Table of Contents
This PDF includes a number of Learn articles that we have written that we hope will help you with your LED Strip Lighting project. Moreover, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any other questions that you may have. Have a bright day and good luck with your project! LED Strip Lighting Tips LED Rope Light Applications & Features The Incredible Versatility of LED Strip Lights Six Ways LED Tape Lights Can Change Your LifeLED Strip Lighting Tips
LED strip lights come in a variety of shapes and styles, including LED tape light, rope light, and modular light fixtures. They all have exceptionally low profiles while allowing for long linear runs of energy-efficient LED lighting, which are useful in wide variety of creative applications.Get Creative with Color or RGB LED Strip Lighting
Have some fun and add a pop of color to a kitchen either over or under cabinets using LED strip lights. The blue LEDs enhance the sterile finishes in this modernly styled kitchen. Color works great with white and stainless steel finishes because of the clean appearance. You can even install color changing or festive RGB tape light and control the exact color displayed.Linkable LED Strips for Backlighting
Linear LED strip light fixtures that have simple linking connections work well with complex backlighting applications. Link them end-to-end for straight lines and use flexible connectors for jumps or gaps. Take your lighting project up a notch with dimmable LED strips, which allow you to set the exact mood in the space.Illuminate Outdoor Spaces
LED 12-or 24-volt strip lights can generally be installed in very long runs, which is ideal for outdoor lighting projects. Outdoor rated LED strips enhance safety and ambiance when installed around the perimeter of decks. Because of the exceptionally low profile you can even place them under rails for a striking lighting effect. Make sure to choose LED strips that are rated for wet locations.Super Flexible LED Light Strips
Have an oddly shaped or curved spaced that needs illuminated? Flexible LED strip lights are ideal when working with a surface that’s not flat. Many flexible LED strips have adhesive backing for easily attaching to curved surfaces.
LED Rope Light Applications & Features
Outdoor Lighting Ideas for the Home
Rope lights can provide great accent lighting. With rope lighting, outdoor and indoor spaces can both be illuminated. Many outdoor rope lighting ideas involve placement in backyards. It can be beautiful around deck railing and outdoor rope light can be used as safety lighting along dark garden pathways and stairways. It can even be mounted to patio umbrellas and some people wrap their trees with white rope lights. With rope lighting, outdoor elements can be turned into a central focus point. These are just some of the many unique rope lighting ideas that can be implemented.Residential Indoor Lighting
One of the most common uses of white rope lights is in the kitchen, where they work quite well over cabinets producing a very soft glow throughout the entire darkened room. Toe kick lighting, subtle accent lighting placed in the toe kick area near the floor, is still another way that LED rope lights can add visual excitement to a living space. Moreover, book shelves and small cabinets can glow with the addition of LED rope lights. Installing rope lighting behind cove molding below a ceiling is another popular use. Because it produces a very soft glow this type of rope light installation is especially effective when used as a night light in a child's room. We have an example from one of our customers who installed cool white rope light in a cove ceiling on our website. Very nice! You can read more about this customer's project at http://blog.pegasuslighting.com/2009/07/customer-lighting-projects-cool-white-led-rope-lights/Commercial Uses
Outdoor ropes lights can also be used in spaces apart from the home. For instance, it can be used quite effectively as accent lighting around bar areas and in nightusing rope lighting. The uses of outdoor LED rope lights are only limited only by your imagination.
Our Rope Lights
They are very easy to install, cost effective, and can be used almost anywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Our rope lights consist of numerous small LED lights housed in a solid but very flexible PVC plastic tube. Although the LED lights are not meant to be replaced, our LED rope lights are rated for about 25,000 hours of use on average, which translates into more than a decade of normal use. Seventy-five feet of our LED rope light uses a little less energy than a 60-watt incandescent light bulb, which makes it very energy-efficient.Valuable Rope Light Information
UL 2388 Guidelines for Rope Light
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) published a new set of standards for these flexible lighting products in the fall of 2002. The new standard is known as UL 2388-Flexible Lighting Products. All rope light manufacturers had until November of 2003 to manufacture their product to the old UL 1571 guidelines. Any rope light manufactured after this deadline must meet or exceed all of the new, more stringent standards of UL 2388. Here is a brief summary of the changes required by UL 2388.
No Field Cutting
The cutting and splicing at the site of installation is no longer permitted. All rope light must be pre-cut at the factory and have molded ends that can be easily connected. Installers will now only be able to connect and disconnect molded ends of pre-cut lengths.120V Product Only
Virtually nothing is said with regard to low voltage rope light in the new UL 2388 standards. Therefore, for the foreseeable future Pegasus Lighting will only offer 120-volt.SJT Power Cords with Fused Plugs
UL 2388 requires that an SJT heavy duty power cord with a fused plug be used on all rope lighting that is designed for outdoor use but does not require a fused plug for indoor use. Rope light that has an SJT power cord with a fused plug can, therefore, be used indoors as well as outdoors.
Stronger PVC and Less Heat Output
The new UL 2388 has much more stringent testing standards for the clear PVC plastic used in making these flexible lighting products. The result is that the rope light manufactured under these new standards emits much less heat than those made under the former standard.
Mounting System Design
According to UL 2388 any mounting system design must allow the end-user to be able to remove the rope light without using a tool. View on our website Light Fixtures > Accent Lighting > Rope Lights
The Incredible Versatility of LED Strip Lights
When you are talking about using a long strip of LED lights, the right terminology is as widely varied as the product's many creative uses. You may hear them referred to as: ● Strip Lights ● Rope Lights ● Bar Lights ● Linear Lights ● Ribbon Lights ● Tape Lights ● String Lights ... and to keep you on your toes, ● Tape-Rope Light Hybrids!Strip Light Vs. Tape Light Vs. Rope Light Vs. Linear Light
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there are situations where specific types of lighting are preferred. It's helpful to think of strip lighting as an all-encompassing term that describes any strip of light, whether it's on a flexible rope, along a rigid bar, or on a thin piece of adhesive tape. So what makes a tape light different than a rope light or a linear light? And when should you use one over the other?When to Use a Tape Light
Due to the super low profile of tape lights and their handy adhesive backing, they are great for curved, awkward or hard to reach spaces. Tape lights are field cuttable and easy to customize to your specific application, but will require an LED driver. POPULAR TAPE LIGHT USES: Underneath or along staircases, halo lighting (a lighting method popular in home theater applications where soft light glows from behind the television), cove lighting, and pool lighting.
When to Use a Rope Light
If you want a plug-and-go solution, rope lights are the ones for you. No drivers to deal with, and no special wiring configurations are required. POPULAR ROPE LIGHT USES: Over-cabinet lighting in a kitchen, on a patio or porch, holiday lights, and decorative outdoor lighting features. Note: Tape-Rope Light Kits combine the plug-and-go functionality of a rope light with the lower profile of a tape light. The result is a perfect hybrid of bright, functional and affordable LED strip lighting.When to use a Linear Light
If precision is important, linear low voltage strip lights are the premier choice in strip lighting. Linkable fixtures in assorted sizes, impressive light output and a variety of accessories make them ideal for a host of situations. For example: adding angled mounting clips directs the light right where you want it, and frosted diffusers diminish glare on a shiny countertop. These first-class features also tend to put them on the higher end of the price range. POPULAR LINEAR STRIP LIGHT USES: Under cabinet lighting, bookshelf lights, retail jewelry displays, and closet lighting.
