LED ribbon and drivers

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KyleG87

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Ok I need some info / advice on led ribbon / driver ! I took a job installing ribbons in a local jewelry store and the owner had purchased 2 rolls of 12v ribbon , In 16ft rolls ! He is going to need about 80 more feet ! I done some research and from what I understand 24v would be better for the longer run ! So any and all input of this would be greatly appreciated ! Thanks


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welcome to the forum. just my 2cp, I would check out some other jewelry stores to see how they are lighting the cabinets. istm that LED ribbon just stuck up in the cabinets w/o covers or diffusers would cause all kinds of glare from the jewelry and glass. Maybe do one before you do them all.
 
They are in decorative channels and I've done 1 roll already ! My question is I still have to do 80 ft so should I use 24v with a 300w driver or continue with the 12v and a small driver per roll ?


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Whatever you and the client decide on, they should all be the same.
Maybe on one master dimmer if possible.
 
KyleG87 said:
Ok I need some info / advice on led ribbon / driver ! I took a job installing ribbons in a local jewelry store and the owner had purchased 2 rolls of 12v ribbon , In 16ft rolls ! He is going to need about 80 more feet ! I done some research and from what I understand 24v would be better for the longer run ! So any and all input of this would be greatly appreciated ! Thanks
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Hard to comment without knowing the lighting layout and power source layout. How do you plan on feeding power to the brick? You can mitigate the voltage drop by putting the voltage source in the middle so it becomes the hub instead of powering it from one end. Usually 12v LED tapes are made like a ladder with rung made of three LEDs and a resistive ballast in series and cutting internal is set by multiples of space taken up by each rung.

Refer to this guide. https://www.flexfireleds.com/led-strip-light-voltage-drop-what-is-voltage-drop/

Let's just call it 100ft total. You would hook in the wall wart at the X point extending 25ft out but it's fine to give layout needs, switch coordination and outlet locations higher priority as long as each leg doesn't exceed the recommended maximum length and current of both loads don't exceed the DC power supply rating. The length limit is from arm hub to end of each arm. The middle section is not connected. Dimming is done by pulsing the LEDs at 400 Hz to few KHz and changing the ratio of on vs off time. You can join the power units together

----------(X)---------- (|) --------------(X)-----------


It's good that they chose their own tape. Light quality and durability issues become their problem. If the usage has to do with illuminating jewelry, most LEDs, including high CRI ones have a problem with correctly rendering the emerald green/turquoise type colors and do not do as well as wide spectrum lamps that covers the entire spectrum from UVA to near IR like F32T8/C50 or Octron 950 series (which comes in many lengths). High CRI emphasize on improving red rendition but the inherent limitations in commercially affordable LEDs still have a gaping hole between blue and green.
 
Check the product your using. There most likely is a length limit for LED tape lighting as it may be limited to the amount of current the tape and jumper wires can handle.
A product that I've used recently had a max connected length of 22' and it was a 24volt setup.

If you have a more robust lighting system that may not be an issue.
 
LED ribbon and drivers

Most of the tape I've used has a 16' limit. If it's 12v tape, use a high wattage 12v driver. Talk to the manufacturer for suggestions.

Edit to add..... many higher wattage drivers have cooling fans, and they can be noisy. You may want to do multiple smaller drivers if this would be an issue.


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