LED ribbons the complete guid
This is one of the main innovations that the LED SMD has brought. It is possible to solder it on flexible conductive supports, so you get an LED light strip. The LED strip has become popular in recent times, it is easily seen everywhere on television in home decor programs or in specialized magazines. It has the same advantages as an LED bulb, it consumes little, lights well, sometimes even more than an LED bulb, its life is 30 to 50000 hours, and its flexibility allows multiple applications, the only limit being your imagination ...
We receive weekly photos of our customers, proud of their installation, we discover applications that we would not even think!
The LED tape goes everywhere, in all positions, indoors and outdoors (when it is waterproof, this is the case of all our ribbons), it's a real revolution of lighting, as well as decorative in indirect light, only indirect lighting.
In monochrome or RGB (multi-color), it will know how to shape your most crazy projects!
The LED strip operates primarily in 12V (sometimes in 5 or 24V), so it is necessary to power it using a suitable transformer. (see below, choosing the power supply).
Here is a selection of the most common applications made by our customers:
Lighting worktops, the ribbon being arranged under high furniture, kitchen/bar.
Ambient lighting arranged under furniture such as bed, buffet, kitchen or bathroom.
Main lighting of some large rooms with a sufficient number of ribbons.
Ceiling lighting, the light will flood your room by reflection on a white ceiling.
Indirect ambient lighting from the top of the high furniture, facing the ceiling
Indirect ambient lighting behind a low cabinet or behind a sofa.
Enhancement of our merchants' windows with RGB LED ribbons.
Office lighting, the ribbon being fixed under a shelf or shelf.
Ambiance lighting behind a television. (indirect light in backlight)
Vehicle lighting, both in the cockpit and under the body with IP65 ribbons.
This will determine whether you need a strong light intensity (for direct or indirect lighting) or a more moderate intensity for deco, for example. You will also determine whether your ribbon should be waterproof or not, depending on where you install it.
Finally, it is important to determine immediately whether you need color or not, so your choice will be focused on monochrome ribbons or RGB ribbons.
Once the implantation and the need determined, you will only have to choose your ribbon according to these criteria:
To make the right choice, you will need to gather the information available on the article sheets of the ribbons you want.
You would not buy a bulb without knowing its light intensity? It's the same for LED ribbons.
Note that 2 ribbons with 60 LEDs / meter each, may not have the same lighting intensity depending on the size of the SMD LEDs used. These different LEDs do not have the same efficiency, so it may be necessary to have a greater or lesser amount of these to obtain a similar result. But in general, for a lambda user who does not necessarily know the characteristics and the yields of each of these types of LEDs, it will be necessary to focus on the value in lumens of the lighting intensity that will be the only useful, and just for sure!
It should be noted, however, that only the tape is waterproof. The connections, the power supply (and the controller, if any) should be protected against any splashing of water and moisture. Also note that if the ribbons are scored (often every 10 cm, allowing you to make custom installations), cutting them, will also cut its silicone protection and will not be waterproof. It will then be appropriate for everyone to adopt the ribbons to its application, if necessary by adding silicone to make the ribbon again waterproof.
You will get the power of your installation, add a margin of about 10% in order not to operate your transformer permanently at maximum capacity. Then all that remains is to choose the transformer delivering the power greater or equal to the closest to your result.
- Example with an LED strip 14.4 watts/meter for a used length of 3.6 meters.
Either: 3.6 (m) x 14.4 (W) = 51.84W
Then we add the safety margin: 51.84W x 1.1 = 57.02W
the nearest transformer whose power output is higher or equal to the 57.02 watts we calculated is a 60W electronic transformer.
Attention, as explained in the article dedicated to the transformers and power supplies, it will be imperative to equip you with an electronic power supply compatible with LED.
The power supplies you will find on the LED-shop are all. It is important to know that for most resellers, ribbon warranties are only valid (for these reasons) when a compatible transformer is purchased at the same time as your ribbon.
Indeed, depending on the color selected on the remote control, it is necessary to modulate the power supply of the various LED light chips to obtain the desired result (the color). It is, therefore, the controller, placed between the power supply and the ribbon that performs this task.
- Radio frequency remote control (RF) controllers.
Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Infrared versions are inexpensive but have a range of only a few meters. In addition, it is necessary to aim well the controller (sometimes hidden in a piece of furniture or other) so that the information can be received by this one.
If you have multiple controllers in the same room (for different ribbons) you can control them with the same remote but you have to aim them one by one to apply a general tendency to the room.
Radio versions are a little more expensive, but these controllers are much more powerful. With ranges of 10 to 30 meters, for the most part, it is not necessary to aim at the controller to transfer the information. It is, therefore, possible to control with one touch all the controllers of the same room, or a house. This type of frequency passes through the walls and works in all directions.
LEDs-boutique has chosen to offer only Radio Frequency controllers for their performance.
We now find Wifi or Bluetooth controllers for control via a smartphone or tablet.
This type of system allows more effective control but it is important to choose well.
Some controllers use their own Wi-Fi network, forcing you to disconnect your smartphone from your home network (your box), and connect to the controller's one, which is quickly tedious. Need an RGB amplifier? In which cases? You can, thanks to connectors, theoretically connect as many ribbons as you like. But in practice, we are limited by power losses and the capabilities of LED ribbons. Basically, to avoid unpleasant surprises (fire, or degradation of your ribbon) it is necessary to use an amplifier between each length of 5M for an RGB LED strip.
amplifier-led-illustration
Indeed the risks of overheating are important if you add end-to-end lengths of ribbon.
The first meters of the installation will have to support the power of all the continuation .... the intensity is too strong and the tape heats up.
Attention, we are talking about an assembly end to end!
If each 5m length is connected directly to the controller output (in parallel), the problem does not arise and the use of an amplifier is unnecessary. (in the limit of the maximum power of the controller all the same)
For monochrome LED ribbons, it's the same with power, but using an amp is not necessary (because it only affects the RGB signal). On the other hand, it is necessary to divide your installation in several lengths of 5m, all connected to your power supply or your drive. You can also create several groups of LED strips each with their power supply, but all connected to the same switch.
Do not be afraid, it is very easy to make custom installations by tinkering a little.
Do not hesitate to contact our customer service by email or phone if you have a lighting project with many meters of LED ribbons.
Where and how to use his LED ribbon?
LED ribbons, the complete guideWe receive weekly photos of our customers, proud of their installation, we discover applications that we would not even think!
The LED tape goes everywhere, in all positions, indoors and outdoors (when it is waterproof, this is the case of all our ribbons), it's a real revolution of lighting, as well as decorative in indirect light, only indirect lighting.
In monochrome or RGB (multi-color), it will know how to shape your most crazy projects!
The LED strip operates primarily in 12V (sometimes in 5 or 24V), so it is necessary to power it using a suitable transformer. (see below, choosing the power supply).
Here is a selection of the most common applications made by our customers:
Lighting worktops, the ribbon being arranged under high furniture, kitchen/bar.
Ambient lighting arranged under furniture such as bed, buffet, kitchen or bathroom.
Main lighting of some large rooms with a sufficient number of ribbons.
Ceiling lighting, the light will flood your room by reflection on a white ceiling.
Indirect ambient lighting from the top of the high furniture, facing the ceiling
Indirect ambient lighting behind a low cabinet or behind a sofa.
Enhancement of our merchants' windows with RGB LED ribbons.
Office lighting, the ribbon being fixed under a shelf or shelf.
Ambiance lighting behind a television. (indirect light in backlight)
Vehicle lighting, both in the cockpit and under the body with IP65 ribbons.
What criteria to choose your LED ribbon?
You will first need to know where and why your LED strip will be used.This will determine whether you need a strong light intensity (for direct or indirect lighting) or a more moderate intensity for deco, for example. You will also determine whether your ribbon should be waterproof or not, depending on where you install it.
Finally, it is important to determine immediately whether you need color or not, so your choice will be focused on monochrome ribbons or RGB ribbons.
Once the implantation and the need determined, you will only have to choose your ribbon according to these criteria:
To make the right choice, you will need to gather the information available on the article sheets of the ribbons you want.
The lighting intensity ( lumen ) of your ribbons
- Some resellers deliberately omit to inform you about this crucial point which nevertheless determines the lighting power of your future ribbon.You would not buy a bulb without knowing its light intensity? It's the same for LED ribbons.
The type of lead used
- It may be important if you do not know the lighting intensity of the ribbon.Note that 2 ribbons with 60 LEDs / meter each, may not have the same lighting intensity depending on the size of the SMD LEDs used. These different LEDs do not have the same efficiency, so it may be necessary to have a greater or lesser amount of these to obtain a similar result. But in general, for a lambda user who does not necessarily know the characteristics and the yields of each of these types of LEDs, it will be necessary to focus on the value in lumens of the lighting intensity that will be the only useful, and just for sure!
The tightness
Very often the waterproof LED tape is used in a humid environment or to guard against dust that could eventually cloud the luminous surface of the LED. The power remains exactly the same as the led strip is waterproof or not. Only its appearance changes and even the electronics remain mostly the same. To put it simply, we simply add a silicone sheath or an epoxy resin on a non-waterproof tape to make it waterproof.It should be noted, however, that only the tape is waterproof. The connections, the power supply (and the controller, if any) should be protected against any splashing of water and moisture. Also note that if the ribbons are scored (often every 10 cm, allowing you to make custom installations), cutting them, will also cut its silicone protection and will not be waterproof. It will then be appropriate for everyone to adopt the ribbons to its application, if necessary by adding silicone to make the ribbon again waterproof.
What power supply for my LED ribbon?
For an LED ribbon as for 12V bulbs type MR16, you need to size the power of your processor. It is very easy, it is at first a simple addition. Indeed, you will need to add the powers of each of your meters of ribbons taking the value of the power per meter of the latter).You will get the power of your installation, add a margin of about 10% in order not to operate your transformer permanently at maximum capacity. Then all that remains is to choose the transformer delivering the power greater or equal to the closest to your result.
- Example with an LED strip 14.4 watts/meter for a used length of 3.6 meters.
Either: 3.6 (m) x 14.4 (W) = 51.84W
Then we add the safety margin: 51.84W x 1.1 = 57.02W
the nearest transformer whose power output is higher or equal to the 57.02 watts we calculated is a 60W electronic transformer.
Attention, as explained in the article dedicated to the transformers and power supplies, it will be imperative to equip you with an electronic power supply compatible with LED.
The power supplies you will find on the LED-shop are all. It is important to know that for most resellers, ribbon warranties are only valid (for these reasons) when a compatible transformer is purchased at the same time as your ribbon.
Need an RGB (or RGBW) controller? In which cases?
You will need a controller only for multicolored RGB or RGBW LED strips.Indeed, depending on the color selected on the remote control, it is necessary to modulate the power supply of the various LED light chips to obtain the desired result (the color). It is, therefore, the controller, placed between the power supply and the ribbon that performs this task.
There are mainly 2 categories of RGB controllers:
- Infrared remote controllers.- Radio frequency remote control (RF) controllers.
Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Infrared versions are inexpensive but have a range of only a few meters. In addition, it is necessary to aim well the controller (sometimes hidden in a piece of furniture or other) so that the information can be received by this one.
If you have multiple controllers in the same room (for different ribbons) you can control them with the same remote but you have to aim them one by one to apply a general tendency to the room.
Radio versions are a little more expensive, but these controllers are much more powerful. With ranges of 10 to 30 meters, for the most part, it is not necessary to aim at the controller to transfer the information. It is, therefore, possible to control with one touch all the controllers of the same room, or a house. This type of frequency passes through the walls and works in all directions.
LEDs-boutique has chosen to offer only Radio Frequency controllers for their performance.
We now find Wifi or Bluetooth controllers for control via a smartphone or tablet.
This type of system allows more effective control but it is important to choose well.
Some controllers use their own Wi-Fi network, forcing you to disconnect your smartphone from your home network (your box), and connect to the controller's one, which is quickly tedious. Need an RGB amplifier? In which cases? You can, thanks to connectors, theoretically connect as many ribbons as you like. But in practice, we are limited by power losses and the capabilities of LED ribbons. Basically, to avoid unpleasant surprises (fire, or degradation of your ribbon) it is necessary to use an amplifier between each length of 5M for an RGB LED strip.
amplifier-led-illustration
Indeed the risks of overheating are important if you add end-to-end lengths of ribbon.
The first meters of the installation will have to support the power of all the continuation .... the intensity is too strong and the tape heats up.
Attention, we are talking about an assembly end to end!
If each 5m length is connected directly to the controller output (in parallel), the problem does not arise and the use of an amplifier is unnecessary. (in the limit of the maximum power of the controller all the same)
For monochrome LED ribbons, it's the same with power, but using an amp is not necessary (because it only affects the RGB signal). On the other hand, it is necessary to divide your installation in several lengths of 5m, all connected to your power supply or your drive. You can also create several groups of LED strips each with their power supply, but all connected to the same switch.
Do not be afraid, it is very easy to make custom installations by tinkering a little.
Do not hesitate to contact our customer service by email or phone if you have a lighting project with many meters of LED ribbons.
Led Canopy Lights
ReplyDeleteInteresting Article. Hoping that you will continue posting an article having a useful information. LED Touch Dimmers
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