I have a 2m 60 APA102 LED strip that seems to have a defective LED. Last Christmas all 60 LEDs displayed properly. Now the first 16 LEDs work properly but after that nothing is displayed. If I jumper past (pierced the strip with breadboard jumper) the 17th LED’s data input/output I can get the remainder of the strip to work just fine. Is there a good way to make this permanent? I’m thinking of cutting the strip covering and soldering a wire from LED 16 to LED 18. How eacy/hard is it to solder the LED strip? I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Hello,
I suggest cutting the bad 17th LED segment out entirely then butting the 16th and 18th LED segments together and connecting them with a small piece of wire across each connection point. It generally works best to pre-tin the connection points and wire them just hit them with a soldering iron briefly to make the connection.
-Derrill
What about the clear rubber strip cover? Do you think clear tape would be strong enough to hold it together?
Are you using this in an application where you need to retain the silicone weatherstripping (e.g. outdoors)?
-Derrill
No. It is being used on a stairway railing. It is hung along with garland and Christmas stockings (don’t have a fireplace). The strip changes colors every few seconds. While the water proofing is not needed. The appearance should be aesthetically pleasing (can’t use duct tape) and still protect the LEDs as well as possible.
We do not have any specific suggestions for repairing a break in that silicone sheath; you might try some tape or silicone sealer before you cut anything to see how well it seems to stick and hold (and if it looks acceptable to you). If your decorations are not conductive, you might also be able to just remove the sheath.
If you find a solution you are happy with, we would be interested to hear about your experience.
-Derrill