Here’s a question that’s a bit off topic, please let me know if there’s a better place to post it!
I’ve been making grids by soldering together strip segments in a serpentine layout. I’ve gotten pretty decent at it, even with the tiny pads on 144led/m strips, but I figure there’s got to be a better way.
I’m looking for techniques that are less labor intensive, produce more durable grids, and also nicely lay flat.
Design a small custom PCB the exact size you’d like and have OSH Park (or similar) make some for you? They charge by the square inch calculated by the over all WxH dimension so you will have a bit of waste with a U shape. Cost will probably be a bit more then what you linked above, but it might be worth it if it makes the layout/soldering much easier.
@marmil Awesome, definitely going to look into that, it’ll give me a chance to get my feet wet w/ Eagle! I was also thinking about having a little jig machined that would hold the leads in place over the pads. Have you seen anything like that?
@Sasha_Sklar welcome to LED heaven my friend. The zig zag is your friend…worship no other I use a small stand with a bunch of blue-tac on it to make it easier. have a look at my workflow video https://www.instagram.com/p/BUeUMKEFeWk/
This seems like an ideal application for a custom flex circuit. There are companies that will make circuits (or simple connectors) on kapton tape with flat conductors. You could make your own version of this with copper foil and kapton tape. If you haven’t worked with it, copper tape is extremely easy to solder. The only challenge is that the heat can melt the glue and cause it to move around if you’re not careful.
@John_Corbett Hadn’t thought to DIY it, I’ll give that a look! How well do flexible circuits stand up to folding? Could I have a roll of flex circuit made with 4 leads and cut and fold the shapes I need? Like led strip without the LEDs on them?
@Sasha_Sklar You can at least fold the tape once to turn the corners. You probably can’t treat it like a natural hinge and expect it to last for hundreds of sharp fold/unfold cycles without cracking. It depends on the thickness, but think of it like aluminum foil. I love the idea of making a roll of the stuff. You can get tape that has a pair of flat wires in it for concealing audio speaker wired, but it’s a bit pricey.
One more thing. Be sure to calculate the size of copper tape you need to carry the current required by your LEDs without heating up. You should be able to find the thickness as well as the width and length of your traces.
I use a small stand with a bunch of blue-tac on it to make it easier. have a look at my workflow video