I’m ordering a custom-shaped panel for a shallow cavity, and one question keeps nagging me: where does the cable get out? The panel will sit behind stone, and I don’t want to discover on site that the cable has nowhere to go.
Decide the exit before you order: mark its position, check connector clearance, and confirm where the cable runs after it leaves the panel.
The exit is part of the shape
With a standard sheet, you can often work around a cable. With a custom panel, you usually cannot: the outline, any notches, and spliced joints all affect where a cable can leave without crossing a cut edge or a part that must sit tight against its backing.
Put the exit on the same drawing as the outline; “cable out the back” is not enough. Show the side, the position along it, and the run direction. For a spliced panel, show whether cables join into one exit or leave separately: JJS LED light sheet panels use a 3M adhesive backing and are often spliced, so one tidy exit is not automatic.
This post covers exit planning only: for distance behind stone, see backlighting stone in a shallow cavity; for the outline itself, see ordering a custom-shaped LED sheet sample.
The connector zone is the pinch point
The glowing area is thin, but the connector is not. The glowing area is 1.6mm thick and the connector is 5.6mm thick. As a working allowance, leave 2mm at the glowing area and 6mm at the connector.
That means the panel does not sit evenly. If the connector lands in the tightest part, or against a batten, frame, or uneven backing, it cannot sit flat there, and the panel around it can lift.
Place the exit where the cavity can give the connector its 6mm — away from the shallowest corner or a fixing. Plan from the back, and show the run after the exit: a sharp bend at the connector can push the panel out just as surely as a connector in the wrong place.
What to mark on the drawing
If any line is blank, settle it before ordering.
| Mark this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Exact exit position, from a fixed edge | Avoids a fixing, a joint, or the shallowest spot |
| Side and run direction | Prevents a sharp bend at the connector |
| Connector zone, 6mm clearance | Connector 5.6mm vs 1.6mm glowing area — it decides flatness |
| Controller and driver location | Cable must reach them without a strained run |
| How spliced sheets join; one exit or several | A multi-sheet panel has no automatic single exit |
| Wet area (e.g. shower wall): exit and driver placement | IP rating and driver placement must suit a wet area |
Check cores against the sheet: BG-0318 RGBCCT uses 6 cores (V+/R/G/B/warm/cool); BG-0313 RGBW uses 5. A normal RGB controller is 3-channel and cannot drive the two white channels of a 6-core RGBCCT sheet, so confirm the controller matches the sheet. Confirm cable length too.
What goes wrong when the exit is decided late
The panel arrives, the installer finds the connector on a fixing, and the choice becomes cutting the backing, bending the cable hard, or reordering — none quick once a custom shape is stuck down.
On a flat table every exit looks fine. In place, the backing is rarely flat and the shallowest point is rarely where expected, so base the drawing on the real backing, including any frame or recess. For resin, stone bands are only a starting point, and the final result always depends on a sample test with the real material.
FAQ
Can I move the cable exit after the panel arrives?
Treat it as fixed once made — moving it means working around the connector, backing, and outline already ordered.
What happens if the connector ends up in the shallowest part of the cavity?
That zone needs 6mm, against 2mm for the glowing area. If the cavity cannot give it that room, the panel will not sit flat — move the exit.
Does the sheet type change the cable I need to plan for?
Yes, in core count: BG-0318 RGBCCT needs 6 cores, BG-0313 RGBW needs 5.
My panel is spliced from several sheets. Do I get one exit?
Not automatically. Show how sheets join and whether cables combine into one exit or leave separately, and confirm it when ordering.
I don’t know the driver location yet. Can I still order?
You can order the shape, but do not finalise the exit until driver and controller positions are known.
Ready to order? Send your drawing with the exit and connector zone marked, and request a quote or a sample. A sample with the real stone or resin confirms look and fit first.