LED light strips...

[West Coast]

Wow! Do you use your engine to eat your dinner off, too?

I’m a bit OCD ?

 

[rgarside]

Can't speak for Paul, but personally I have done this several times in the manner he described and it has worked fine.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Have you actually done this ? I tried 4 times (carefully!) with no luck! Any chance of a photo of when you have done this - would be helpful!

Have done this many times, you need to pull the silicon towards the end of the strip, the contacts don't peel off then. If you try and pick the silicon off from the cut end, you may well lift the contacts too. Sorry, didn't take pictures while i was doing it.

Tip; If you are cutting x number of LEDs from the strip you don't need contacts both ends. So, for example, you are cutting the first 12 LEDs off of the strip, cut just short of the contacts, so you get all of the copper contacts left on the roll, the LEDs that you have cut off will have the contacts at the other end. It's easier to solder onto the full copper contacts.

 

[oldgit]

All you need to do is carefully cut through the silicon seal with a sharp knife and peel the part off that is covering the contacts.

I never use the connectors though, i always solder wires on.

+1

To sum up use a decent quality self adhesive LED strip as bright as possible especially for work spaces, always the waterproof silicon coated type and always solder.Using thin wire always best
A craft knife or something super sharp helps to reveal weeny little copper tabs on the strip.
There is sometimes a little pair of scissors or the word CUT printed on the strip after each individual LED.

We used to use the decent LED strip to replace the 12V bulbs in taxi top signs.
It proved very durable indeed and lasted for years even when in constant use.