LED Lighting
Thanks to their energy savings, long service life, durability, and design flexibility they offer, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are rapidly replacing incandescent and fluorescent technologies in both indoor and outdoor luminaires.
But choosing the right LED is only part of the design equation. In order for your solid-state lighting design to realize its full efficiency, durability, and longevity, you’ll need to choose a power supply with characteristics that closely match the requirements of your application and the LEDs you’re using.
This brief tutorial offers some helpful pointers on what you’ll need to consider during the selection process.
What kind of power supply should I buy to make the LED strip light up? It depends on the length, lamps’ number, and their power consumption. In other words, how much power the device needs to work properly.
As a rule, a mark on the LED strips indicates how many watts of power one meter of tape needs to work effectively and efficiently. Decorative tapes with bright lights have this factor at 4.8 W per meter. On the other hand, more powerful accessories can require up to 19.2 W/m.
This factor can be found on the tape and multiplied by the number of running meters of the strips. The result obtained is the smallest value that the power supply should have.
It should also be remembered that the selected power supply for the LED strip should be slightly more powerful. Ideally, the power should be 10-20% higher. Buying a much more powerful product can lead to faster strip wear or even burn it.
For example, an Output Voltage 12V power supply, DC output current 3A, power watt 12*3, i.e., 36 watts.
Try to use power supplies designed for this type of lighting to power LED installations. Using other transformers will shorten the life of the LED light source and may damage it at the very first start-up attempt.
How to calculate the power supply’s power
Let’s check the maximum power of one meter of our LED strip that we want to use. This information is included in the product’s specifications and often in its name. The power is always expressed in watts (W).
The power supplies by the power consumption of 1 meter of tape add about 20-30%.
If you want to connect 3 meters of LED STRIP LIGHTS, the power of one meter is 4.8 W. Then multiply 3 (3 meters of the strip) by the power consumed by it 4.8, which means:
3 m x 4.8W/m = 14.4W.
Note: after multiplying the numbers, you should add 20-30% of the power reserve – the obtained number is the desired power of the feeder.
14.4 W x 120% = 17.28 W
We need a power supply of not less than 18 W.
It is advisable to add a power reserve of about 20-30% so as not to overload the power supply so that it does not work “on contact,” does not burn out during operation, and correctly supplies the tape along its entire length.
How do you choose a power supply for LEDs?
Selecting a suitable hermetic power supply when installing LED strips outdoors or in the bathroom is essential. The most popular modular power supplies are usually used indoors, not exposed to harsh conditions or increased humidity.
Knowing if an LED power supply is waterproof is best to check the waterproof rating marked “IP.” Waterproof power supplies have a minimum IP rating of IP 65 and are best suited for bathrooms or outdoor installations. Fully waterproof power supplies, on the other hand, have an IP67 rating. These devices are often used in water or other facilities in harsh environments.
Which IP class of LED power supply should I select?
The most crucial criterion in which LED power supply to select is the waterproof class, which is defined by IP (International Protection Rating). It determines the water resistance of the power supply.
Non-waterproof LED power supplies IP20
LED power supplies with IP20 protection rating are non-waterproof power supplies, which means they are not suitable for places with moisture. The most popular here are MS S LRS Series power supplies for the main installation. The right area for installing such power supplies is, for example, a living room or bedroom.
Furniture power supplies serve us for all lighting systems in furniture (for example, kitchen furniture). They are so small that we can easily hide them from our eyes.
Power supplies for furniture lighting installation
LED power supplies IP67 waterproof
If the lighting is installed in a place exposed to moisture and water level, it is recommended to use a power supply with a higher protection class – waterproof. All waterproof series power supplies have this feature.
They have sealed hermetic housing and IP67 protection. They are therefore suitable for use in bathrooms or kitchens, for example. These power supplies are smaller than those in the LPV series. So if you have little space to hide them, you should use an LPVE series model.
Connecting the LED power supply
The installation location of the power supply determines the type of power supply we need. We have a choice of power supplies:
- plug-in,
- hermetic,
- furniture,
- modular,
- ultra-slim,
- DIN rail
- for installation in a box.
Each of these types of power supplies can be found in the offer on our site
For the outdoor LED driver, such as in garden lighting, power supplies with a protection rating of at least IP67 should be used. The occult power supplies resist the adverse effects of water, dust, and dirt to which they may be exposed
