Cut the light strip, insert it into the connectors, plug in and shine! Sounds easy. For most users, setting up the light strip with connectors is really this simple and fast, with a happy ending. Yet, sometimes we’re just not that lucky. In this blog, we list the most common problems you would encounter with your lights and connectors and guide you step by step to reverse a bad outcome.
Problems with Connector
1. Power doesn’t transfer to the next strip.
Possible Cause: + polarities of the two strips are not lined up; + copper pad on the light strip loose contact with the connector’s pin.
Solution:
- Check if the + polarity of the two strips is lined up.
Remember the + should be matched strip-to-strip, not strip-to-connector. Read more below in Misconception 1.
- Adjust the connection
- Press the metal pins down to make them fully contact with the copper pads on the light strips. You can grab a pair of tweezers to get the job done.
- Push in or pull out the strip.
- Move the strip around.
3) Reconnect
If the above steps fail, sometimes you may have got a bad connector that comes with loose pins, or the copper pads on the light strip have been damaged in the previous steps. At this point, it’s time to reconnect with another connector or by cutting the light strip on the next cutting line.
2. The next strip gives off a different color.
Possible Cause: One of the R, G, B polarities loses contact with the connector’s pin.
Solution:
- Find out which polarity is loose.
Set the light strip to Red, Green, Blue colors to test. For example, if the next strip doesn’t light up when you set the light to Red, it’s the R polarity that doesn’t make good contact with the metal pin in the connector.
- Repeat the above steps in 2) Adjust the connection and 3) Reconnect.
Problems with Light Strip
1. Light strip doesn’t light up at all.
Plug in and... nothing. The whole setting is completely dead.
Possible Cause: The connection between the first section and the LED controller is loose or reversed.
Solution:
- Find the arrow mark near the pin plug, making sure the arrow marks (+ polarity) are aligned.
- Fully insert the pin into the female plug. You can wrap the connection part with tape to make it more solid.
2. Lightsare dimmer or show a different color at the end of the strip.
Possible Cause: Voltage drop because the light strip is connected too long in a series way.
Solution: Generally speaking, the max length that prevents a voltage loss is 16ft. Split up your strip light and run it with multiple LED drivers.
3. Light strip is very hot to touch, or even smokes or gets burnt.
Possible Cause: Power supply voltage is too high, e.g. plugging in 12V lights with a 24V adapter.
Solution: Plug in the lights with a different adapter or to a different socket that matches the rated voltage of the light strip.
4. All lights flickering; stop working after a few minutes.
Possible Cause: Power supply voltage is too low, e.g. plugging in 24V lights with a 12V output adapter.
Solution: Plug in the lights with a different adapter or to a different socket that matches the rated voltage of the light strip.
Misconceptions
Misconceptions on light strip and connector are a culprit of some evitable troubles. Let’s scroll down to get rid of them.
1. Connectors marked BGR+ won’t work with +GRB light strip.
L shape or T shape connectors come with white boards that have RGB+ marks on them. It seems obvious that they must be for lining up with the light strip. But the fact is, no matter in what order the polarities are marked, it doesn’t matter.
Take L shape connectors as an example. The white sheet is crafted from four identical 90°strips of copper conductors. No matter what the labels say, the four lines are the same things in transferring power, not differentiated by positive or negative polarities. So, when you are puzzled by the order difference of the polarity, just put it down. Always connect them with the + of the two strip match.
L Shape 4-Pin LED Connectors 10-Pack
2. The L shape connectors only go left or right.
This “dilemma” is traced to the above issue that concerns on polarity order restrict the way we connect. You would find the + of the strip is not aligned with that of the connector when using an L shape connector to turn the lights in a certain direction, like the left turn one in the picture down below. Now let’s forget the marks on the connector, just match the marks strip-to-strip.
3. With these connectors, I can extend the light strip to as long as I want.
Light strips extended too long will cause a voltage drop, resulting in dimmer lights or a different color coming up at the end of the strip. To minimize voltage loss, avoid extending the lights to longer than 16 ft. If your setting requires a super long connection that longer than 16ft, split it into different sections with each one connected to a power supply to form a parallel circuit.
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