Selection of the LED driver

For a successful LED strip installation, it is essential to calculate the power for the LED strip and choose the most suitable LED driver.  

Below is a list of steps, suggested to be followed when calculating the required power for every LED strip installation.  

Step 1: Calculating the power consumption of the LED strip 

Determine the length of the LED strip and calculate the power consumption of the LED strip by multiplying the power by the length of the LED strip as follows shown in equation 1: 

Equation 1:  

Power consumption[W] = Length of LED strip[m] x LED strip power per meter[W/m] 

Example: Power consumption = 5[m] x 14.4[W/m] = 72[W] 

Step 2: Calculating the required supply power for the LED installation (considering the losses)   

When determining the required supply power, it is advisable to allow for an additional 20% power of the power consumption of the LED strip.  

This ensures that there will be enough power supplied to the LED strip after the voltage drop within the LED driver, controller and cables of the installation. It also expands the life of the LED driver as it protects it from overheating due to constant full capacity functioning.   

Therefore, the minimum required supply power is calculated using equation 2.  

Equation 2:  

Supply power = Power consumption x 1.2  

Example: Supply power = 72[W] x 20% = 86.4[W] 

Step 3: Choosing a suitable LED driver 

The result calculated in equation 2 shows the minimum supply power required for the LED strip installation. In most cases there is no LED driver of the exact same wattage.  

Therefore, when choosing the LED driver, the result should be rounded up to the next available wattage of the LED drivers.  

Example: supply power = 86.4[W]  

Thus,  

           a 100W (or higher) LED driver is chosen.

The table below shows the maximum LED strip length, which can be operated with a given LED driver.

To consider the performance drop, which occurs in the power supply cable and the efficiency of the LED Driver, 20% were deducted from the maximum strip length in the table below.

 This table is for LED Strips 4.8 W/m

This Table is for LED Strips 7.2 W/m

This Table is For LED Strips 9.6 W/m

This Table is for Led Strips 10 W/m

This Table is for Led Strips 14.4 W/m

This Table is for Led Strips 28.8 W/m

Note that, for driving RGBW LED Strips, you will have to combine the LED-Driver with a RGB/RGBW LED Controller.

In such case, LED driver is not required to be dimmable. Brightness control (dimming) and colour adjustment is still possible through the LED controller.