Hi All,
Preface: In case you didn't see the previous one, totally new to all this, so probably asking dumb questions, feel free to explain it like I'm 5.
Objective: I have a strip of LEDs fitted inside a box which backlight a name panel on the front (think something similiar to a contestant nameboard on a quiz show). Simply I would like this to light and stay lit (as they will be on the vast majority of the time). However, currently they are wired in to a battery power source which uses 3x AAA (1.5V) batteries, which it depletes in a matter of hours. So need an alternative that can literally keep the lights on (That was funnier in my head). The LED strip is about 114cm long, an LED every ~3.5cm, I would guess they are waterproof 3528 diodes, but wouldn't know, as I didn't buy them.
Approach: Seems so far, easiest solution would be to replace the battery and wire to a mains power source (from the UK -so 240V). I'm guessing I'll need a step down transformer, but don't know much more than that (I assume the LED strip is 12V, so 20:1 ratio). Also ideally a switch in line would be nice, as the plug socket is beneath some desks and would be really handy to just be able to lean over to turn it on and off
So...
1) Is this the best way of achieving the objective?
2) How do I go about switching the battery pack for 240V mains and a switch, what components will I likely need, and where can I find them? What are the steps?
3) How do I do this without burning all the LEDs in the strip and them getting red hot, and avoiding dangerous exposed bits if possible? If it helps, I have some clip on connectors for LED strips that might help for this, but that still brings me back to question 2.
Cheers for any help
(Again, can supply pictures of the box, LED strip, battery pack etc. if it would help, just let me know)
Preface: In case you didn't see the previous one, totally new to all this, so probably asking dumb questions, feel free to explain it like I'm 5.
Objective: I have a strip of LEDs fitted inside a box which backlight a name panel on the front (think something similiar to a contestant nameboard on a quiz show). Simply I would like this to light and stay lit (as they will be on the vast majority of the time). However, currently they are wired in to a battery power source which uses 3x AAA (1.5V) batteries, which it depletes in a matter of hours. So need an alternative that can literally keep the lights on (That was funnier in my head). The LED strip is about 114cm long, an LED every ~3.5cm, I would guess they are waterproof 3528 diodes, but wouldn't know, as I didn't buy them.
Approach: Seems so far, easiest solution would be to replace the battery and wire to a mains power source (from the UK -so 240V). I'm guessing I'll need a step down transformer, but don't know much more than that (I assume the LED strip is 12V, so 20:1 ratio). Also ideally a switch in line would be nice, as the plug socket is beneath some desks and would be really handy to just be able to lean over to turn it on and off
So...
1) Is this the best way of achieving the objective?
2) How do I go about switching the battery pack for 240V mains and a switch, what components will I likely need, and where can I find them? What are the steps?
3) How do I do this without burning all the LEDs in the strip and them getting red hot, and avoiding dangerous exposed bits if possible? If it helps, I have some clip on connectors for LED strips that might help for this, but that still brings me back to question 2.
Cheers for any help
(Again, can supply pictures of the box, LED strip, battery pack etc. if it would help, just let me know)