Did you cut your LED light strips and notice that they don’t work anymore? In this article, I’ll explore why this happens and how to prevent it from happening in the future.
So why don’t my led light strips work after I cut them? One of the main reasons why LED strip lights do not work after being cut is because they have been cut on the wrong side, or the LED strip light is not supposed to be cut.
Continue reading as I dig much further into the possible reasons why your LED strip lights do not work after they have been cut.
Reasons LED Strip Lights Do Not Work After Cutting Them
There are many reasons why your LED strip lights may not work after you have cut them. This section will go through some of the most common causes.
1. The LED Strip Light Was Not Supposed To Be Cut
To kick things off, one of the main reasons why your LED strip lights may not work after you have cut them is that they were not supposed to be cut in the first place.
This is especially common with cheaper LED strip lights that are not made to be cut. Yes! Not all LED strip lights are cuttable. Some are not even intended to be cut.
So before you go ahead and cut your LED strip lights, make sure they are meant to be cut. You can usually tell by looking at the markings on the strip itself. If there are no markings, it is probably not supposed to be cut.
If you have cut your LED strip lights and they are not supposed to be cut, then there is a good chance that they will not work after being cut.
2. Not Properly Reconnecting The Cut Joints
This happens a lot. People will cut their LED strip lights and then not correctly reconnect the cut joints, which will cause them not to work.
If you have cut your LED strip lights, it is very important that you properly reconnect the cut joints. While some people will solder the wires back together, using a connector is always the best way.
When you use a connector, and the lights do not work, you can easily take the connector off and try again. But if you solder the wires together and they do not work, you will have to cut them and start from scratch.
So make sure that you properly reconnect the cut joints when cutting your LED strip lights.
The most common type of connector to use is a two-pin connector. These connectors are very easy to use and can be found at most hardware stores.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure that the polarity is correct when reconnecting the cut joints. The positive and negative wires need to be connected correctly, or the lights will not work.
If you are unsure about which wire is positive and which is negative, you can always use a multimeter to test it.
So if you do not properly reconnect the cut joints, then there is a good chance that your LED strip lights will not work after being cut.
3. Cutting The LED Strip Light In The Wrong Place
This is probably the most common reason why LED strip lights do not work after being cut. This is because people will cut the strip light in the wrong place, which will cause them not to work.
All LED strip lights have cutting distances, which you can usually find in the instructions. For example, you can have LED strip lights with cut distances of 100mm for LED strips with 30 LEDs per meter, 50mm for LED strips with 60 LEDs per meter, 25mm for LED strips with 120 LEDs per meter, etc.
When cutting your LED strip lights, you must be careful where you are cutting them. You should only ever cut them on the copper pads that are located between each LED.
The copper pad is the best spot to cut your LED strip lights because it is straightforward to rejoin them. Plus, it will not damage the LEDs themselves.
Usually, there will be some form of ‘CUT’ symbol (usually a line or an arrow) on the LED strip light to indicate where you are supposed to cut it.
So if you have cut your LED strip lights in the wrong place, there is a good chance they will not work after being cut.
So make sure that you are only cutting your LED strip lights on the copper pads or areas specifically indicated to be cut and not anywhere else.
4. Using The Wrong Type of Cutter
When you use the wrong cutter to cut your LED strip lights, it can cause all or some of them not to work.
The best type of cutter to use is a pair of sharp scissors. This is because it will give you a clean cut and will not damage the LEDs or the circuitry.
Many people use a knife or hot knife to cut their LED strip lights, which tends to complicate things and can end up damaging or causing the LED strip lights not to work.
First, getting a clean cut with a knife or hot knife is very difficult. Second, it can damage the LEDs or the circuitry, which can cause them not to work.
So if you are using the wrong type of cutter, then there is a very good chance that your LED strip lights will not work after being cut.
5. The Copper Connections Were Damaged When The Strip Was Cut
If the copper connections were damaged when the strip was cut, then there is a good chance that your LED strip lights will not work.
The copper connections are very delicate and can easily be damaged. So if you are not careful when cutting your LED strip lights, you could damage them.
When you use a pair of scissors that are not sharp or any wrong type of cutter, it is very easy to damage the copper connections. So if you are not careful, then you could end up damaging them.
If the copper connections are already damaged even before cutting the strip, then there is a very good chance that your LED strip lights will not work after being cut.
So make sure that you are using a sharp pair of scissors and be very careful when cutting your LED strip lights so that you do not damage the copper connections.
6. The LED Chip Itself Might Be Damaged
There is also that unfortunate instance where the LED chip itself might be damaged, which will cause your LED strip light not to work.
When you cut your LED strip lights, there is a possibility that you could damage some of the LED chips. If this happens, there is a good chance that your LED strip lights will not work after being cut.
The way this happens is that the LED chips are actually quite fragile and can be easily damaged. So when you cut your LED strip lights, you risk damaging these chips.
If you damage the chips, you will need to replace them to get your LED strip lights working again. This is not always an easy task, and it might be best to buy a new LED strip light.
7. The LED Strip Lights Are Not Powered Properly
Also, make sure that the LED strip lights are adequately powered. If they are not, then they will not work after being cut.
The way to power LED strip lights is by using a 12V power supply. If you use any other type of power supply, then your LED strip lights will not work.
Also, ensure that the power supply is correctly connected to the LED strip lights. If it is not, then your LED strip lights will not work.
Finally, make sure that the power supply is turned on. If it is not, then your LED strip lights will not work.
These things are important to check if you want your LED strip lights to work after being cut.
What To Do If Your LED Strip Lights Are Not Working After Cutting Them
If your LED strip lights are not working after being cut, then there are a few things that you can do.
- First, check if the power supply is connected correctly and turned on. If it is not, turn it on and see if that fixes the problem.
- Next, check to see if the copper connections were damaged when the strip was cut. If they were, then you will need to replace them to get your LED strip lights working again.
- If the copper connections are not the problem, check to see if the LED chips were damaged when the strip was cut. If they were, you would need to replace them to get your LED strip lights working again.
- Finally, if all else fails, you might need to buy a new LED strip light and learn from the earlier mistake so that you do not damage the new one.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a few reasons why your LED strip lights might not work after being cut.
The most common reason is that the copper connections were damaged when the strip was cut.
Other reasons include the LED chips being damaged or the power supply not being properly connected or turned on after the LED strip lights were cut.
If all else fails, you might need to buy a new LED strip light. Thank you for reading!