Compatibility is vital when it comes to picking the correct LED driver for your outdoor LED strip lights. In an LED system, using the improper driver may lead to failure and damage to the components.
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This post will provide you with what you need to know about LED light drivers so you know what questions to ask before buying them and how to install them properly.
LED drivers regulate the electricity used to power LED strip lights. They convert alternating current (AC) at 240 volts, from the mains to a lower voltage, similar to standard transformers. Particularly, LED drivers convert the mains voltage to the continuous, direct current (DC) required by LED lights.
When the electrical properties of the LED tape change as it heats up, drivers adjust their output to ensure that the power provided remains constant at 12 volts or 24 volts DC.
There are two major types of LED drivers:
High-input, AC-powered drivers are preferred in large-scale lighting projects, as in a multiple series of domestic or commercial LED strip lights. Smaller applications require low-voltage, DC-powered drivers as they are more cost-effective and have output and dimming options.
Identify the type and number of LED lights you need in your installation, as well as how you will arrange them.
You need a constant-current LED driver if your lights are wired in series, like ground and decking lights. You need a constant-voltage LED driver if they'll be wired in parallel, like with LED tape or commercial LED strip lights.
Ensure that the LED lights' milliamp rating is the same as the LED driver's. Amps and milliamps are the units of measurement for electrical current. While LED lights come in a variety of milliamp ratings, the most popular options are 350mA and 700mA.
Ensure that the LED driver's wattage rating is more than or equal to the total wattage of all lights connected to it. For instance, a driver equipped with five 3-watt outdoor strip lights should have a wattage rating of at least 15 watts.
If you're using an LED tape, multiply the length of the tape by the wattage rating per meter. If the tape is powered at 15 watts per meter and the total length is 3 meters, your LED driver should have at least 45 watts.
The LED light's input voltage and the LED driver's output voltage should be compatible. Check these before connecting them to avoid damage.
There are also constant-current LED drivers with 6 volts to 24 volts and are suitable for some types of LED lights. Still, their compatibility is not universal.
For LED drivers that suit different types of LED lights, check out Hitlights' online shop. We have dimmable and non-dimmable models for a variety of lighting projects.
For further questions about our LED drivers, you may also contact our team of LED experts at 855-768-4135 at HitLights today!
To keep your LED strip project glowing brightly with the appropriate power, you will need to know how much current your project draws and it's operating voltage. Once you know those two things, you can choose a power supply. Keep in mind that current draw can be a tricky thing to figure out. Here we will take information from the datasheet and plug it into some simple equations to get the max current needed, since the information from the datasheet are if the LED is on at full brightness.
To calculate the needed power supply, we will need the following info:
LED strips are commonly powered on 5V, 12V and 24V. The number of LEDs per meter (lpm) factors in the power calculation as well. Strips can be 30, 32, 60, 144 or more per meter.
Using Current Draw Per LED
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As an example let's look at the white strip's datasheet. We can see the operating voltage is 12V, which should also be screen printed on the strip itself at the cut line of each segment. What we are looking for is the current draw measured in milliamps (mA). It tells us that each segment made up of 3 LEDs draws 60 mA. To make the calculations easier, the current draw can be divided by 3 totaling 20mA per LED. If one meter is being used with 60 LEDs per meter we have this information:
Equation:
(Length of LED Strip x LEDs per Metre x LED current draw)
Plug in info:
1 (meter) x 60 (lpm) x 20 mA = 1,200 mA
1,200 mA / 1,000 = 1.2 amps.
Using Power Consumption Per LED
Another way of calculating current draw is using the power consumption per LED. The power consumption can also be used to find current draw if the power consumption, measured in watts per LED is known instead. The datasheet tells us .72 watts for 3 LEDs. First divide .72/3 = .24 watts per led
Equation:
(Length of LED Strip x LEDs per Meter x LED Power) / 12
Plug in info:
(1 x 60 x .24) / 12 = 1.2
We now know that we want to use a a power supply that can provide 1.2 amps and 12 volts. Keep in mind that the current draw per LED is at full brightness. If the strips are dimmed through a PWM pin on the Edison, it will take less current. Going by the max amount is still a good guide to know if you have enough to begin with.
Battery Life
Battery life is based on current draw of, again it will fluctuate, especially with the digital RGB strips when patterns and colors are dancing along it. Current draw will fluctuate dependent on the color and brightness the LED is outputting. The way to accurately get the current draw is to hook it up to a multimeter and watch the amps change per pattern cycle, take note and do some calculations.
Another way to find out battery life with a dynamic project, hook up a battery at full strength and see how long it takes to drain.
This aside a general calculation can be made by looking at a batteries mAh rating. Let's stick with the white strip, 6 AA batteries are being used to power the example circuit. AAs roughly have 1500mAh, the 8 batteries are in series so the current stays the same at 1.5 amps. Divide this with the current draw of our project, which is 1.2.
1500 mah/1.2 amps = 1.25 hours of full brightness
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