Ripped LED Strip Lights: Easy Fix Without Soldering [A Quick Guide]

LED strip lights have become incredibly popular both for their versatility and ability to enhance the ambiance of any space. I was on a vacation to Italy not long ago and they were even being used at the airport!

However, partially as a result of their versatility, LED lights are susceptible to damage like rips and tears.

While soldering is often used to repair such damage, not everyone is comfortable with using a soldering iron, let alone having access to one.

Thankfully, there’s another way. In this article, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of how to fix ripped LED strip lights without soldering.

VIEW OUR CAVELIGHTS RECOMMENDED LED LIGHT STRIPS HERE.

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Tools and Materials You’ll Need

Before you begin, gather the following tools and materials:

1. Your LED strip light

2. Scissors or a utility knife

3. Strip connectors (also known as LED strip light connectors)

5. A clean workspace

Fixing Ripped LED Light Strips (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Identify the Damage

The first step in repairing your LED strip lights is to identify the location and extent of the damage. Identifying the rip will be pretty easy, but you should look to see if there are smaller rips/tears at any other points.

Just think – if enough force has been applied to fully rip the light strip, there are more than likely to be additional tears too.

Step 2: Find the Nearest Cutting Points

Once you’ve located the rip, you’ll want to locate the nearest cutting points to both the left and right of the rip.

These cutting points are typically marked with scissor or scissor icons on the strip itself, although they can also just be dotted/dashed lines.

You can see in the image above on my LED strip it has both the dotted line and the scissor symbol to signify the cutting points.

Step 3: Make the Cuts

Once you’ve identified the two cutting points you’ll be using, use scissors and/or a utility knife to make clean and straight cuts.

Be cautious not to damage any adjacent components or wires while cutting, and make sure you only cut along the cutting points – nowhere else.

Step 4: Prepare the Strip Connectors

Now it’s time to prepare the strip connectors.

You will need to make sure you have the correct pin number for your LED strips. It will normally be either 2-pin or 4-pin.

For my LED strip I would use 2-pin, as I only have 2 connecting points (see image in step 2). If you have 4 connecting points it will look like this:

We recommend these 2-pin strip connectors, and these 4-pin strip connectors.

Step 5: Connect the Strips

Connect both ends of the strip connector to the exposed copper pads on either side of the LED strip you’ve cut, meaning the two separated LED strips should now be connected through the strip connector.

Ensure that you match the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals correctly. Most connectors are labelled for easy identification.

Step 6: Test Your Repair

Before putting your LED strip back on the wall (see our guide here) or ceiling (see our guide here), plug in the LED strip and power it on to confirm that your repair was successful.

If the lights illuminate as expected, you’ve successfully fixed the rip in your LED strip lights without soldering!

Closing Remarks

Repairing broken LED strip lights without soldering is a straightforward process that anyone can do with the right tools and a bit of patience.

By identifying the damage, making clean, precise cuts, and then using strip connectors to reattach the LED strips, you can bring your favorite lighting fixtures back to life in no time.

So don’t let a ripped LED strip dim your mood – fix it yourself and enjoy the vibrant lighting once again!

VIEW OUR CAVELIGHTS RECOMMENDED LED LIGHT STRIPS HERE.

Related Posts

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• LED light strips: Best way to use LED light strips
• How long do LED strip lights last?

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