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Basic concepts of Led Strips

Basic concepts of Led Strips

Basic concepts of Led Strips

LED STRIPS

At GreenIce we want more people to be able to enjoy the savings and brightness that can be achieved by using LED Strips.

Differences between analog and digital LED strips

The main difference between the strips Analog And digital are the channels for which they are formed. The analogue RGB strips have 4 channels, being the Power (12/24 V), the Red (R), the Green (G) and the Blue (B). On the other hand, the digital strips are made up of 4 or 3 channels depending on the type of chip that the RGB digital LED strip is made of. For example, the WS2811 and WS2812 strips are composed of only three channels being the power supply (5 VDC or 12 VDC), Ground (GND) and data. by the otherwise, The UC1903 or SC6803 chip strips are formed by 4 channels being the power supply (12 VDC), ground (GND, clock (CLK) and data.
Within the world of digital strips there are multiple models of chips. Some of them are the following: TM1803, TM1804, TM1809, TM1812, UCS1903, UCS1909, UCS1912, UCS2903, UCS2909, UCS2912.

How to choose the transformer for your LED strip?

The transformer is the most important element when designing a 12/24 VDC LED strip installation Since, if we perform a poor sizing of the installation, what we will achieve is to damage the strip and not be able to perform the installation correctly. When calculating the power that has to take into account the transformer, we have to know the consumption per meter of the LED strip. For example:
The SMD 5050 LED strip with reference PL219009 has a consumption of 72W for every 5 meters. This every meter has a consumption of 14.4 W/meter. Once we have clear this data, the next step is to multiply by the meters of installation. If we want to make an installation of 8 meters of this strip, the installation will have a consumption of 115.2 W. The transformer we will have to choose will be from 200w. When choosing the transformer, it is recommended to leave a margin of 10-20% so that the transformer does not work at 100% at any time.

RGB LED Strip Mounting

Voltage ranges of a strip

Inside the LED strips we can find 4 voltage ranges that we will consider how the main ones. These are: 5VDC, 12 VDC, 24 VDC and 220 VAC.
- 5 VDC LED Strips: Within this section we can encompass the strips that have direct connection to a USB port and some digital strips. are not the most common we can find in the market, although it is well to quote them for the user Know.
- 12/24 VDC LED Strips: This type of strips is common in the GreenIce catalog. As for the advantages that we offer this type of strips is that can be cut every 5 cm in 12 VDC and 10 cm in 24 VDC. With this type of strips, more precise installations can be made than with the strips of direct connection to network. In addition, the Working in low voltage ranges, handling them is simpler and less dangerous. The main drawback of working with this type of strips is the length of the facilities. From GreenIce we recommend not to make installations of more than 10 meters so as not to have voltage drops and therefore loss of Lighting, In addition, it is necessary to install a transformer that converts the current that pours the mains power to the working voltage of the strips. This condition is a handicap in some facilities where a transformer cannot be installed.
- 220 VAC LED Strips: This type of strips is a "modified" version of the 12/24 VDC strips so that they can be connected directly to the mains by means of an outlet. The main advantage, how we mentioned earlier, is that these LED strips are connected directly to the power grid so that we save the so annoying transformer. In addition, with this type of strips the problem of the voltage drop does not exist so that we can make installations of 50 meters linear without any problem. As for the drawbacks, we can find that with this type of strips cannot make more precise installations because you can only make cuts every meter, so the facilities have to be multiples of 1 meter. Also, when working in a high voltage range, it is necessary to be more cautious in its installation and handling.

Elements necessary for the installation of strips and hoses to 220v

 Like the rest of the products that use LEDs as a lighting source, the 220v strips and hoses have LEDs that work in direct current, therefore, require a rectifier that converts the alternating current into direct current to make That the LEDs work correctly. The following is an example of a typical driver plug for 220v SMD2835 220v led strips.
This plug would be connected directly to the mains (220VAC) and by means of the rectifier (white box) converts the electrical power of alternating current into direct current, finally, it has the connector for the strips and a skewer.

Single Color LED Strip Mounting

How do I get the colors on the RGB strips?

RGB strips can provide the Red colors, blue and green because they have integrated a chip of the colors previously named. In order to obtain more colors, you need to install a controller that will manage when each one is activated, so that one color or another is obtained. It then shows you how to get different colors depending on how you mix the red, green and blue.

How to choose the right Led strip?

 The number of LEDs on the meter directly affects the luminosity provided by the LED strips and their consumption. Depending on the lighting objective you need you will have to use one type of strip or another. Next, we show a rule to properly choose the strip that best suits your needs depending on the LEDs/meter that has the strip.
- 30 LEDs/meter: lighting in person. Used to highlight the selected items in a dim way.
60 LEDs/meter: Used to provide standard lighting. Used for integration in moldings, walkways, bar bars, etc.
- 120 LEDs/meter: for when the lighting requirements are high. Very used for signage, outdoor lighting, etc.

Types of strip according to the type of LED

Entering a little more on the chips that use the LED strips, we will explain more detailed the most used chips in the market and its main uses.
- SMD strips 3528/2835 This type of chip is used for low power strips and low consumption. How they have a low consumption are usually used in facilities where the light required is decorative. They are monochromatic strips and the most economical option.
- Strips SMD 5050 This type of LED strips has a higher consumption and provide more power than the SMD 3528. They are used for installations, where lighting requirements are greater than a purely professional illumination. They are monochromatic and multicolor strips (RGB).
- SMD Strips 3014 This type of strips is more used when the purpose is decorative. Have a higher density of LEDs On the strip so that the lighting it provides is high intensity and continuously. They are strips with low consumption, but with exceptional luminous performance.
- SMD 5630 strips This type of strips provides a greater amount of light with the same consumption of SMD 5050 strips. This type of strips is used for installations where high light power is required. These strips are monochrome and used in professional installations where high power is required.

Installation of LED strips

How do RGB products work?

RGB products are built with red, green and blue LEDs, in some cases located on the same chip and in others on three separate chips, thanks to this configuration it is possible to make color mixes controlling the power in each color, thus obtaining a wide range of colors.
Primary Colors: Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B).
Secondary colors: Yellow, pink, turquoise blue, orange, purple and "white".
The primary colors are the ones that provide any RGB product we have in the catalog. The secondary colors are obtained from the blend of the primary colors, so to perform this effect is necessary a controller.
The wavelengths of the colors are as follows:
Red: 625-740 nm
Orange: 590-625 nm
Yellow: 565-590 nm
Green: 500-565 nm
Cian: 485-500 nm
Blue: 440-485 nm
Violet: 380-440 nm

Parts of a Transformer

How to connect the LED strips with amplifiers