The power supply, also known as a transformer or driver, is one of the most important components of an LED system. Using the wrong type of power supply can not only damage your LED product but can also be a very dangerous fire hazard. It is also important to know your input AC Voltage and be certain that it coheres with the products requirements. Determining the proper power supply is fairly simple when you follow these few steps.
Click Here to see our LED Power SuppliesThe DC voltage of your LED product is a key element in determining the correct power supply that you need to purchase. Here at Ecolocity LED all of our LED transformers are constant voltage style, meaning that they are not dimmable and must constantly remain at the products DC Voltage. This does not mean that our lighting products are not dimmable, it simply means that the power supply cannot be dimmed, dimming is only achieved through PWM dimmers which can be found in a wide variety on under our LED Lighting Controls category page. We sell 5VDC, 12VDC, and 24VDC power supplies. We carry a small amount of LED Modules that require 5VDC, all of our LED Strip Lighting as well as most of our LED Modules require 12VDC with some new 24VDC strip light additions, and all of our Wall Washer LED products require 24VDC.
After you have determined the voltage of the LED Product that you would like to use, you must then calculate the total distance of your project. Be as precise as possible to avoid any complications further along in your installation.
On each of our product pages you can find a specifications table that list the DC Voltage of the product as well as the wattage that the product needs in order to function properly. LED Modules specs are listed per module, LED Strip Lighting is listed as wattage per foot, and all other products are listed per product. If you know the amperage and voltage of the product you can simply multiply the two to figure the wattage.
The next step in determining the correct transformer to use would be some simple multiplication and addition. Once you know the length or amount of product that you will be using. Simply multiply that variable by the products wattage spec and then add an additional 10-15% on top of that in order to not overdrive the power supply. Once this number is determined you can choose from any power supply that is greater than that variable. Note: it is not possible to under drive a power supply.
After you have determined the sufficient amount of wattage that you will need to power your LED lights, then you can consider what style of power supply that you would like to use. Below is a list of the different types of power supplies that we carry here at Ecolocity LED.