? If it works with direct strip to strip contact then it must be the connectors or the wires.

 

[Charcoalflunky]

Could you solder direct to strips instead of using connectors? With added heat shrink would be a better connection?
Use plenty of flux and a high temp iron to minimise contact time

 

[Pduk]

Try twisting the cable and plug it in i.e presuming pin 1 is blue if you know what I mean

From the look of the strip just wire same side to same side
Ie + to + b to b etc
I tried multiple ways, with bare wire and without, nothing seems to work.
have you got any other connectors you can try? If it works with direct strip to strip contact then it must be the connectors or the wires.

Could you solder direct to strips instead of using connectors? With added heat shrink would be a better connection?
Use plenty of flux and a high temp iron to minimise contact time

I had some straight spade connectors which worked, but they're for led to led, I need to allow for the cable to bridge the gap from one side of the van to the other. I did think about using them with either heat shrink or solder, but couldn't find them at work, I don't run the shop floor so don't know where everything is stored, plus I was in on my own. I haven't soldered since I was at college and even then I burnt the circuit boards more often than not.

 

[JonR]

Did you test the cable? A quick continuity check for each wire should show wether the cable is crimped or whatever correctly!

 

[Charcoalflunky]

I had some straight spade connectors which worked, but they're for led to led, I need to allow for the cable to bridge the gap from one side of the van to the other. I did think about using them with either heat shrink or solder, but couldn't find them at work, I don't run the shop floor so don't know where everything is stored, plus I was in on my own. I haven't soldered since I was at college and even then I burnt the circuit boards more often than not.

fair enough.
Those quick connectors are designed for waterproof led strips with a silicone coating. Do the pins line up with the copper pads well?
do you have a voltmeter? Can test each line individually but it has to be a fault with either connectors or the wires

 

[Pduk]

Did you test the cable? A quick continuity check for each wire should show wether the cable is crimped or whatever correctly!

No not tested the cable to be fair, got a volt meter when I got home but having already sliced my thumb open while trying to strip the cables I wasn't in the mood to have another attempt, would rapidly run out of workable digits I think 🤕 I bought 5m of cable where I only need circa 1.6m so was cutting new cable each time I tried to get them working, can't imagine the whole 5m is fubar but I can't work out what the problem could be?

fair enough.
Those quick connectors are designed for waterproof led strips with a silicone coating. Do the pins line up with the copper pads well?
do you have a voltmeter? Can test each line individually but it has to be a fault with either connectors or the wires

The pins line up well, can see where they have penetrated through and made a connection.
Test the connectors and was getting a power through but not on all cable lines, will check again tonight and note down which are live and which are dead.
Thanks for input chaps, much appreciated! 👍

 

[JonR]

No not tested the cable to be fair, got a volt meter when I got home but having already sliced my thumb open while trying to strip the cables I wasn't in the mood to have another attempt, would rapidly run out of workable digits I think 🤕 I bought 5m of cable where I only need circa 1.6m so was cutting new cable each time I tried to get them working, can't imagine the whole 5m is fubar but I can't work out what the problem could be?

Test using the connectors you have, push the volt meter probe into each colour at both ends (e.g. both probes on the pin for blue) and check that the resistance is super low, if you have a "beep test" continuity mode you can just use that, but each colour pair should "beep" (or have like < 1 ohm resistance)

 

[Pduk]

Test using the connectors you have, push the volt meter probe into each colour at both ends (e.g. both probes on the pin for blue) and check that the resistance is super low, if you have a "beep test" continuity mode you can just use that, but each colour pair should "beep" (or have like < 1 ohm resistance)

Forgive my ignorance, this stuff just doesn't come easy for me, so use the volt meter on the connector alone, and test the input and output of each line as it were.

 

[Charcoalflunky]

3 options for testing

1: use the volt meter in volts mode and measure betweeen the + pin on connector at end of lit strip and each of the colour feed negatives in turn (may need to changed colour between each test. This will tell you if connector is good.
Then add wire and do the same for the next connector before attaching strip.
2: using continuity mode measure between a pad on the strip and the same feed on the connector eg + pad and + connectors repeat for each lines. Will do the same as above telling you if there is a connection between the strip and the connector.

3:take the connector off the strip and test each side each line in continuity mode

 

[ross.b]

Just a thought Pete,

Has side B been cut on the dotted line before being inserted into plug B....?

They can be a bugger if not...!

 

[Pduk]

3 options for testing

1: use the volt meter in volts mode and measure betweeen the + pin on connector at end of lit strip and each of the colour feed negatives in turn (may need to changed colour between each test. This will tell you if connector is good.
Then add wire and do the same for the next connector before attaching strip.
2: using continuity mode measure between a pad on the strip and the same feed on the connector eg + pad and + connectors repeat for each lines. Will do the same as above telling you if there is a connection between the strip and the connector.

3:take the connector off the strip and test each side each line in continuity mode

Thanks, that makes sense, will see how I get on and hopefully find where the issue is.

Just a thought Pete,

Has side B been cut on the dotted line before being inserted into plug B....?

They can be a bugger if not...!

I cut the led strip on the cutting line, they both light up up press their connections back together so the led strips are fine, has to be the cable or connections.

 

[JonR]

Forgive my ignorance, this stuff just doesn't come easy for me, so use the volt meter on the connector alone, and test the input and output of each line as it were.

Yep exactly either using your continuity mode which usually has a symbol like this:

(A beepy diode is a happy diode apparently)

Or using a low resistance setting (e.g. 20Ω) and checking for a value under 1.

 

[Pac-Man]

So when you push the 2 LED strips together they work but they dont work when you use the joiners with the coloured cables to connect both strips ?

wonder if the pins on the top of the LED strip are coated and therefore dont make a connection with the joiners or cables, where as when you push them together the exposed cut ends of the LED strip makes the connection. Is there a pic of the end of the LED strip without the joiner on ?

We know it isn't a faulty strip light as pushing two together works. The fault is defo how they are joining.

 

[Charcoalflunky]

So when you push the 2 LED strips together they work but they dont work when you use the joiners with the coloured cables to connect both strips ?

wonder if the pins on the top of the LED strip are coated and therefore dont make a connection with the joiners or cables, where as when you push them together the exposed cut ends of the LED strip makes the connection. Is there a pic of the end of the LED strip without the joiner on ?

i may be wrong but it looks like The strip has exposed copper pads which usually aren't coated. the connector is designed to be used with Silicone coated strips so has spikes that pierces the strip t each contact so coating should make a difference.

@Pduk did you try the connectors with non stripped wire?

 

[Pac-Man]

i may be wrong but it looks like The strip has exposed copper pads which usually aren't coated. the connector is designed to be used with Silicone coated strips so has spikes that pierces the strip t each contact so coating should make a difference.

@Pduk did you try the connectors with non stripped wire?

Yes probably this, the joiners are probably designed for the gel coated LED strips like this.

Yours dont have the gel coating like this do they ?

 

[teerak2uk]

Yes probably this, the joiners are probably designed for the gel coated LED strips like this.

Yours dont have the gel coating like this do they ?
View attachment 189153

No his isn't coated