Currently, there is a huge range of decorative lighting products that are successfully used to decorate premises and streets. LED trees of various types are becoming especially popular, which serve not only as decoration, but also perfectly complement the illumination of buildings with adjacent territories. Due to their qualities, they fit perfectly into almost any interior. In the daytime, artificial trees look quite natural, and with the onset of darkness they begin to delight those around them with all colors and shades.

There are a large number of finished products on sale, however, if you wish, you can make an LED tree with your own hands. Low energy consumption is an important positive factor, which is why such trees are increasingly used for decoration in offices, shops and restaurants, attracting the attention of potential customers.

LED tree for home or apartment

Most often, when self-manufacturing LED trees intended for indoor installation, two main methods are used.

Tree with LED garland

The manufacturing process begins with a frame for which aluminum wire is best suited. It can be easily bent at any angle, giving the future design any configuration. A more realistic color is obtained by wrapping black electrical tape around the white wire insulation.

Then, the finished frame is evenly wrapped with a garland, fixed to the wire with black electrical tape. If you wish, you can create additional decorations for LEDs in the form of decorative nozzles made of transparent plastic. Upon completion of the work, the manufactured tree just needs to be connected to the electrical network and to verify its performance. Thus, the question of how to make an LED tree with your own hands can be considered resolved.

The main advantage of this method is the ease of manufacture. The main disadvantage is the impossibility of making large wood. This is due to the standard length of the garland, which is not enough to fit the entire tree. Therefore, this method is most suitable for the manufacture of miniature products, which are also very popular.

LED tree

Making wood from individual LEDs is considered more time consuming. However, this method does not have the disadvantages inherent in ready-made garlands, which makes it possible to manufacture structures of any shape and size. The main material is 5mm LEDs. Resistors are needed to equalize the voltage.

Direct manufacturing begins with soldering. The LED contacts have different lengths, so the resistor legs are pre-shortened on one side. You need to solder the contacts of both elements very quickly so as not to damage the LED.

Heat shrink tubing is then cut for the wires to cover the solder joints and resistors. It is necessary to leave a place for soldering the supply wire. The tube is inserted on the leg of the resistor and warmed up a little with a lighter to give the insulation the required shape. This operation is performed with each LED.

After that, you can start making the tree itself. Most often, the trunk is made of thin plumbing pipes, and the branches are made of wire, about 50 cm long. The main part of the branch takes 45 cm, and 5 cm remains for attaching it to the trunk. Small branches are cut up to 10 cm in size. The number of LEDs on one branch must be calculated in advance.

In the next step, small branches are attached with electrical tape to large branches. It is recommended to set the number of LEDs on each small branch equal to the number of LEDs on the large branch. Each LED is secured with electrical tape.

The wires must be stretched along the entire length of the main branches, after which they are cut taking into account the bends of the small branches. The ends are tied to the trunk, after which all the pros and cons on each branch are connected. Their number must match the total number of branches. Wire connections are insulated. It remains only to evenly hang the decorative ornaments and connect the finished tree to the electrical network.

Outdoor LED trees

Artificial trees with LEDs can be installed anywhere to decorate the landscape and surrounding areas. The attraction of beauty actively attracts visitors to restaurants and cafes, shopping centers and boutiques, offices and other public places. Each glowing tree in its configuration in many ways resembles real plants, and sometimes they completely imitate them. Artificial bark is used to cover the metal branches. The maximum similarity is achieved thanks to silicone or plastic leaves and flowers made in full size.

The whole structure of the artificial tree is decorated with multi-colored LEDs. Most often they operate from the electrical network, but in some cases self-powered power can be used, which leads to a slight increase in the cost of the structure. LED strings are sometimes used, but they do not have the same effect as LEDs used alone.

The advantages of artificial trees with LEDs:

• Long service life of at least 5 years.
• Artificial structures do not require the care required by real trees.
• Low power consumption. Even the largest trees consume no more than 700 watts of electricity.
• The simplicity of the design allows you to do it yourself without involving specialists.
• Resistance of the structure to low temperatures, dust, high humidity and other negative influences.
• In the event of a burnout of one or more LEDs, the rest of the chain will continue to work, and the defective elements can be easily replaced with others.
• The right choice of artificial trees and bushes allows you to favorably emphasize and complement the elements.

Sakura is especially popular among LED plants. These trees are especially beautiful due to the highly durable plastic or aluminum alloy coating on the branches. Their appearance is as close as possible to the present. Despite its relatively small size, this tree provides just as much light as taller structures. Sakura has a soft and delicate range of colors, mainly white, pink and golden tones.

Self-made wood for the street

When making wood with LEDs for outdoor use, be sure to take into account the aggressive influence of the environment. Therefore, before you start making an LED tree with your own hands for the street, you need to determine the entire procedure in advance.

The general scheme of work will be approximately the same as for conventional structures intended for rooms. In the street version, it is recommended to pay attention to a more thorough coating of the trunk and branches with high-quality materials.

It is also necessary to take care of good insulation of the LEDs after soldering them with resistors. Heat shrink tubing must completely hide each pair. If necessary, all unreliable places can be additionally insulated with black electrical tape. The same goes for wire connections at the plus and minus points. Decor items should be fastened more efficiently so that they are not ripped off by strong gusts of wind.

Master class: glowing tree with your own hands