Question 1

Will a cell phone charger (12V DC output, 300mA (that is 0.3 Amps) work if I splice it to these lights? Or is that too little amperage?

Accepted Answer

Hi, its kind of funny, but all those years of saving those chargers, sure glad I did, what I do, is check the output voltage of the charger, ( don't exceed 12 volts DC)  to save money I cut off the connection end, and connect the 2 wires to the LED strip, if it doesn't work, just switch the wires they are funny with the polarity, plug it in to test it, ( polarity test) if you get light your all set, I then just solder the wires and heat shrink the connections, guess there is a reason I saved all those chargers, and everyone one I have used worked great, it doesn't have to be 12 volts either, I have used 6,8, and even 5 volts DC output and they worked, of course the closer to 12 volts the brighter the lights, I do it this way to save money, if you buy chargers, connectors etc they will nickel and dime you to death, any other questions feel free to ask away, I did buy a dimmer switch and have connected 3 strips to it the dimmer was cheap 5 bucks, im not cheap but always looking to save a few bucks and they do add up, I have acutally used an old printer power supply for a power source as well, it keeps all this stuff out of landfills and saves you money at the same time, oh one more thing the heat shrink tubing can actually be "shrunk" using a hair dryer or even a cigarette lighter, if you don't have a heat gun, and the heat shrink is very reasonable, as you have noticed I get long winded, but I enjoy helping folks and try to save them money at the same time

Question 2

forgive my dumbness but we want to put these on our camper awning and wish to know how to engerize them?  Direct wire into the DC supply?

Accepted Answer

The DC supply is 13.2 volts (if you hook to the battery direct).  I would hook to something that is 12 volts and you know it.  Use 16-18 gauge wire.  13.2V will shorten the life of the product. (Yes - it's an old question, but I answer for those that might have the same question later).

Question 3

Can I connect additional strips for a longer stretch?

Accepted Answer

You absolutely can connect multiple strips together.  You can use something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BF6RT6 if you do not want to solder.If you plan on putting these lights outdoor, you should absolutely leverage your landscape lights if you have them. Its way easier and cheaper than to use the standard 120V transformer. Your landscape transformer outputs 12V AC. You need 12V DC for the LED. I recommend you get one of these to get the conversion done. It is a very small device so makes it easier to hide. 1/3 the cost of buying the transformers and a timer to control it (or worst, trying to find an outlet for the transformer). You can get it from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SGMW4K8  A demo is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJzarYlOnPc?

Question 4

getting these to light up my sons jersey frame- would i be able to have 4 cut strips with 4 connectors connecting each corner of the frame?

Accepted Answer

My 8 year old son wanted our house to be the brightest on the block. I cut the LEDs into 9 sections. We had 828 lights. The power draw was 3.8 amps @ 13.8 volts. It worked fine.

Manufacturer	Nilight
Brand	Nilight
Model	TR-12
Package Dimensions	28.59 x 10.95 x 4.7 cm; 290 g
Item model number	TR-12
Exterior	Painted
Manufacturer Part Number	TR-12
Position	Inner
Bulb Type	LED
Special Features	Multi-Color, Sound Active Function
Voltage	5 Volts (DC)
Item Weight	290 g

Nilight 4PCS 48 LEDs USB Interior Lights DC 5V Multicolor Music Car Strip Light Under Dash Lighting Kit with Sound Active Function and Wireless Remote Control, 2 Years Warranty

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