78Views7Replies
SMD Led's
I have just purchased SMD LED's from China. They come on a strip. How do I remove them from the strip to use them individually?
I have just purchased SMD LED's from China. They come on a strip. How do I remove them from the strip to use them individually?
Discussions
4 years ago
Pictures would help a lot here. Could you upload one? If they are already soldered to the strip and has nothing covering it, you can use a hot air tool to remove the LEDs. You should however be cautious as the LED plastic casing may melt if you apply too much heat on a single spot for a given amount of time.
Reply 4 years ago
Thank you Nawaz, I believe I have figured out how to release them from the strip. Now, just to identify + and - polarity (they are that small).
Reply 4 years ago
Glad to hear. Typically most LEDs have a notch to indicate either +ve(Anode) or -ve (Cathode). Since they all come from the same strip, you just need to figure out for 1 LED, the rest will all be the same.
Identifying polarity is pretty easy. If you have a multimeter, set it to diode/continuity mode. When you connect the probes to the correct LED pin (red probe on anode and black probe on cathode), you will see it barely glow. This can be easily done when the LEDs are still on the strip.
If you do not have a multimeter, you can use 2 AA batteries (or a button cell) with a 1K resistor (all connected in series). If anode is connected to +ve battery terminal (through 1K resistor) and cathode to -ve battery terminal, the LED will light up. Be sure to use a resistor though, connecting LEDs directly to a battery will kill them (especially if they are small).
Hope this helps.
4 years ago
If you want single LED's you just don't buy LED strips, simple!
Get yourself a SMD rework station or a tweezer style SMD soldering station in the 15-20W region with temp control.
Reply 4 years ago
To late.
4 years ago
What kind of a strip? The kind where they are already soldered in place and ready to be wired up or the kid of strip that you would feed into a pick and place machine?
Reply 4 years ago
I believe it is the strip that would feed into a p & p machine