What To Use For Led Strips & Led Spot Lights

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raz5652

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Hi guys i have been searching and goggling for days now. I will appreciate any help. After the search i realized best way to keep bulbs and strips going is to use pwm dimmer and also need power adapter. But after checking quite few websites for wiring diagram am confused. this is my plan and connection i have.

wont let me upload the image. basically i have one switch that turns on 2 lights. i want to attach a fixing with 2 meters LED strips and 6 down-lights (spotlights) on each fixing.

wont let me post an image. basicly i have one Ac220V switch which turns on 2 lights fixings. Now i want to attach a fixing with two meters of LED strip and 6 Led spotlights on each side.

wont let me post an image. basicly i have one Ac220V switch which turns on 2 lights fixings. Now i want to attach a fixing with two meters of LED strip and 6 Led spotlights on each side.

 
I have a big problem with LED lights because manufacturers don't seem to use the wording one expects to describe their products. An LED is a current dependent device and DC but often the driver required to limit the current be it a simple resistor or a switched mode device is built into the package so although the LED is current dependent the package is voltage dependent.

So in theory a "driver" means it controls current, and a power supply can be either voltage or current and either AC or DC. But manufacturers also call power supplies "drivers" so we have to read the label very carefully to see what we have.

Our problem is to get a dimmer to talk to a device which controls the current to the LED. Having a power supply which reads the leading or trailing wave form edge to alter it's output is clearly no good if the bulb has a switched mode current regulator built in which will maintain the bulbs full output with a voltage of anywhere between 10 ~ 36 volt AC or DC.

So all items must match. Call it PWM or switched mode they are the same thing they switch on and off to control the output. Feed the pulses into a capacitor using DC and yes you can feed one device from another but without that capacitor it simply with not work and that capacitor could mess up the output anyway.

Personally can't see the point of dimmers with LED lights. With the old tungsten lamps there was ambiance as the white light reduced to a red glow but LED's don't change colour. In public buildings switching off lights can cause people to trip so dimming them gradually allows the public to realise what is happening so is safer but in the home two sets of lights with two switches can give three levels of lighting without any dimmer and means there is no problem with replacement lamps.

We were told KISS kept it simple stupid and although not always the best way often it is. From electrics to simple door lock we seem to want to make things complex for no real reason. My door when I close it auto locks to stop it locking I have to latch it. We had a salesman trying to sell us a new security door which to lock required one to move handle in wrong direction and to use a key to lock it. Which will likely mean we will forget to lock it so will be less secure. And if you really want to break in only need to smash a window.

It is the same with electrics often the so called improvement has not been really thought out. Be it silly touch controls or dimming switches. My mother had touch controls on her induction hob what a silly idea. Simple knobs are quicker, not affected by splashes and easier to see what they have been set to. OK touch controls look nice but whole idea of induction is you don’t need to lift pan to stop boiling over simply switch it off. There are loads more examples where it’s all done to get money but old way was best. 

 
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