Making your own rope light- tips/tricks?

[lowepg]

So I'm staring at 2 big wheels of LED rope light and a LOT of connectors....

 

I watched a few youtube videos, but none had close-ups to answer one question i have:

 

When I'm pushing the prongs of the power connector into the cut end of the rope light, is the connection from them them just sliding past each other and touching as i jam the connector into the soft plastic? i know I'm not describing this very elegantly, but....

 

It seems like this isn't the most positive electrical connection? Prone to losing contact as the rope bends/moves?

 

Am I over thinking this ?

 

Any tips/tricks appreciated.

[mcmpros]

Where did you get your lights from?

[lowepg]

Where did you get your lights from?

Christmas-led

[sax]

First be aware that it is polarity sensitive. So even if you make a good connection it may be reversed.

Second, this is where you will need that awl. Spread the area you need to put the connector a little by pushing the awl in, wait a few seconds, then do the same with the other side.

For SPT you want to spread it longer. I also tinned my wires on the spt wire to make them stiff. Practice and see how long to keep the awl in to make it easier to push the wire in. I think I waited 30 seconds or so. Maybe 15. It seemed long but when I am waiting for something like this 5 seconds seems long...

For me, getting the included connectors in was a challenge. First due to fear of damage. Second it was tough to get them centered.

To center it more easily, I leaned the connector to the side and made sure it was centered on one wire then centered the whole connector and pushed it home. If the lights didn't work, I pulled it out, spun the connector 180 degrees and tried again.

I don't know of a better way to determine polarity on the rope. On the connector, the small prong is hot or positive. But I couldn't determine the polarity on the rope.

Once you get to the spt, it is easier to reverse the plugs. So once the wire was in I just reversed the plug if the lights didn't work.

[sax]

Oh, and yeah. The spt wire is going into a tight space. And just sits there.

The idea is to temporarily spread the plastic, shove the wire up there and let the plastic clamp back down on the wire. That is why I said it is a challenge to determine how deep to push the awl in. Too much and you split the plastic, causing the positive and negative to short and cause sparks. Too little and it could slip out, short and spark.

If you look closely you will be able to tell if you split the plastic. If you do you wasted a section.

I pulled gently on the wire without power after allowing it to close back up to see if it was too short. If it pulled out, it was not deep enough. Strip some more wire, try it again.

If I was sure all was good on the wire end, I put some silicone at the end, placed the heat shrink on it and heated it up. Some silicone comes out letting me know it is covered.

For the connector that came with the lights, you just tighten it and it holds it in place. You can tug slightly to make sure you pushed it up enough, without power on of course.

Honestly, after the first couple it gets easier. You learn quickly how far to push the awl in, how long to leave it in and how long to wait for it to be snug.

I did all the spt work after mounting the rope to the frames. I cut the rope, verified it worked with the connector, zip tied it to the frame with the led on, then did the spt work.

After a few, I tested the rope and didn't leave the led lit while I zip tied it. I was able to quickly determine what the led looked like and made sure I didn't put a tie wrap on it. Just make sure you don't put a tie wrap on the cut piece. That usually kills a section.

[lowepg]

If I was sure all was good on the wire end, I put some silicone at the end, placed the heat shrink on it and heated it up. Some silicone comes out letting me know it is covered.

After a few, I tested the rope and didn't leave the led lit while I zip tied it. I was able to quickly determine what the led looked like and made sure I didn't put a tie wrap on it. Just make sure you don't put a tie wrap on the cut piece. That usually kills a section.

 

Thanks. 2 questions:

1. What size heat shrink did you use over the included power connections? i got some 3/8"- but thats too small to fit over the connectors (size the rop itself is 3/8)

2. Can you elaborate on "don't put a tie wrap on the cut piece"? How else do you attach it to the frame?

[sax]

No shrink on the included connectors. Just push them on and tighten the connector. I did not use those connectors for permanent connection but I still wouldn't heat shrink them. They are made to push on and then screw tight.

If you look at the rope, there will be points that show a scissor. These are the cut here marks. They are every 20 inches, at least on my led rope. In my experience if I put a tie wrap there and tightened it, this caused the section to go black. Probably because I tightened it too much. So I didn't put the tie wrap on a scissor imprint any more. I was not saying don't tie wrap the piece of rope you just cut, but dont put a tie wrap on those cut here marks.

[lowepg]

No shrink on the included connectors. Just push them on and tighten the connector. I did not use those connectors for permanent connection but I still wouldn't heat shrink them. They are made to push on and then screw tight.

If you look at the rope, there will be points that show a scissor. These are the cut here marks. They are every 20 inches, at least on my led rope. In my experience if I put a tie wrap there and tightened it, this caused the section to go black. Probably because I tightened it too much. So I didn't put the tie wrap on a scissor imprint any more. I was not saying don't tie wrap the piece of rope you just cut, but dont put a tie wrap on those cut here marks.

 

Ahhhh, that makes sense! when you said "the cut section" - i thought you meant the whole "section" of rope light that I'd cut! :-)

 

Thats what I get for posting before coffee.... :-)

[sax]

Here is the included connector.  Just push and tighten.

 

 

 

Here is the work around the spt wire.  You can see the silicone coming out of the heat shrink.  This is 3/8 shrink.  I do this after i verify the connection is good (wont pull out)

 

 

Here are the cut marks.