In case you are preparing on installing LED strip lights (also referred to as LED tape) you must be able to accurately calculate the power expected. Having insufficient power supply will bring about only some (or none) in the LEDs illuminating, or may cause irritation flicker. An more than specified power provide will expense much more to get, and will also be harder to match as they may be bigger.

To calculate the power provide needed for your new LED strip lights, you must know:

Length of the strip or tape
Quantity of LEDs per metre
Power consumption per LED

To calculate the size of power provide (in Amps) you have to multiply the length with the LED tape by the amount of the LEDs per metre and then multiply this by the power from the LED (0.08w to 0.24w per LED are typical values). Then divide the worth by 12 volts to calculate the necessary Amperage in the power provide.

(Length of LED Strip x LEDs per Metre x LED Power) / 12

We suggest you add at the very least 10% towards the calculated value to let for resistance and losses inside the cables. You'd also want to enable for any achievable expansions or additions within the future. Most LED Strip Lights can have extra sections added applying joining cables.

Calculation Examples:

Instance 1: A 5m roll of SMD3528 (0.08w) with 60LED/m will be: (5m x 60 x 0.08) / 12 = 2amps +10% = 2.2Amps.

Instance 2: A 5m roll of SMD5050 with 60LED/m would be: (5m x 60 x 0.24) / 12 = 6amps +10% = 6.6Amps.

For any LED strips over 2 metres in length you'll be able to supply a 12volt feed to each ends in the strip or a single feed in the middle, by cutting the strip into two and connecting the power supply to each strips. This gives a a lot more even power distribution and must offer a a lot more consistent illumination.

LED Strip Light Uses

There are two principal reasons for using LED strips. One particular is efficiency - LED lights are extremely efficient, with most of the power going to make light, not heat. Their incredibly lengthy life (20,000 hours is standard) means that in addition they don't will need replaced very normally, leading to vastly decreased lifetime expenses.