LED Technical Tips – How to minimize equipment and labor cost when making long runs of Flexible LED Strips
6/16/2017 11:21 PM
Supplying power to both ends of the strip can solve the LED voltage drop problem.
Flexible LED strip, regardless of the chip size and density, is packaged in 5-meter reels. It is engineered so that one reel can be run to a power supply without experiencing the voltage drop. We’ve discussed LED voltage drop in a previous article. Basically what it means is that if you attempt to run more than 5 meters to a power supply, the LEDs farthest away from the power supply will not be as bright as the LEDs closest to the power supply. If you are installing RGB flexible LED strips, the problem can be solved with RGB data repeaters. But what do you do when you’re using standard whites or solid colours? Not only are customers budget conscious, but professional installers need to find ways and means to reduce labour and material costs, especially in larger installations. Here’s a tip from one of our customers who is a master electrician and serves the casino and hotel industry in Las Vegas NV. Supply power to both ends of the run. That’s right. Instead of having to make long runs of wire back to one, larger supply, you can use two power supplies of smaller capacity and feed power to the strip from both ends. Voltage drop problem is solved. There is much less wire to buy and pull, saving money in material and labour cost. This technique may be very helpful for those of you who are installing our crown moulding for LED lighting in larger rooms. You’ll see that we have power supplies for LED lighting in both 12 and 24VDC and in several sizes to meet your exact needs. We also have quite a solid lineup of flexible LED strip in different densities to serve your lighting needs. And don’t forget that we offer contractor pricing on LED lighting. If you’re a professional installer, contact us for a quote on your next job. We need just a bit of information from you such as your business license and tax ID numbers to get you set up in our system to qualify for contractor pricing. Questions about this LED technical tip? Give us a call Monday through Friday 8 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific Time or use our call me back form. We’ll call you at a time that is convenient for you.
By: Mary Wecker
