manual Page 1 / 5 effects in an easy good LED strips can be Selection guide applications. 1) Selection (indoors, outdoors) desired number of LEDs

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1 Technical instructin Intrductin LED strips are a new generatin f innvative lighting prducts that allw creating spectacular effects in an easy way. LED strips have ther advantages like small dimensins, mre efficient energy cnsumptin, saturated clurs and easy cntrl. As yu will see, the pssibilities are t numerus t cunt. Velleman ffers a full range f LED strips and accessries. This verview will prvide yu with a gd idea f the pssibilities and the slutin that suitss yur needs. LED strips can be divided in 2 grups: flexible and rigid strips. This tutrial and selectin guide will nly fcus n flexible LED strips, as they have the mst applicatins. Selectin guide Selecting the right strip fr yur applicatin is a 5-step prcess: 1) Selectin f the strip accrding t the place where it will be used (indrs, utdrs) 2) Determinatin f the length and the desired number f LEDs per length. (length in meters and desired number f LEDs per meter: 30, 60, 120, 180 r 240) (type f LED: 3528 LED r 5050LED) 3) Selectin f the clur (single clur r RGB) 4) Selectin f the matching pwer supply (vltage and pwer) 5) Selectin f the matching cntrller (dimmable, remte cntrlled, DMX cntrlled,...) General infrmatin LED strips are designed t be installed by a technically qualified persn. Install the LED strips at a lcatin where they are prtected against extreme heat. Prtect LED strips against misture crrespnding t their IP rating. Velleman LED strips have 3 IP ratings: IP20: N prtectin against misture. The installer has t prtect the LED strip with an aluminium prfile r self-designed case with sufficient cling capacities. IP61: Epxy tp cver. The LED strip is prtected against heavy misture. 1 / 5

2 Technical instructin IP68: The LED strip is prtected against water and may even be submerged. The Velleman strips are packed in a vacuum metalized bag that prtects the LED strip against external ESD (electrstatic discharge) and keeps the epxy cating flexiblee and sft. Once the LED strips are unpacked and unrlled, they have t be munted in their final psitin. After installatin, the epxy resin will harden. LED strips cannt be installed in anther place afterwards, as the resin wuld break and damage the strip. Always keep the LED strip temperature belw the critical level (Tcrl, typically 50 C, measured at the LED strip munting surface) (see Thermal guidelines ) LED strips can be cut every 5 r 10cm (depending n the type). Pleasee make sure the pwer wires are prperly sldered. First remve the epxy resin with a sharp cutter and remve the insulatinn lacquer n the cpper. A gd cnnectin between the pwer cable and the LED strip is very imprtant t avid spark ersin. Standardd LED strips are 5m lng and cntain a number f series and parallel cnnected LEDs. This design allws cutting the strip every number f LEDs. The place where the strip can be cut is clearly marked. A strip can be cut in different lengths but the cut-ff parts f the strips are nt just wasted, yu can slder new pwer supply wires t the LED strip. Segmentatin instructins: Search fr the cutting lcatin Remve the silicn prtective layer with a knife 2 / 5

3 Technical instructin Slder the cnnectin cable Serial cnnectin f LED strips is nt recmmended. It is best t prvide every LED strip with its wn pwer cable. Fr full length LED strips (5m), it is even better t prvide a pwer supply n bth ends f the strip. Pwer supply: Always use a switch mde pwer supply, which is better matched fr supplying pwer t LED strips. Velleman supprts tw types: Industrial switching pwer supplies: e.g. PSIN These pwer supplies need t be installed in an enclsure r distributin bx. The advantage is that the vltage can be adjustedd within ±10% f the rated utput vltage. Waterprf LED pwer supplies: e.g. LPS10012R These pwer suppliers have an IP67 prtectin rating and can be used in mist envirnments r even utdrs. With this type f supply, the utput vltage is nt adjustable. LED strips perate n a extra lw vltage f 12Vdc r 24Vdc. Using lw vltages is an advantage as it makes LED stripss safer t use, but n the ther hand larger perating currents are required. The latter implies that the sectin f the pwer leads must be enlarged accrdingly. Example: a 12V LED strip with a pwer cnsumptin f 24W cnnected t a cpper pwer wire f 20m needs a wire sectin f 2.5 mm² t have a vltage drp f less than 5%. Becausee f this, it s mre interesting t use 24V LED stripss fr lng pwer cable runs. 3 / 5

4 Technical instructin Thermal guidelines: Intrductin: Althugh LEDs are well knwn as cld light surces, they prduce heat like every light surce. High pwer LED strips (e.g.: CHLS7x, CHLS19x, CHLS15x, series) prduce a lt f heat because many LEDs are psitined clse t each ther. Cling is a very imprtant and ften frgtten issue when installing LED strips. Using LED strips at a temperature that is t high will cnsiderably reduce their life time. The epxy will disclur and crack. The LEDs will slwly burn dwn and the light utput will decrease very quickly. Reduce heat prductin by fllwing the fllwing thermal guidelines. Reducing the current thrugh the LED strip: The heat in a LED strip is prduced mainly by the amunt f current running thrugh the strip. The strip length als influences the amunt f current. The current per unit f length can thus be reduced by cnnecting a pwer surce t either side f the LED strip. This decreases the amunt f current running thrugh the strip by 50%. Fr this reasn, Velleman pwer LED strips have wires n bth sides: 2A 0A 1A 0A 1A Determining the heat transferring features f the munting surface: High pwer LED strips always need t be installed n a surface with sufficient cling capacity. The temperature f the LED strip must be kept belw 50 C during its entire peratin. The cling capacity f the munting surface must allw easy evacuatin f the excess heat with regards t the ambient envirnment (ambient temperature, natural air flw, relative humidity) and keep the LED strip temperature belw its critical level. This is why LED strips are mstly munted n aluminium strips r prfiles, as aluminiumm has a gd thermal cnductivity (cpper has an even better thermal cnductivity, but is much mre expensive). 4 / 5

5 Technical instructin Example: A 24V LED strip prducing 100W/ 5 meter (r 20W/m) is munted n different surfaces with different thermal resistances; the ambient temperaturee is 25 C. Temperature after ne hur: munting surface temperature Nt munted (free air): 60 C Small aluminium LED strip prfile (CHLAP1): 40 C High-pwer heat sink (41/1000): 30 C This shws the imprtance f thermal resistance r heat transferring capacity f the munting surface. Chsing a LED strip withut prtectin: Mst LED strips have an epxy cating fr prtectin against dust and misture. As epxy is an excellent thermal insulatr, the excess heat will be drained mstly thrugh the munting surface. Fr this reasn Velleman als prvides LED strips withut epxy cating (e.g. CHLS7W/C, CHLS7NW/C, CHLS7WW/C and CHLS7RGB/C). On these strips, a great amunt f excess heat evacuates directly int the surrunding air. These LED strips are mre vulnerablee and are preferably munted inside aluminium LED prfiles as these prfiles take ver the prtectin f the epxy cating. Reduce the peratin vltage: Reducing vltage willl als reducee input current and pwer cnsumptin. Reducing pwer cnsumptin will in turn reduce heat prductin. With this slutin, hwever, light utput will als decrease cnsiderably. Example: A 12V LED strip cnsumes 35W at 12V. When reducing the tensin t 11V, the cnsumed pwer drps t 25W, but prduces nly 75% f the nrmal light utput. If light utput is imprtant in yur situatin, reducing vltage is the least efficient slutin. 5 / 5