Voltage Input and Power Source
The standard DC voltage settings for LED strips are 12V or 24V. Power conversion to the correct low voltage DC signal is necessary when operating from a typical mains supply (e.g., a home wall outlet) at 120/240V AC. In most cases, a DC power source will do the trick.
Before you proceed (detailed instructions here), check to see if your power source can handle the LED strips. Whether it's amps or watts, the maximum rated current or power of any DC power supply will be clearly displayed. Use this formula to find out how much power the LED strip uses in total:
An LED's power is equal to its per-foot power multiplied by the length of its LED strip in feet.
In this hypothetical situation, we have 5 feet of LED strip that uses 4 watts per foot:
Twenty watts, or four watts per foot multiplied by five feet, is the available power.
You can usually find the power consumption per foot (or metre) on the datasheet of an LED strip.
Methods for Linking LED Strips
A direct current (DC) power source, or multiple segments of an LED strip linked in series, are required for each LED segment. The LED strip's included plugs and wires, as well as the DC power supply's plug type, will determine the best method of connection. In many cases, the most practical and adaptable option is to use your soldering skills, provided you are familiar with them.
Not sure how or don't want to deal with solder? You can also use solderless connector accessories to connect LED strip segments to power supplies and other LED strip segments.
Channels made of aluminium and heatsinks
Despite their versatility and ease of use, LED strips are nonetheless bare circuitboard components. Mounting the LED strips inside of an aluminum channel, along with a diffuser cover, can significantly improve the aesthetics of a lighting installation.
Aluminum channels are typically long pieces of extruded aluminum in a U or V shape. The LED strip is them placed and secured (using the double sided tape) at the bottom of the channel. A long piece of frosted polycarbonate plastic (typically provided with the aluminum channel) then snaps onto the top of the aluminum channel.
You may have correctly read elsewhere that LEDs need effective thermal management for reliable operation. Higher quality LED strip light products actually underdrive the LEDs, and are designed to last tens of thousands of hours without any heatsinking. During operation, the LED strip can get warm to the touch, but the temperature rise is far below the thermal limits of the LEDs and circuitboard components. (Our products typically exhibit temperature rises of 55 F or 30 C over ambient temperatures, without any heatsinking).
The aluminum channels may help dissipate the heat from the LED strips, but for the most part they are not necessary for thermal management and are primarily for mounting and diffusion purposes.
Dimming and Color Control
Unlike LED bulbs, all LED strips are dimmable when paired with the correct equipment. There are two methods of dimming LED strips: a traditional phase-cut wall-dimmer, or a DC low-voltage dimmer. The AC phase-cut dimmer approach is typically most ideal for residential and commercial lighting applications where the dimming input signal comes from a traditional wall-switch dimmer. This setup requires a TRIAC dimmable power supply.
A DC low-voltage dimmer or (RGB) controller is typically in the form of a manual or digital dimmer module that is placed between the DC power supply and the LED strip. This approach is best suited for color changing applications or less permanent lighting installations.
Shenzhen Benwei Lighting Technology Co., Ltd was established in 2010. It is a national high-tech enterprise integrating design, R&D, production and sales of indoor and outdoor lighting products and also can do OEM ,ODM .For more details about our offerings, please contact us at bwzm18@ledbenweilighting.com
