LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

ChrisCraft,is this the same thing that you are running?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040FJ27S.

Those don't look like the waterproof version plus it looks like there are less LEDs per inch than the ones I have been seeing on Ebay.

 

[ben2go]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Those don't look like the waterproof version plus it looks like there are less LEDs per inch than the ones I have been seeing on Ebay.

Thanks.I thought there was something a little different or I was missing something.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

ChrisCraft,is this the same thing that you are running?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040FJ27S

BTW,I have family that lives and grew up around Perry County KY.My girl is from Slemp coal mining village.

I have used three different kinds,lol. But the link you provided is one of the dealers I have bought from. i did not buy that specific kit. You can check with "Lil Buggy on here, I think he bought the same one. The lights look like to me that they are the water proof 150 lights per strip or 30 lights per meter. The ones you want are the 5050 lights, not the 3528 lights. The link didn't specify, but they do specify on others they have listed.

I bought most my stuff seperate, because I wanted a specific control box to make wiring easier.

Can't upload pics, but I will as soon as I can.

In general, the kit your looking at will work. There either the silicone incased or the resin incased and either are fine, just not below the water line.


I have traveled through Perry county before, but I can't remember what for, small world.

 

[lil buggy]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

just checkin in,
the ones i got were from the same shop but a lil different . check it out


got em here http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Changing-LED-Lighting-Strip/dp/B0054U46Y2/ref=pd_sim_hi_2

be carefull when you order, the first set i got, i believe the page refreshed and changed. if ya recheck the cart at checkout you should be fine.
hope it helps

 

[ben2go]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I have used three different kinds,lol. But the link you provided is one of the dealers I have bought from. i did not buy that specific kit. You can check with "Lil Buggy on here, I think he bought the same one. The lights look like to me that they are the water proof 150 lights per strip or 30 lights per meter. The ones you want are the 5050 lights, not the 3528 lights. The link didn't specify, but they do specify on others they have listed.

I bought most my stuff seperate, because I wanted a specific control box to make wiring easier.

Can't upload pics, but I will as soon as I can.

In general, the kit your looking at will work. There either the silicone incased or the resin incased and either are fine, just not below the water line.


I have traveled through Perry county before, but I can't remember what for, small world.

just checkin in,
the ones i got were from the same shop but a lil different . check it out


got em here http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Changing-LED-Lighting-Strip/dp/B0054U46Y2/ref=pd_sim_hi_2

be carefull when you order, the first set i got, i believe the page refreshed and changed. if ya recheck the cart at checkout you should be fine.
hope it helps

Thanks.That helps a alot.I'm going to go back through this thread and take notes so I can make sure to get what will work best for me.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Just got through mounting a 6' strip of the waterproof 5050 warm white(not RGB seperated) in an under counter application in my home. I used a 1/8" by 3/4" aluminum bar to fasten the LED strip to, using the self adhesive, and then screwed that assembly into the cabinet. The aluminum strip gets quite warm when operated for awhile as the aluminum acts as a heatsink. Might be good to use aluminum in all applications to keep the heat down and make these last longer.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Just got through mounting a 6' strip of the waterproof 5050 warm white(not RGB seperated) in an under counter application in my home. I used a 1/8" by 3/4" aluminum bar to fasten the LED strip to, using the self adhesive, and then screwed that assembly into the cabinet. The aluminum strip gets quite warm when operated for awhile as the aluminum acts as a heatsink. Might be good to use aluminum in all applications to keep the heat down and make these last longer.

Mine don't get warm at all. Even my underwater lights only get simi luke warm when out of the water. I am pretty sure I read that its not a good idea to mount them in aluminum, because the strip is copper. Dissimilar metals could cause an issue on a boat.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I don't think that is an issue with dissimilar metals. There is no metal/metal contact and if there was, you would have bigger problems. I am talking about the waterproof ones too.

Mine are the 5050 LEDs and they do get quite warm. Maybe mine have a higher output than what you are using.

There are heatsinks commercially available for these strip LEDs so obviouslly I am not the only one that thinks this is an issue.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I don't think that is an issue with dissimilar metals. There is no metal/metal contact and if there was, you would have bigger problems. I am talking about the waterproof ones too.

Mine are the 5050 LEDs and they do get quite warm. Maybe mine have a higher output than what you are using.

There are heatsinks commercially available for these strip LEDs so obviouslly I am not the only one that thinks this is an issue.

The wattage of these is so minuite that the heat put out is very little in most cases. Do you have a link to the ones your using. i'm interested to know what were comparing. Also, you are right, you will have bigger issues if one shorts out, you shouldn't have an issue in a home as you would on the exterior of a boat where it will take much more abuse. The waterproofing on most these strips is top layered heavily but if you look at the backit is a very thin coating on the resin or the silicone type. The heat sinks are usually used in high power larger leds for under water lights and such. Some underwater lights are cooled by just having the water able to surround the light case when in the water. Mine have a small channel that is hollow so they always have water around them.

But again, I am curious why yours are getting hot. The strips I have used, all three different types, Never get warm.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Not hot but warm. They dissipate around 5W/foot so definitley not a lot. Run them for a few hours like I do and see what they feel like.

The back of my strip has the thin layer of adhesive so you can't see beyond that. Are yours the 5050 size LEDs? What spacing are yours? Mine are around 1.5 LEDs/inch. I also have a feeling there is a wide variation in light output for these 5050 LEDs from one manufacturer to another so that may also be the issue.

My LEDS are similar to the ones in your picture where they have 3 solder connections on each side.
Like these except mine are warm white:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-5M-16FT...398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231cea7b4e
Personally, I don't see a reason or the need to be able to select different colors for my boat. I will be installing the warm white only. Less wires=better!

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

LIGHT OUTPUT - This is just some more info from my research and I am sure you will find some variances in what product you purchase, but these are the averages of what I have seen.

3528 strip lights -

20- 35 watts per/5meter strip
200-300 lumens per/meter

5050 strip lights (150 lights per/5 meter strip)

36 watts per/5 meter strip
300-450 lumens per/meter

5050 strip lights (300 lights per/5 meter strip)

72 watts per/5 meter strip
700-900 lumens per/meter

Operating temp of these strips are usually between -20 and 50 degrees







.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Not hot but warm. They dissipate around 5W/foot so definitley not a lot. Run them for a few hours like I do and see what they feel like.

The back of my strip has the thin layer of adhesive so you can't see beyond that. Are yours the 5050 size LEDs? What spacing are yours? Mine are around 1.5 LEDs/inch. I also have a feeling there is a wide variation in light output for these 5050 LEDs from one manufacturer to another so that may also be the issue.

I agree, you will find variances but shouldn't be a big difference if the size of the diodes and the number of lights per meter are the same. I have both 5050 with 150 lights per 5 meter and also the 5050 300 lights per five meters.

You may just find that having the lights without a casing around them, in your case aluminum channel, will keep them cooler. The lights are made to not need a casing, so maybe that is why yours are warmer.

What will hurt these lights is lengths in the system. If you run alot of 5 meter strips in series, it is a good thing to get a amplifier. Voltage drops are not healthy for them.

I think each light puts out about .15 watts per light/diode

Comparably speaking, these lights operate at a much lower heat and amp draw than any other lights. Its no doubt that all lighting will be eventually replaced with led lighting. I am in the process of finding lighting for my home, they make all sorts of led bulbs that go in standard fixtures now.

With anywhere from 50000 to 100000 hrs of burn time, thats a good thing.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I just measured temps with my IR gun. The wood cabinet is at 75?. The light strip with aluminum mounting bar is at 95?.

I will need to measure the temp of the LED strip without a heat sink to see what it gets up to.

I agree, you will find variances but shouldn't be a big difference if the size of the diodes and the number of lights per meter are the same.

Different manufacturers of diodes will have huge differences in the amount of light output for the same size diode. I am finding that with various lights I am buying for my home. CREEs seems to be the best but hard to believe that a manufacturer is actually using a CREE diode when they say they are, especially these ones coming from China.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

What will hurt these lights is lengths in the system. If you run alot of 5 meter strips in series, it is a good thing to get a amplifier. Voltage drops are not healthy for them.

Won't hurt them at all. In fact they will last longer running at a lower voltage. They will just be dimmer.

My strip is just mounted on a flat bar...no channel. A cahnnel would actually probaby be better since there would be more surface area to dissipate the heat.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I just measured temps with my IR gun. The wood cabinet is at 75?. The light strip with aluminum mounting bar is at 95?.

I will need to measure the temp of the LED strip without a heat sink to see what it gets up to.

So your getting a 20 degree increase in the ambiant air temperature? if you have a strip without the aluminum casing, I would be interested in seeing what it reads.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Won't hurt them at all. In fact they will last longer running at a lower voltage. They will just be dimmer.

Voltage drops cause inconsisistant voltage, highs and lows, not really good for any light or really any component in my eyes. But again, I'm no expert, voltage regulators do have a purpose.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I am in the process of finding lighting for my home, they make all sorts of led bulbs that go in standard fixtures now.

That's what I am doing. All my under cabinet lighting is LED and I have a few recessed fixtures that are LED. My outside lights are all LED. Hoping the price will come down and have warmer bulbs in the future.

I wish I had looked into this strip lighting before I bought my under cabinet lighting, It was very expensive but was also mounted in a nice aluminum enclosure.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Voltage drops cause inconsisistant voltage, highs and lows, not really good for any light or really any component in my eyes. But again, I'm no expert, voltage regulators do have a purpose.

As a EE I will dispute that! The voltage drop you get will more than likely be minimal since the power ground traces are fairly substantial. If lower voltage was an issue, they would be suggesting not to dim them. To see what type of voltage drop you are getting, just measure the voltage at the end of the 5M strip and compare that to the input.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

So your getting a 20 degree increase in the ambiant air temperature?

I am measuring surface temps.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

As a EE I will dispute that! The voltage drop you get will more than likely be minimal since the power ground traces are fairly substantial. If lower voltage was an issue, they would be suggesting not to dim them. To see what type of voltage drop you are getting, just measure the voltage at the end of the 5M strip and compare that to the input.

The voltage drop from to many lights and the voltage drop evenly across a strip is different. Thats what the control box is for, its basically a voltage regulator. The voltage drop is not suppose to be a concern until you have more than 5- 5meter strips on one control box. Again no expert here, so I'm listening.