My new apartment bedroom has some solid wood products with a mirror inside.
But there is not enough light around the mirror.
The windows and LED bulbs illuminate the room, both facing the mirror.
If you are standing in front of the mirror, the reflection is dark due to the light from these sources.
I decided to place a dedicated lighting device for the mirror to make it available.
I try to put a CFL light on the mirror, but the top-down lighting creates a deep shadow.
Its ideal light source is diffuse lighting around the mirror, and the whole length is even bright.
Fluorescent tubes are a good option, but there is not enough room to accommodate them, as the mirrors are mounted on the door that swings outside leaving only about an inch of gap.
Also, it would look awkward to put such a big light on the side.
I left some LED lights from one of my previous projects and decided to put them into use.
This manual describes the steps and materials required to use LED light strips for lighting cosmetic mirrors.
I also shared some of the things I learned when setting up.
Note: basic level of electronic knowledge is required.
Please be careful and safe. 1.
12 volt LED light strip with back glue-
The kind that can be cut into parts and used (
Double tape can be used if there is no back glue). 2.
12 V power adapter.
Wire, cutter and stripper4.
Glue gun/transparent velvet film 5.
Basic welding equipment (
Soldering iron, lead and flux)6.
Multimeter7.
Scissors8.
The insulated tape/sleeve/heat shrink tube LED light strip is a flexible PCB consisting of multiple SMD LEDs and resistance units connected continuously.
These bars can be cut to the desired length and used.
The LED light strip I use is a continuous 5 m long light strip with adhesive backing.
Each segment has three 5050 SMD LEDs and a 120 ohm resistor in series.
There is a protective layer on the adhesive backing that can be stripped off to paste the LED light strip.
Like performing in a band. aid.
Note: The Strip usually comes with a cutting mark indicating where it can be cut.
Always cut along this mark to produce the bars of the desired length.
My one has cut marks every 5 cm.
This means that I can use this strap in a multiple of 5 cm.
There are welding points on both sides of each bar and can be used if needed.
LED placement: LED placement along the Mirror plays an important role in project results.
I initially placed two rows of stripes along the side of the mirror facing the person directly, but the light was a bit glaring and attracted your eyes.
The beam angle of 5050 SMD LEDs is 120 degrees.
Putting the led on the side wall of the wooden case so that the person\'s face is within this beam angle would be a good choice.
I tried to place the straps along the side at different distances from the face and mirror, and finally settled down in the middle of the wooden side wall.
This makes the light emitted by the LED fall directly on the face, also reflected from the mirror, and then on the face.
This creates a softer lighting.
Driving LEDs: I cut off a 5 cm long bar, gave it a 12 V power supply and connected an ammeter in series to measure the current consumed by LEDs.
A subsection consumes 19. 2 mA of current.
I have to calculate the current required for the entire length so that I can use a power adapter with the right capacity.
The closest standard power supply available for this rated current is 1A.
Fortunately, I already have a switching power adapter for 1 a 12 V (lucky again ; ))
So I used it.
Note: Do not use the power supply that does not meet the load requirements.
If an adapter with a lower rated power is used, it will work beyond the capacity and will eventually be destroyed.
Most switching mode power supplies are 80-
90% of its rated current capacity.
LED light strips are very easy to apply.
I start at the top and when I go down, apply the straps by stripping the protective backing.
Applying strips from the bottom to the top can be more difficult.
If the protective backing is completely removed first, stripping will be more difficult to handle.
After pasting the strip, I welded the wire to connect the left and right bars in parallel and fixed the wire to the wood surface using hot glue.
The clear tape is also a good option, but I found that the glue can be removed from the wood without much effort and will not damage the wood surface.
Also, the glue works better in the corner and is not so obvious.
It is tricky to remove the wire and connect it to the adapter.
The wire is visible and must be \"routed\" so that it is not so visible.
Again I stuck the wires in the corner with hot glue and put them away as much as possible.
I have a power plug and a calendar nearby as shown in the figure.
I cut off the end pin of the adapter, welded the wires directly, insulated the wires with sleeves, and hid everything behind the calendar.
The eyes are not too painful, but the wires are still visible (
I used the dark blue one to increase the pain :()
The lighting from the settings is quite bright and produces good lighting.
The soft light brightened the face.
I put it for a while and see how it works.
The adapter feels hot (not unbearable)
I turned it off in a few hours.
This heating is normal due to the constant capacity of the adapter to work close to 90%.
My new apartment bedroom has some solid wood products with a mirror inside.
But there is not enough light around the mirror.
The windows and LED bulbs illuminate the room, both facing the mirror.
If you are standing in front of the mirror, the reflection is dark due to the light from these sources.
I decided to place a dedicated lighting device for the mirror to make it available.
I try to put a CFL light on the mirror, but the top-down lighting creates a deep shadow.
Its ideal light source is diffuse lighting around the mirror, and the whole length is even bright.
Fluorescent tubes are a good option, but there is not enough room to accommodate them, as the mirrors are mounted on the door that swings outside leaving only about an inch of gap.
Also, it would look awkward to put such a big light on the side.
I left some LED lights from one of my previous projects and decided to put them into use.
This manual describes the steps and materials required to use LED light strips for lighting cosmetic mirrors.
I also shared some of the things I learned when setting up.
Note: basic level of electronic knowledge is required.
Please be careful and safe. 1.
12 volt LED light strip with back glue-
The kind that can be cut into parts and used (
Double tape can be used if there is no back glue). 2.
12 V power adapter.
Wire, cutter and stripper4.
Glue gun/transparent velvet film 5.
Basic welding equipment (
Soldering iron, lead and flux)6.
Multimeter7.
Scissors8.
The insulated tape/sleeve/heat shrink tube LED light strip is a flexible PCB consisting of multiple SMD LEDs and resistance units connected continuously.
These bars can be cut to the desired length and used.
The LED light strip I use is a continuous 5 m long light strip with adhesive backing.
Each segment has three 5050 SMD LEDs and a 120 ohm resistor in series.
There is a protective layer on the adhesive backing that can be stripped off to paste the LED light strip.
Like performing in a band. aid.
Note: The Strip usually comes with a cutting mark indicating where it can be cut.
Always cut along this mark to produce the bars of the desired length.
My one has cut marks every 5 cm.
This means that I can use this strap in a multiple of 5 cm.
There are welding points on both sides of each bar and can be used if needed.
LED placement: LED placement along the Mirror plays an important role in project results.
I initially placed two rows of stripes along the side of the mirror facing the person directly, but the light was a bit glaring and attracted your eyes.
The beam angle of 5050 SMD LEDs is 120 degrees.
Putting the led on the side wall of the wooden case so that the person\'s face is within this beam angle would be a good choice.
I tried to place the straps along the side at different distances from the face and mirror, and finally settled down in the middle of the wooden side wall.
This makes the light emitted by the LED fall directly on the face, also reflected from the mirror, and then on the face.
This creates a softer lighting.
Driving LEDs: I cut off a 5 cm long bar, gave it a 12 V power supply and connected an ammeter in series to measure the current consumed by LEDs.
A subsection consumes 19. 2 mA of current.
I have to calculate the current required for the entire length so that I can use a power adapter with the right capacity.
The closest standard power supply available for this rated current is 1A.
Fortunately, I already have a switching power adapter for 1 a 12 V (lucky again ; ))
So I used it.
Note: Do not use the power supply that does not meet the load requirements.
If an adapter with a lower rated power is used, it will work beyond the capacity and will eventually be destroyed.
Most switching mode power supplies are 80-
90% of its rated current capacity.
LED light strips are very easy to apply.
I start at the top and when I go down, apply the straps by stripping the protective backing.
Applying strips from the bottom to the top can be more difficult.
If the protective backing is completely removed first, stripping will be more difficult to handle.
After pasting the strip, I welded the wire to connect the left and right bars in parallel and fixed the wire to the wood surface using hot glue.
The clear tape is also a good option, but I found that the glue can be removed from the wood without much effort and will not damage the wood surface.
Also, the glue works better in the corner and is not so obvious.
It is tricky to remove the wire and connect it to the adapter.
The wire is visible and must be \"routed\" so that it is not so visible.
Again I stuck the wires in the corner with hot glue and put them away as much as possible.
I have a power plug and a calendar nearby as shown in the figure.
I cut off the end pin of the adapter, welded the wires directly, insulated the wires with sleeves, and hid everything behind the calendar.
The eyes are not too painful, but the wires are still visible (
I used the dark blue one to increase the pain :()
The lighting from the settings is quite bright and produces good lighting.
The soft light brightened the face.
I put it for a while and see how it works.
The adapter feels hot (not unbearable)
I turned it off in a few hours.
This heating is normal due to the constant capacity of the adapter to work close to 90%.
The LED light strip itself feels a little warm.
Since light will only be used intermittently, I hope this will have a long life span.
Although the project is satisfactory, there is always room for improvement.
Please provide your comments and suggestions on this basis.
Please leave a comment if I am not clear somewhere and you are stuck. . . Thanks!