Addon Customs - LED Strips (Lots of Photos)

[W-L]

Addon Customs White SMD 5050 LED Strips

Hey guys, so this review will cover probably one of the most popular modding items out there, LED strips, more specifically Addon Customs White SMD 5050 LED's. This will go over my initial impressions on the product, and in depth testing. Note theses LED's were provided to me as a gift and sample at no cost, so here is my thanks to them. Thanks again to @Marcus_UK.

 

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Initial Overview and Installation:

     The product came in a very well packaged small box, and from initial impressions they looked like a good set of hand made sleeved LED strips. The strip itself is 30cm long with a total of 18 SMD 5050 LED chips, all on an all black PCB and with a 30cm long sleeved power cable with black paracord. The strips on mine came with a 3 pin fan connection and 30cm cable as requested, they can come in two options with either a molex or 3 pin fan connection for power and different lengths for the power cable. Some very nice details I notice are the extra care with the heatshrink on the end of the LED strips to ensure it doesn't short out if it were to make contact with the metal in your case.

 

     Here are the lights installed into my system and a before and after shots of the differences, the strips are installed along the top edge and vertically down the left side on my setup. Others may like to install theirs along the top and bottom or whichever way they feel best lights the components inside I found this method to work best for me. They definitely are bright and give ample amount of lighting, currently they are running at the full 12V but personally I will probably run them less than the 12V to control the brightness levels.

 

 

Finer Details and Testing:

     The strips use cold white SMD 5050 chips which have 3 diodes per chip making it have a total of 54 dioides that light up among the 18 LED chips. All of this is then sealed with a clear silicone providing an IP65 rating making it dust tight and water resistant. In my testing they have a controllable range from 12V all the way down to ~7.5V, where at ~7.5V they are barely lite, so 8V would be what I consider the lowest setting. For a single 30cm strip it draws a max of 0.3Amps making it perfect to be used on fan controllers or motherboard fan headers that give you the ability to dim via DC voltage control. However do note in my testing I discovered motherboard fan control software's like AI Suite require an RPM to do voltage control or it will stay only at 12V so I would consider dimming LED's to be more suited for manual fan controllers. 

     Overall the strips function perfectly and look great, only thing I have to point out is there are one or two spots that had some glue squeeze out from the adhesive heatshrink which is was a very minor detail and the double stick tape used works but is not the super sticky stuff. Personally I will probably replace the tape later on and stick them onto rigid plastic strips with magnets since I like my lights to be easily removable. From speaking to Marcus at Addon Customs he plans to improve on the tape used and possibly magnetic strips in the nearby future.

     Overall I'm very pleased with theses, looking at the pricepoint they are great value for what your getting. They come with a lifetime warranty and are all pre-tested for 12 hours before shipping out to customers to ensure working products straight out of the box with low DOA's. 

     As of right now Addon Customs is planning on expanding into other modding products which I do look forward to seeing and the site is being updated so some information may not be 100% up to date.

All Images Provided By W-L

 

4 Month Update:

After using over a period of time this is a small update on them and how they have faired inside my system:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/445409-addon-customs-led-strips-lots-of-photos/?p=6818420

[Interfectorem]

Looks nice. I've been looking for some nice flat sided white LED strips, since the current NZXT kit I have is complete arse.

[Kherm]

Nice, I have an RGB LED kit in my PC and under my desk, with the PC being on a 'quick disconnect' to the rest of the lights. I'll post some pics soon.

[Lays]

I got some from him but they died after 2 months

 

I probably could of contacted him for a replacement, but he gave me them free as a sponsor for my build, so I didn't want to hassle him. (thanks again btw, really actually appreciated it )

They actually were really nice, I think maybe it was just a bad batch.

[W-L]

I got some from him but they died after 2 months

I probably could of contacted him for a replacement, but he gave me them free as a sponsor for my build, so I didn't want to hassle him. (thanks again btw, really actually appreciated it )

They actually were really nice, I think maybe it was just a bad batch.

 

That's a bit unfortunate, I'll probably give an update on them a couple months in to see how they faired, I'll mostly be running them around 10-11V though since they are a tad brighter than I need, hoping that might help with longevity a bit if it was heat from resistors that did them in.

[AddonCustoms]

Thank W-L, loving the pictures (Nice looking build), and thanks for going into detail.

 

I got some from him but they died after 2 months

 

I probably could of contacted him for a replacement, but he gave me them free as a sponsor for my build, so I didn't want to hassle him. (thanks again btw, really actually appreciated it )

They actually were really nice, I think maybe it was just a bad batch.

 

 

Should have contacted me,  I will PM you shortly to sort out a replacement, we have since released a new version which is basically a new strip, everything on it has been replaced and we have increased the brightness, and reduced the heat output.



RGB and UV Lighting coming soon, and a loads more products, and many more being worked on.




If anyone has any questions about this product or any other product we have, feel free to contact me.

[Thorium19]

Nice, I'll look at getting some of these for my own rig, especially when I eventually WC it.

[FunkyFeatures]

I have the red version of these strips. They are awesome, bright and cheap, but with the one issue being the adhesive back that is not sticky enough.

[Jacke1012]

Why that looks so cool. I think I am going to do that with mine.

[UrdnotGrunt]

I got two red strips inside my case. Looks pretty nice. The only problem is have is the adhesive on the corded side of it is sub par, its really bad at sticking if its bent/curved in the slightest way

[AddonCustoms]

I have the red version of these strips. They are awesome, bright and cheap, but with the one issue being the adhesive back that is not sticky enough.

 

I got two red strips inside my case. Looks pretty nice. The only problem is have is the adhesive on the corded side of it is sub par, its really bad at sticking if its bent/curved in the slightest way

yeah sorry about that, we had a lot of messages regarding poor sticky back, but we listened and now all our LED strips come with sticky foam applied instead of the sticky tape, it is a hell of a lot stronger.  The site doesn't mention this at the moment but the new site does.

[Andrew Storlie]

7 bucks for 10" when i can 5 meters of the exact same thing for 12 bucks?

[W-L]

7 bucks for 10" when i can 5 meters of the exact same thing for 12 bucks?

 

Mainly this is more of a ready to go type product where you wouldn't need to do any extra work out of the box. It would be cheaper to get a roll of LED's as long as they are good quality but one would require some basic knowledge on solder and electrical work to get them hooked up in the PC. 

 

Looking at pre-done LED strips or kits out there though its a very good price for they are with the testing and warranty that goes it with.

[spwath]

Mainly this is more of a ready to go type product where you wouldn't need to do any extra work out of the box. It would be cheaper to get a roll of LED's as long as they are good quality but one would require some basic knowledge on solder and electrical work to get them hooked up in the PC.

Looking at pre-done LED strips or kits out there though its a very good price for they are with the testing and warranty that goes it with.

My cheap roll of rgb LEDs failed anyway.

[Overkilled]

Mainly this is more of a ready to go type product where you wouldn't need to do any extra work out of the box. It would be cheaper to get a roll of LED's as long as they are good quality but one would require some basic knowledge on solder and electrical work to get them hooked up in the PC. 

 

Looking at pre-done LED strips or kits out there though its a very good price for they are with the testing and warranty that goes it with.

I wanted to get a roll of "Cold white" Leds but I cant solder

[FunkyFeatures]

yeah sorry about that, we had a lot of messages regarding poor sticky back, but we listened and now all our LED strips come with sticky foam applied instead of the sticky tape, it is a hell of a lot stronger. The site doesn't mention this at the moment but the new site does.

When is the new site due btw?

[AddonCustoms]

When is the new site due btw?

Really wanted it up by now but had a few setbacks, still got a few more things to finalise, but should be up by January.  Will post a new status on my profile when it launches.

[W-L]

I wanted to get a roll of "Cold white" Leds but I cant solder

 

You could always get crimp on connectors while they are more costly it require no soldering:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-SMD5050-Strip-4-Pin-Connector/dp/B00GAC4UXA/ref=pd_sim_267_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41FcFIbRNvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=19THTEAX1MDHPZX730DG

 

i have a little information on it under wiring LED's:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/407754-modding-faq-common-mods/

[Overkilled]

You could always get crimp on connectors while they are more costly it require no soldering:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-SMD5050-Strip-4-Pin-Connector/dp/B00GAC4UXA/ref=pd_sim_267_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41FcFIbRNvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=19THTEAX1MDHPZX730DG

 

i have a little information on it under wiring LED's:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/407754-modding-faq-common-mods/

except im not in america

[Overkilled]

You could always get crimp on connectors while they are more costly it require no soldering:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-SMD5050-Strip-4-Pin-Connector/dp/B00GAC4UXA/ref=pd_sim_267_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41FcFIbRNvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=19THTEAX1MDHPZX730DG

 

i have a little information on it under wiring LED's:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/407754-modding-faq-common-mods/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HitLights-Extension-Light-Connector-SMD5050/dp/B00L1MGLSG/ref=lp_3364703031_1_14?srs=3364703031&ie=UTF8&qid=1445984839&sr=8-14 i cri everytime

[Overkilled]

You could always get crimp on connectors while they are more costly it require no soldering:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-SMD5050-Strip-4-Pin-Connector/dp/B00GAC4UXA/ref=pd_sim_267_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=41FcFIbRNvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=19THTEAX1MDHPZX730DG

 

i have a little information on it under wiring LED's:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/407754-modding-faq-common-mods/

edit nvm sorry for the all the notifications btw

http://www.amazon.co.uk/5pcs-Connector-Adapter-Strip-Connectors/dp/B00B5E3UBQ

[W-L]

edit nvm sorry for the all the notifications btw

http://www.amazon.co.uk/5pcs-Connector-Adapter-Strip-Connectors/dp/B00B5E3UBQ

 

Amazon UK is like Canada has so much less stuff than the US, but I found one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strips-Light-Width-Connector-Cable/dp/B00ARB5WW8/ref=pd_sim_201_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=16XDK8N6FS46S5Z6XDXP&dpID=41e%2BtbLbqsL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_

[W-L]

UPDATE:

     So this is an ~4 month update after generously receiving a set of two Addon Customs LED Strips and will look at how they have performed and withstood the fairly short amount of time in my system, including a small modification I did with them.

 

     To start the LED's have been on for at least 4-6 hours a day almost everyday in my system, and have been running at a constant 10V instead of the regular 12V to control the brightness levels and give them the best chance for long term use due to the lower heat that will be generated by the resistor on the LED strips. From the time that they have been running they've been subjected to internal case temps from when the system is off to gaming/workloads including stress testing of an air temperature range of ~20C to ~50C.

 

     From closer inspection of the LED strip, I see no burn in marks from heat or degradation of the LED diodes themselves which can occur on low quality LED strips where burn or black marks are visible. All the chips are still lite with the 3 didoes in each chip without any of them failing, flickering or going out. The brightness level of the lights from when I received them to now visually looks similar if not the same as when they were brand new. Overall they have stood up very well over theses 4 months and I haven't had any issues with the quality of the product. The only thing I found to be a bit of a let down was the adhesive backing not being very sticky where I had to apply some new tape but as of right now that has been remedied by Marcus at Addon Customs and has a new site up with all the up to date information on that.

http://addoncustoms.com/store/product/7-white-led-strip-5050-tri-chip/

All Photos below taken have been after 4 months of use:

 

     This is a small modification I did with the LED's where I originally had them mounted onto rigid plastic strips with magnets making them easily removable from the case without ruining the adhesive on the LED strips. That served me very well but I did notice a fair number of reflections off tubing and glossy surfaces inside the case including sag of those plastic strips, so I decided to change that. I was able to source myself some aluminum extrusions for LED strips and some diffused plastic panels hoping to prevent some of that reflection. I was just able to squeeze the strips inside the aluminium extrusion and fit the diffused covers over them making the lights a little dimmer but remove basically all the reflections off of the surfaces inside the system.

[AddonCustoms]

Thanks for the update @W-L

 
As W-L mentioned above we have just launched our new store and you can see all our LED lighting at AddonCustoms.com, our LED lighting now has over 600 possible combinations, and all strips are wired and sleeved by hand.
 
All products are currently on sale (20% off) until the 23rd January and you can get an extra 10% off by using the coupon code "LinusTech" (don't forget the Capital L and T) coupon also expires on the 23rd January.

UV LEDs are now available, and RGB will be getting added within the next few days. EDIT: RGB is now available with many options > HERE<

We ship throughout the UK from £1
We also ship worldwide for as little as $6.70 USD
 

Edited February 5, 2016 by AddonCustoms
edited info about RGB lighting

[Raudi_]

These look seriously impressive, I might have to get some of the UV/Pink strips once my new case comes in