Purchasing 5050 RGB LED Strips - Amazon vs Ray Wu

[sniperapu]

Hello all -

Noticed there are 3 main vendors on Amazon selling RGB LED strips: HitLights, LedWholeSalers, and less prominent ElectricKing.

Generally I do most of my online ordering through Amazon's marketplace - anyone have experience with above sources, or comments vs just using Ray Wu per AUS guide?

Also, I ordered one "waterproof" ribbon for testing and it came as IP65 rated - looked like just a silicone cap over electronics side of the ribbon, 3M adhesive strip on back.

Was already loosing adhesion at a few cut/solder pad points exposing the contacts so I question the longevity (lights did work fine out-of-the-box though).

Anyone have comments on how the IP67/68 ribbons tend to be constructed vs the IP65? (Planning to zip-tie these to EMT or PVC conduit so I want them to last!)

Anyhow I'm Just getting into LOR and RGB LED strips this year, ordered a CMB-16D-QC controller from LOR direct and Meanwell 12V 350W supply off Amazon.

Read the AUS Christmas Lights guide, going to assemble both it into an empty CTB16PC case and use 18 gauge 4-conductor Speaker wire for channel leads.

FYI, I'm US West Coast based. Thanks for the help!

[edvas69]

The reason many use Ray Wu is beacuse many of his strip used has been tried and tested by other members and the strips that many buy are of a construction that will last and has been tested with a few displays for the last couple of years.

The strip you refer to has also been tested and shows that it will fail over time due to the exact issue you describe. Part of the issue is that the coating and the strip have 2 different thermal properties and when heated and cooled over time will then start to lift off and exposing the contacts. The only strip i recommend is either the silicone tube or the solid silicon/resin construction. I have a feeling there may be a few dissapointed people this year using this cheap type of strip with the half coating.

The difference between the solid silicone/resin and the silicone tube is:

Silicone Tube: Easier to work, cut and resolder. Fragile and should be mounted to some form of substrate like plastic conduit. Generally this strip can be rated between IP65 and IP67, the main reason its rated like this is because of the sealing on the ends of the strip and a good dab of additional silicone can ensure there are no water ingress issues. i have used this type of strip for the last 2 years with no issues.

Solid Silicone/resin: This coating is harder to work with and solder but still not that difficult, but the actual components cant be run over with a soldering iron if you end up with a dry joint. The solid silicone/resin has much better light dispersion properties than the tube and has much more mechanical strength and doesnt need to be put on a sunstrate. Generally this coating is more expensive to purchase. I have also used this type of strip for the last 2 years and have found that the coating does get a little yellow over time but the discolouring seemed to have not increased over the second year from the first. This coating is generally rated at IP67 to IP68

Both coatings are still flexible and thier is no signs of brittleness. These strips have been tested in an Aussie summer facing the afternoon westerly sun on black roof tiles, so pretty harsh conditions. The biggest issue for those in the US would be the thermal shock caused by the cold nights and then the sun shining onto the strip. The coatings i mentioned above will handle these conditions well, the strip you mentioned will eventually fail due to the coating lifting and exposing the board. This strip is best kept for places like under eaves where there is no direct exposure to the elements.

Anyway based on the last 2 years of use I expect to at least get 3 more years from these if not more.

[SoCalJimH]

Snperapu- I just finished trimming my roof line with RGB ribbon line yours. All is mounted on 7'6" -3/4" white PVC. I did use the sticky back to initially mount the ribbon then added flex-ties/cable-ties every 3 segments.(on the cut-line of course) If you use a cable-tie gun be sure to adjust the tension to it's lightest setting as it is very possible to over tighten the tie and cut into the ribbon. Why 7'6" pvc? Easier storage for me and less filler pieces had to be made.

I mount the RGB/PVC pipes onto my house gutters using small hand spring clamps from Harbor Freight. I have painted them white to match my gutter and house trim. I just put the clamps on the front edge of the gutter and lay the RGB/PVC pipe into the "V" of the upright clamp handle. Once I have installed the clamps I then add the RGB/pvc pipes using a hooked stick from the ground. To the RGB/PVC pipes I will also be adding LED icicle strings along the bottom of the pipe, held on via cable ties. This really cuts down on my ladder time and almost all my connections can be made on the ground then set in position via the hooked stick.

Suggestion- add your city to your profile. Helps us know what your climate is and what resources might be near you.

Enjoy the madness,

[Troy_Connor]

Has anyone had any issues with customs or border patrol? I was a bit concerned about buying overseas.

[wmilkie]

Has anyone had any issues with customs or border patrol? I was a bit concerned about buying overseas.

You mean like illegal led's trying to sneak over the boarder?

[Santas Helper]

You mean like illegal led's trying to sneak over the boarder?

yeah, I had to deal with border patrol last year. They questioned my LEDs so i had to show proof of legal residents.

J/K

[Crazydave]

This is what they're talking about

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1110/111021washingtondc.htm

[Santas Helper]

This is what they're talking about

http://www.ice.gov/n...ashingtondc.htm

This was last year. 2011

[sniperapu]

Thanks for the input all, returning the other lights and ordering from Ray Wu. I did a search on his store for "5050 led coating tubing" to find the double sealed strips...

One other question, when ordering the below, there's a "changeable" and a "RGB" selection for color, are they same thing?

As mentioned before I'm connecting in a fashion of 2 strips (feed in middle) per 3 channels on the CMB-16D for full RGB control.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/5m-one-roll-5050-SMD-60LEDs-m-led-strip-waterproof-by-silicon-tubing-and-coating-can/701799_329545666.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/5m-one-roll-5050-SMD-30LEDs-m-led-strip-waterproof-by-silicon-tubing-and-coating-RGB/701799_329544925.html

[Amie]

I've been trying to follow this thread because I am interested in putting a strip of these across our roofline. I have gotten a little lost in all of the waterproof discussion. I understand why I shouldn't get the adhesive stripping type since they may not last as long as I would like them to. There seems to be about a $10 difference between the Silicone sleeve+epoxy IP65 and the Silicone+Epoxy Injection IP68. Is it worth that extra $10/5M strip? From what I have read, the IP68 are really stiff and don't bend at all, does anyone know about that?

[sniperapu]

Amie, The stiffness of the IP68 is a good point. Most important IMHO is to have something encapsulating the strand, hence I returned the ones with a silicone cap glued to front for full sleeves from Ray Wu:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/DC12V-5m-one-roll-5050-SMD-30LEDs-m-led-strip-waterproof-by-silicon-tube-IP66/701799_587735379.html

Mounting is actually my current obstacle now: I'm considering the below clips over zip ties to PVC pipe for 3 reasons:

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=786

1) My house faces North so I just might be able to leave them up year-round without an intrusive look

2) PVC mounting takes time and is bulky to store off season (but these on a garage wall might help per another post):

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202305506/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053 may help

3) I have cup hooks on my trim boards every 2 feet from previous years, so if I slip one bracket thru the hook and tack the other it should go quick.

[tjflory]

Where do all you people live that use IP67 and IP68 rated strips? Submarines?

These are rated for SUBMERSION.

Also worth noting, the ends of the strips and available connectors ARE NOT IP rated.

tj

[edvas69]

Where do all you people live that use IP67 and IP68 rated strips? Submarines?

These are rated for SUBMERSION.

Also worth noting, the ends of the strips and available connectors ARE NOT IP rated.

tj

When it comes to strip the silicone tube or the solid silicone/resin are really the only choices for good outdoors wheather protection.

With the strings the resin filled IP68 are the only way to go because past experiences from many have shown that if the pixel strings are not sealed with resin, then water can seep into the pixel from in between the string and cause failiure. This is a proven fact so always use IP68 resin filled pixel strings.

So this would be the main reason why IP68 is preffered for strings. With the strips the silicone tube will be good enough and is what the LOR CCR uses

[Amie]

Thank you for your comments. I live in Utah...sometimes with at least 6-8 inches of snow on our roof throughout the winter. The chance of snow hitting these and seeping into a strand, without a tube around it, is 100%. I will have to protect any new connections that I make as well.

sniperapu, I really like the clips you linked to here, http://www.ledwholes...d&productId=786. Do you have any? Do they work on a 1"-1.5" pvc? Or do you need to have a flat surface? If they work on a 1.5" pvc, I was thinking of cutting a 20-30 degree slice in a pvc so it would fit over the drain and have the strip attached using the clips you listed. We have a storage space for 15' pvc in our garage, above our garage door opener.

The following image is an idea for attaching the strip to pvc and then hanging the pvc on the gutter on the roof.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Amie

[Amie]

Has anyone had any issues with customs or border patrol? I was a bit concerned about buying overseas.

When you purchase the leds, you need to verify with the supplier that the lights are FCC and RoHS certified. I would probably be concerned if it wasn't already mentioned on their site about their standards.

[plasmadrive]

When you purchase the leds, you need to verify with the supplier that the lights are FCC and RoHS certified. I would probably be concerned if it wasn't already mentioned on their site about their standards.

Amie,

You meant this tongue in cheek... right?

To my knowledge the FCC doesn't certify LEDs for outdoor displays.. They don't even certify lasers... and as well, RoHS is not yet a REQUIREMENT in the USA.. At least it wasn't last time I checked. might have changed.

Craig

[Amie]

Amie,

You meant this tongue in cheek... right?

To my knowledge the FCC doesn't certify LEDs for outdoor displays.. They don't even certify lasers... and as well, RoHS is not yet a REQUIREMENT in the USA.. At least it wasn't last time I checked. might have changed.

Craig

Amie,

You meant this tongue in cheek... right?

haha,sure...I said it tongue in cheek .. wink,wink. Or, I'm just an idiot that doesn't know what I am talking about. But I do like your style, Craig. Most people would just call me an idiot. I read that online, but obviously got my acronyms mixed up. Maybe it was UL certified?

Actually, I had read that information from a lengthy discussion about purchasing electronics from china suppliers on the alibaba site, here. But it wasn't about led's, which was my bad.

[plasmadrive]

Hi Amie,

OK.. all kidding aside, the NEC (National Electric Code) requires that any holiday lighting device be "listed" and not used for more then 90 days (I think is the time limit). UL is only one of the many NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Labratory) here in the USA, but they are all considered "Listing" entities.

There are exceptions in the NEC .... many many exceptions, (OK, only a few exceptions but they mean many many things). Down streem of a Class 2 power supply will buy you acceptable use of just about anything. Since that means less then 100 watts of low voltage you would use many of them over a large display of say, RGB pixels or stips. All outdoor lights that are plugged in must be on a GFCI circuit as well.

I have ordered many power supplies from China that are not UL listed, but are CE certified. CE doesn't mean a hill of bean in the USA, but is required in the EU and I feel plenty safe using them. For some reason our gov. thinks that other country's standards are not as good as ours... .(read $$$$$) So I have no problem using them personally... but technically perhaps, I shouldn't...

The other thing to think about is that I doubt an inspector from your local city would come and red tag your Christmas display because you don't have a few UL stickers. I actually cut them off all my 120VAC tree lights. (UL tags are unsightly in my opinion). De-tagging them doesn't make them any less safe, just not listed anymore.

As far as I know, it is NOT illegal to import non UL listed devices from China, I do it all the time. How you use them on the other hand is a whole other issue... again.. I am not advocating using none "listed devices".. but there is a lot to consider overall before you just dismiss them..

[Amie]

I think the original question was, how do you ensure that they don't get confiscated when shipped. But your information is helpful, now I have two things to worry about. Having them get confiscated or catching fire.

[Amie]

I need some more information about exactly what I need to purchase in order to make Ray Wu's strip lights work, but I think I'll start a new topic about i.