Foreword If you’re reading this, you should already have an idea of how you want to use a length of LED strip. Well, you’re at least thinking about installing some LED strip. Honestly, if you’re reading this purely for fun, there are more rewarding reads out there. Pride and Prejudice is one such example. LED strip lighting has unique potential to enhance a space. Our intention here is not simply to provide suggestions on where and what you should use LED strip for. That is up to you! Rather the aim of this document is to give simple and clear guides to completing a range of installations, with the help of crudely drawn but easy to read diagrams. Contents 1.) 12V DC. (1.1) Load (1.1.1) Strip Light Intensity (W/m) (1.1.2) Choosing a Driver (Maximum load) (1.2) The Problem of Voltage Drop. (1.2.1) Length of Strip (1.2.2) Cable Selection 2.) Mounting Profile and Diffuser (2.1) Different profiles and their dimensions 3.) The Simple “On-Off” Rig 4.) Dimming (4.1) Whatever You Do, Don’t Do This. (4.2) PWM Dimming (4.2.1) Normal Switch-Plate Option - 0/10V Signal (4.2.2) Remote Control Dimming (4.2.3) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate Dimming Option 5.) Correlated Colour Temperature Adjustment (CCTA) (5.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate CCTA Option 6.) Red-Green-Blue (RGB) Colour Mixing (6.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Touch Plate Option (6.2) Remote Control Dimming 7.) Using Power Repeaters (Increasing Controller Load Capacity) 12V LED Strip Installation Guide
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!!!!!!!Foreword!!If you’re reading this, you should already have an idea of how you want to use a length of LED strip. Well, you’re at least thinking about installing some LED strip. Honestly, if you’re reading this purely for fun, there are more rewarding reads out there. Pride and Prejudice is one such example.!!LED strip lighting has unique potential to enhance a space. Our intention here is not simply to provide suggestions on where and what you should use LED strip for. That is up to you! Rather the aim of this document is to give simple and clear guides to completing a range of installations, with the help of crudely drawn but easy to read diagrams. !!!!Contents!!1.) 12V DC. !!! (1.1) Load!! ! (1.1.1) Strip Light Intensity (W/m)!! ! (1.1.2) Choosing a Driver (Maximum load)!! !! (1.2) The Problem of Voltage Drop.!! ! (1.2.1) Length of Strip!! ! (1.2.2) Cable Selection!! ! !2.) Mounting Profile and Diffuser!! (2.1) Different profiles and their dimensions!!3.) The Simple “On-Off” Rig!!4.) Dimming !! (4.1) Whatever You Do, Don’t Do This.! !! (4.2) PWM Dimming !! ! (4.2.1) Normal Switch-Plate Option - 0/10V Signal!! ! (4.2.2) Remote Control Dimming!! ! (4.2.3) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate Dimming Option!!!5.) Correlated Colour Temperature Adjustment (CCTA)!! (5.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate CCTA Option!!6.) Red-Green-Blue (RGB) Colour Mixing!! (6.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Touch Plate Option!! (6.2) Remote Control Dimming !! !7.) Using Power Repeaters (Increasing Controller Load Capacity)!!!!!!
12V LED Strip !Installation Guide
!!!!! !1. 12V DC!!!This is not a physics lesson! All that really needs to be said here about 12 Volt DC 1
electrical circuits for LED installations is that they probably won’t cause harm or death by electrocution. Unless you are a small insect. Hooray!!!The starting point for connecting strip is called a “12V DC Constant Voltage LED Driver”. It converts your mains voltage AC signal into a low voltage DC signal to power the LEDs on the strip. !!
(1.1) Load!
!When you connect an electrical device to an electrical power supply, it performs an amount of work. We call this work the load, and we measure it in Watts (W). So in the world of LED strip installation, the load is the strip of LEDs and any controllers you place on the circuit. !!
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!Figure 1: Plug driver into 240V AC socket. The output of the driver is 12V DC. It is safe to play around with 12V. (WARNING: If the driver has no plug on the input side, you need a licensed electrician to connect it to your mains supply.)!
!Figure 2: 10cm segment of Lighting Matters Rigid LED strip composed of three LED chips and one resistor. The copper pads at either end are for connecting power to the strip. Lengths of strip can be cut and joined at these points by soldering
� The best free electronics tutorials on the internet are at www.addohms.com1
!(1.1.1) Strip Light Intensity (W/m)!!LED strip is linear, it’s sold by the metre and we measure the load in Watts per metre (W/m). Below is a table outlining the load for different intensities of strip offered by Lighting Matters. !!!
! ! !(1.1.2) Choosing a Driver (Maximum Load)!!The 12V LED driver is the power supply for your LED strip, and each driver has a maximum load capacity, given in Watts. So, the length of strip you can connect to a single driver depends on the max load of the driver and the power rating of the LED strip. The table below outlines the combined total lengths of each strip that can be attached to commonly sold drivers. !!Note: There is generally no minimum load requirement for connecting strip to constant voltage drivers. You can attach a tiny length to a larger capacity driver as you like.!!! !
!Driver Max. Load
LOW MEDIUM HIGH LM RIGID
12W 2.4m 1.2m n/a 1m
35W 7m 3.5m 2.4m 2.9m
60W 12m 6m 4.1m 5m
100W 20m 10m 6.9m 8.3m
150W 30m 15m 10.4m 12.5m
Figure 3: Lighting Matters LED Strip brightness levels and their power consumption in Watts per metre. There are some recommended applications.
Figure 4: Maximum lengths of Lighting Matters LED strip for some common driver capacities.
MEDIUM 10 W/m bulkhead, kitchen, direct, mirror surround, high-chip density to minimise dotting effect behind diffuser
HIGH 15 W/m direct illumination, mirror surround, kitchen bench top, work bench,
LM RIGID 12 W/m direct, high CRI requirement, work bench, luminaire design, mirror surround
!! !!!!(1.2) The Problem of Voltage Drop!!As electrical current enters a circuit it prettty much slows down straight away. This is because there is stuff in the way. This stuff can take many forms, such as copper wire conductors, light emitting diodes and resistors. When stuff like this gets in the way of current, humans call it resistance. Resistance causes a drop in voltage. In lengths of LED strip this can mean a reduction in light output. This can mean trouble for your installation. Here’s how to avoid it…!!!(1.2.1) Length of Strip!!When you keep adding load to a circuit you get more resistance and the voltage across the system drops. With LED strip, if you keep adding length in one continuous segment, you’ll reach a point where lights will start to be less bright or are undesirably dimmed.!!Avoiding this is simple - You need to keep continuous runs of strip to an acceptable length and run a cable back to the driver for each segment.!!We recommend no more than a 5m length of strip at any intensity level in order to avoid voltage drop!!!
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B 2 x 5m lengths
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A !10m Continuous
Figure 5: 10m of connected continuously (as in A) and in two lengths (as in B). You would expect LEDs on the second length in A to be emitting substantially less light than the rest, whereas in B, intensity would be uniform.
!!(1.2.2) Cable Selection!!If you’re doing long runs of cable from the driver to the LED strip, the thickness of the cable you use becomes important. Sure, the thicker it gets the better, but copper is expensive so you want to aim for an acceptable thinness of wire.!!You need to do the following calculations and then use the table below to find an acceptable wire gauge:!!!! 1.) Calculate the length of cable you’re going to run between the driver and the!!! LED strip.!!! !!! 2.) Calculate the amount of load in the circuit: Length of strip multplied by the!!! wattage per metre. !!! !!! Eg. LM Rigid Strip is 12.2W/m. You are using 5m of strip. !!! (12.2 x 5) = 60W!!!! 3.) Calculate the amount of current in the circuit: Divide the load (Watts) by 12!!! (Volts) and you will get the current (Amps).!!! !!! Eg. 60W / 12V = 5A!!!!!
American Wire Gauge / (Diametric gauge mm) Length of cable between driver !and LED strip (m)
Figure 6: Recommended wire gauges for increasing the cable length between driver and LED strip. Results are denoted in both American Wire Gauge and millimetres, separated by “ / ”.
!!!(2.) Aluminium Mounting Profiles and Diffuser !!Lighting Matters LED Strip mounting profiles serve 4 important functions:!!1.) Provides a clean and even mounting surface that bonds better with LED strip adhesive backing tape.!!2.) Serves as a heat-sink, conducting heat away from the LEDs. Heat management is an crucial factor in prolonging the operating life of the LEDs.!!3.) A sleek, stylish and unobtrusive design for contexts where a certain aesthetic needs to be preserved, or improved upon.!!4.) Each profile comes supplied with a snap-fit diffuser. Light from the LED hits the diffuser and scatters in all directions. The diffuser also obscures the light sources from plain view, minimising a dotting effect and remove sharp multiple-LED shadows that some people find undesirable.!!!(2.1) Different Profiles and Their Dimensions!!Sold in 1m and 2m lengths, you can cut these mounting profiles to the exact length you require.!
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!!!!!!(3.) The Simple ‘On-Off’ Rig!!!! !! !
! (3.1) Instructions!! !
! 1.) Place LED strip in the chosen mounting location. If you are using a mounting profile, the strip should be cut to the same length as the mounting profile, taking care to cut strip only at the correct points, that is, between soldering pads, usually denoted by the small scissor symbols. !!
! Hint: Be careful as you remove the cover of the adhesive backing and lay the LED strip. A mistake here may mean having to stick it twice, compromising the bond.!!!!
2.) Connect the strip to the driver. There’ll be two wires attached to at least one end of the LED strip. We call this the tail. You need to attach the negative wire to the negative terminal on the driver output, and the positive wire to the positive terminal. This is called ensuring correct polarity.!!
Note: Positive wire is usually RED or has a stripe running along the length. Negative wire is usually BLACK or has no stripe. !!!!
3.) Connect the driver to the mains power and turn it ‘On’ at the wall switch. !!!!!! WARNING: If the driver has no plug and cord on the input side, and you don’t have a
General Power Outlet you need a licensed electrician to connect it to your mains supply.!!!!!
Figure 7: The diagram shows the simplest set up for LED strip installation: LED strip connected to 12V DC power.
! !! !! !!! !!!(4.) Dimming!!Adding a dimming system can elevate your lighting installation to a whole new level of versatility. The ability to control light levels brings further energy savings and allows you to adjust lighting conditions to suit and positively influence mood.!!!!!
(4.1) Whatever you do, don’t do this:!!!First know this: It is impossible to dim 12V DC led strip by placing a conventional 240V AC dimmer on the mains power supply to feed a Constant Voltage 12V DC LED driver.!!!
!!!WARNING: To even attempt the above mistake you’d have to be a licensed electrical installer.!!!!!!!!!!!
Figure 8: If you put a 240V AC phase cut (leading edge, trailing edge or universal) dimmer in front of your Constant Voltage 12V DC driver it will not work.
!!!(4.2) PWM Dimming!!Constant voltage strip must be dimmed on the 12V DC side of the LED driver using a pulse width modulation (PWM) device. We offer a couple of means to achieve this. Let’s take a look.!!Note: For each dimming option we’ll provide a list of the gear you need in addition to the Simple ‘On-Off’ Rig shown Part 3 of this document.!!Also Note: Just like the LED driver, the Dimmer Controllers also have a maximum load rating. For each dimming method below we’ve listed the load capacity of the controller used.!!!!!(4.2.1) Normal Switch Plate Option - 0/10V!!!This dimming method allows you to have a rotary dimmer on a normal residential electrical switch plate or via compatible home automation systems.!!!Additional Gear Required:!!- LM 0-10V Dimming Controller (SKU: LM-STR-DIM-0/10V-10A)!- LM 0-10V Potentiometer (SKU: LM-0/10V-POT)!!Note: Maximum controller load at 12VDC is 120W!
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Figure 9: Wiring diagram for a 0-10V dimmer controller that sits in-line between 12VDC LED Driver and the Load. The controller itself responds to a 0-10V signal provided by a potentiometer which integrates with a normal electrical switchplate.
!!!!!!!!!!(4.2.2) Remote Control Dimming!!A small hand-held RF Remote Control, supplied with a wall-mounting bracket, communicates with a dimmer controller to raise and lower the light output level.!!Note: Maximum controller load at 12VDC is 60W per channel oer 4 channels (Total 240W) !!!!Additional Gear Required: !!- LM LED Strip Light Dimmer Module & Remote Control (SKU: LM-STR-DIM)!
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Figure 10: As in Figure 9, the dimmer controller sits in-line between 12VDC LED Driver and the Load. however in this case the controller responds to a radio signal provided by a remote control device.
!!!! !!!!!(4.2.3) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate Dimming Option!!!In this scenario, the dimmer module and a visually intuitive control panel are combined in a tidy wall mounted touch plate. !!Note: Maximum controller load is 48W per channel (Total 144W)!!Additional Gear Required:!!!
- LM Wall Mount LED Strip Touch Dimmer Controller (SKU: LM-STR-WALL-DIM)!!!!
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Figure 9: Wiring diagram for a wall mounted touch-plate 0-10V dimmer controller that sits in-line between 12VDC LED Driver and the Load.
(5.) Correlated Colour Temperature Adjustment (CCTA)!!!There is a range of reasons why you might want to tune the correlated colour temperature (CCT) in a lighting installation. Perhaps you just think it would be amazing for your lit environment to be able to shift and mix between warm and cool colour temperatures, or between any two colours.!!Anyway, with the creative use of specially-built, intuitive PWM dimmer controllers, you can achieve this easily on your own. Here’s how…!!! (5.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate CCTA Option!!
Note: You are using a controller with two output channels:!!One channel is for the Warmer colour temperature. The other channel is for the Cooler colour temperature.!!The touch-plate controller creates an inverse dimming relationship between the two channels: As one channel increases in brightness the other is decreasing, thus you get a mixed colour temperature.!!Also note: The controller also gives you full dimming control once you have set the colour temperature.!!Also note: Maximum controller load is 48W per channel (Total 96W)!!Additional Gear Required: !!- LM Wall Mount White Balance / CCTA LED Strip Touch Controller (SKU: LM-STR-WALL-
CCTA)!- LM CCTA Strip (SKU: LM-STR-CCTA)!!!
Figure 10: The three output connectors are positive voltage (+), warm colour channel (W) and cool colour channel (C). Note: This strip houses both cool-white and warm-white LED chips on two separate circuits.
Figure 11: If you don’t have both cool and warm LED chips housed in a single strip, you can just as easily use one warm white strip and one cool white strip. The 2-channel colour mixing principle remains the same - Just wire the positive pole of each strip into the same positive voltage output on the controller.
!6. Red, Green and Blue (RGB) Colour Mixing !!Blending the three primary colours in different measures gives you broad control over the colour spectrum. You can summon up a scintillating Cyan, an awesome Amber or a majestic Magenta with the touch of a panel.!!With the creative use of specially-built, intuitive controllers, you can achieve this easily. Here’s how…! ! !
(6.1) Wall Mounted Touch-Plate RGB Option!!Note: You are using a controller with three output channels: RED, GREEN, and BLUE !!The touch-plate controller creates a three-way dimming relationship between the channels to deliver a mixed colour.!!Also note: On conventional RGB strip each LED chip houses three diodes, one for each colour. The loading of LM RGB strip is 14.4W/m when all channels are on full.!!Also note: Maximum controller load is 48W per channel (Total 144W)!!!!Additional Gear Required: !!- LM Wall Mount RGB LED Strip Touch Controller (SKU: LM-STR-WALL-RGB)!- LM RGB Strip (SKU: LM-STR-HIG-RGB)!- Colour-coded 4-wire cable is a handy addition to the toolbox here. Available from all good
electronic components resellers.!!!! !
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Figure 11: The four output connectors are for positive voltage (+) and the Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) channels.
! !(6.2) Remote Control RGB Option!! !Note: You are using a controller with three output channels: RED, GREEN, and BLUE!!The remote controller creates a three-way dimming relationship between the channels to deliver a mixed colour.!!Also note: On conventional RGB strip each LED chip houses three diodes, one for each colour. The loading of LM RGB strip is14.4W/m when all channels are on full.!!Also note: Controller maximum load at 12VDC is 60W per channel (Total 240W)!!Also note: Multiple RGB controllers can be controlled by one remote. This is handy to know for installations where a signal cable cannot be run between controllers. !!! !!Additional Gear Required: !!- LM RGB LED Controller and Remote (SKU: LM-STR-RGB-CONT)!- LM RGB Strip (SKU: LM-STR-HIG-RGB)!- Colour-coded 4-wire cable is a handy addition to the toolbox here. Available from all good
electronic components resellers. !!!
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Figure 12: The four output connectors are for positive voltage (+) and the Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) channels. In this case the RGB controller responds to a radio signal from a remote control.
7.) Using Power Repeaters (Increasing Load Capacity)!!Imagine you’ve designed the LED strip installation to trump all others. It involves the use of 20 metres of RGB strip concealed on top of a series of wall-to-wall bookshelves in the library of your new dream home. Sounds pretty tacky to have colour-changing strip in a library, huh? Well, maybe your life-partner wouldn’t let you put in a dedicated bar, so this area had to have a shared purpose and now it’s a library-bar where RGB strip is totally appropriate. Capiche?!!Enough about me. Here’s the problem: You’ve got 20m of RGB strip, each metre using potentially 14.4W. That’s a total potential load of 288W. But a single wall mounted touch-panel RGB controller can only handle 144W.!!You want to be able to control the entire installation from one touch panel. !!You need data/power repeaters to amplify the PWM signal from the single touch panel. Here’s how they work…!!Note: The principle applies to all LM controllers. If you’re running out of load capacity on a simple dimming rig, you’d use a single channel data/power repeater.!!Additional Gear Required:!!- LM LED Strip Power & Data Extender 3CH (SKU: LM-STR-REPEATER-3CH)!- Extra driver!!
Figure 13: 20m of 14.4W/m RGB strip controlled from a single touch panel controller. Each 10m length is split into 2 x 5m lengths to avoid voltage dropping over the distance. The power/data repeater accepts the dimming signal from the controller for the next 10m length.
