Advice on RGBW power supply

[diderik 6]

Hi!

I just bought 4 x 5m 5050 12V RGBW LED (150pcs RGB LED and 150pcs White LED per 5m), supposedly 72W per 5m (with a Working Current/Meter: 6A[???]).

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I plan to install a stretch of approximately 11 m around the canopy in aluminium profiles with frosted diffusers (hidden in a recess), and possibly 2 x 1m vertical stretches on each side of a mirror.

So far I have bought two Fibaro RGBW controlleres, but I am aware that I may need more(?). (I also bought a Home Center which I have spent the weekend setting up and migrating my HomeSeer setup to.)

I need some advice on LED power supplies. I suspect if I run the entire strecth on maximum power, it will be extremely bright? Should I go for one 12V 144 W power supply and one Fibaro for the 11 m strecth, or several power supplies and Fibaro RGBW modules and try to sync them in some way? And where can I find power supplies anywhere near this power? Most drivers I find, have in the region of 10W. Any recommendations?

I'd be most grateful if someone could help me out? Thanks a lot!

[HorseOne 1]

Mean Well is a leading manufacturer of LED power supplies.

You could have a look at the following web site for example and you will find all kind of power supplies that can fulfill your needs.

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[Dalle1985 16]

You need to keep within the tolerances, so each fib rgb can only accomodate 10 m of the led band you've bought. If you attach more, you could risk the whole thing overheating.

As for power supplies, just find one designed for 12 v halogen bulbs. They range all the way up to 500W

[TANE 12]

For 24v leds strips you can use 20 meter.

Total max usage is 4X3A= 12 A

12A is 288 W

Max load of the Fibaro is RGBW

at 24V - 288W combined.

if you are going to turn them on max light than is beter to use max 15 meter for safety

12 volt ledstrip are not so efficient and produce more heat..if you buy ledstrip always go for the 24v

[diderik 6]

Thanks a lot for your feedback, guys! I did not know 24v strips were more efficient, but its too late now, the 12v strips will be arriving soon. I'll test them and see what I think.

Since there are power adapters specifically labeled LED, I thought I needed something specifically made for LED-strips, but I guess nothing more specific than 12v DC is needed? In that case, the choice is vast!

Edit: Hm, as for the power supplies for halogen bulbs: I have yet to find one with DC output. All the ones I have seen found, have AC output. And the RGBW module is only rated for DC.

But Mean Well does seem to have exactly the LED drivers I need! Thanks!

[Alex57 0]

i have the same issue (want to have 20m led). Have you finished your project?

[diderik 6]

Hi, Alex!

No, I haven't finished it. The bathroom refurb guys are coming in a week or two. But I have tested the lights. If you need a longer stretch than the strips can handle, just connect it in parallel to the RGBW controller (as long as total wattage is within the controllers limits). I have only tested this small scale, but I cannot see why it shouldn't work full scale.

[Dalle1985 16]

If you are using 12 V strips and you can get a 24 V power supply, you could also connect them in series. That would keep the wattage the same but split the voltage. Connecting the strips in parallel will increase the wattage at the same voltage. That way you can connect twice the lights to the same controller.

[Johan71 0]

If you are using 12 V strips and you can get a 24 V power supply, you could also connect them in series. That would keep the wattage the same but split the voltage. Connecting the strips in parallel will increase the wattage at the same voltage. That way you can connect twice the lights to the same controller.

this sounds interesting.

Got myself 15 m RGBW led and one Fibaro controller so this should work with a 24 volt poversupply?

[UrSv 6]

If you are using 12 V strips and you can get a 24 V power supply, you could also connect them in series. That would keep the wattage the same but split the voltage. Connecting the strips in parallel will increase the wattage at the same voltage. That way you can connect twice the lights to the same controller.

With the requirement of the strips being the same length and type otherwise they will not share the voltage equally.

[Dalle1985 16]

If you are using 12 V strips and you can get a 24 V power supply, you could also connect them in series. That would keep the wattage the same but split the voltage. Connecting the strips in parallel will increase the wattage at the same voltage. That way you can connect twice the lights to the same controller.

this sounds interesting.

Got myself 15 m RGBW led and one Fibaro controller so this should work with a 24 volt poversupply?

Well - you need to take the precaution that UrSv describes. For it to work, you'll need the two strips you run in parallel to be of same make and length, so they apply the same resistance, otherwise, they won't split the voltage equally. So if you want to run 15 m 12 V LED strips on a 24 V supply, then you need to have 2x 7,5 m.

PS.: thanks to UrSv for pointing that out - I should ofcause have mentioned that they need to be of equal length and type!

[alex88 71]

My electrician just used laptop power supplies for the RGB strips.

My understanding is that he hooked them up in parallel so that all of the RGBs connected to them would draw from the group of power supplies.

If you want I can take a picture of one of the boards that he built in my cellar?

[Dalle1985 16]

Any 12V DC supply will do. I also use Laptop replacement supplies. They are quite cheap and work very well as they are designed for continuous operation.

And then a side note: Don't try to use power supplies from 12V halogen bulb kits. I have a friend who had quite the problem with his LED strips burning out very fast because he used such a PSU. They might seem like a good idea as they can handle relatively high loads, but many of them are 12V AC supplies and those can cook the LED-strips quite quickly.

[j-t 0]

I use old stationary PC power supplies that I convert, they have to be kept out of harms way but work fine for running led lights etc. These are usually very powerful on the +12V side, 2x10A and more is very common.

Here is a link to a how to for converting a PC power supply

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