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Step 7Finishing Up
Hopefully all your LEDs light up, your power supply has a solid connection to the speaker wires, and the hot glue is holding everything in place. Now its time to finish this light bar.
If everything is set on your light bar, snip off any extra cord handing out the back end. Wrap the end with electrical tape just to keep it together.
If you find yourself making a lot of these, a step I don't cover is called daisy chaining. Basically you put quick disconnects on both ends, so it can be powered on via either side. Then you make a short (3 inch or so) connector cable that plugs the light bars into each other end to end, this chain can go on indefinitely. If the quick disconnects on both sides of the light bar are female plugs, then your connector cable would have male plugs on both ends of it.
Put the slide back into the bar, closing up the light bar. Reinsert the friction clip to lock the slide in place. And the light bar should be completed. Now you can choose where you want to put the bar itself.
This is where the Rubber Insulated Clamps come in. I like to use screws, however nails are equally good. One clamp goes in the middle, and two on the ends. This is why we saved 2" on each end of the light bar, making it easy to attach to a surface. Pictures show how it can be done.
Optional Sanding
This is a step you can use to change the appearance of your LEDs. If you feel that your LEDs are too bright or shining too strong of focused beams, you can sand the tops of the LEDs to more evenly diffuse the light. Go purchase some very fine (600-1200grit) sandpaper and just rub the top of each LED. you should have a smooth blurred LED, and this will scatter the light more effectively.
If everything is set on your light bar, snip off any extra cord handing out the back end. Wrap the end with electrical tape just to keep it together.
If you find yourself making a lot of these, a step I don't cover is called daisy chaining. Basically you put quick disconnects on both ends, so it can be powered on via either side. Then you make a short (3 inch or so) connector cable that plugs the light bars into each other end to end, this chain can go on indefinitely. If the quick disconnects on both sides of the light bar are female plugs, then your connector cable would have male plugs on both ends of it.
Put the slide back into the bar, closing up the light bar. Reinsert the friction clip to lock the slide in place. And the light bar should be completed. Now you can choose where you want to put the bar itself.
This is where the Rubber Insulated Clamps come in. I like to use screws, however nails are equally good. One clamp goes in the middle, and two on the ends. This is why we saved 2" on each end of the light bar, making it easy to attach to a surface. Pictures show how it can be done.
Optional Sanding
This is a step you can use to change the appearance of your LEDs. If you feel that your LEDs are too bright or shining too strong of focused beams, you can sand the tops of the LEDs to more evenly diffuse the light. Go purchase some very fine (600-1200grit) sandpaper and just rub the top of each LED. you should have a smooth blurred LED, and this will scatter the light more effectively.
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You know, random dimming if selected LEDs? Thx.