We’re nearing the end of another year at Inspired LED, which means wrapping up big projects, planning holiday sales, and keeping ourselves busy with inventory. It’s a time to look back on all the exciting new products we’ve launched this year, and to take stock in those essentials which make building an LED system possible.
While the lights themselves are understandably the stars of the show in our business, they wouldn’t be able to shine without the support of some important accessories. So this week, we take a look at some components which are often overlooked, but are nonetheless key to creating the perfect LED layout: splitters.
In the world of low-voltage wiring, the term “splitter” refers to a product designed to allow a single line of power to be split into multiple directions. This is a necessity when using one power supply or transformer to light more than one location; for example, upper and lower cabinets.
While electricians or experienced DIYers may be able to make these types of 2-way or 3-way connections using wire nuts, this technique may not be the easiest or the cleanest way to complete an install. For the simplest solution, Inspired LED offers three different accessories to help route your cables to different locations.
The first and most basic option is the Standard Y-Cable. This component is made from our 22AWG black cable, split and over-molded into a tell-tale “Y” shape. Designed to fit with our proprietary interconnect cables, connections are as easy as plug & play. The base of the cable begins with a single 3.5 x 1.3mm female input, branching off into two 3.5 x 1.3mm male outputs. This makes it easy to connect a single power supply to two separate runs of lights.
For more unique layouts, Inspired LED also offers Custom Y-Cables, handmade by our in-house manufacturing team. Unlike our Y-cables, this custom accessory is shaped a bit more like the letter “V”. But because we make this type of cable ourselves, we are able to customize male and female connectors in a variety of combinations and lengths to fit your exact needs. Connecting directly from one light to two? No problem! Simply order a custom Y-cable and specify that you would like to receive a Male/Male/Male cable by leaving us a note in the order comments.
The next component which can be used for splitting power is Inspired LED’s Mini-Distribution Block. This compact accessory is made up of four 3.5 x 1.3mm female inputs. Connecting a plug-in power supply to any one of these ports disperses the power across the other three, allowing you to run standard interconnect cables in three separate directions. This is often useful when splitting from a single controller like a magnetic switch or motion sensor to several main lights wired in parallel rather than in series.
Some jobs, of course, may require more than three lines of light to be run in parallel from the same power source. For these applications, we recommend our standard Distribution Block. Composed of six 3.5 x 1.3mm female inputs, this accessory allows power from one port to be dispersed across the other five. This is especially handy for shelving or stairway applications, and since the Distribution Block is extremely low-profile (standing less than 0.25”) it easily mounts out of the way with adhesive or screws (included).
No matter what your lighting project may be, Inspired LED offers the perfect accessory to make installation a quick and easy process! Splitters and other connectors are available for purchase online through our website, or through Amazon.com.
Need some help designing your lighting system? Take advantage of our FREE Design Services to get a professional layout and quote in 48 hours or less! For more information about these and other Inspired products be sure to visit us at www.inspiredled.com, contact us directly via email at orders@inspiredled.com or call us at 480-941-4286.
