LED Drivers

An LED Driver (also known as a power supply or transformer) reduces the voltage of the AC mains supply to a lower DC voltage that is required to power LED controllers or LED strips. We have a range of 12V and 24V LED Drivers and we also stock a 36V LED driver for our special long-length LED 36V strips.

 

An LED driver can be either a "Constant Voltage" or a "Constant Current" driver. LED Technologies stock constant voltage LED drivers because our range of LED strips are all constant voltage products.

 

You cannot power a constant voltage LED strip with a constant current LED driver, this is because the LED strip requires the voltage to be consistent allowing the circuitry in the LED strip to control the correct current required by the LEDs. Constant Current LED strips require a driver that will allow the voltage to vary but will emit a constant current to power the LED strip.

 

The power of the driver required is determined by the amount of current your LED strip demands which converts to the wattage of the LED strip. We recommend that you choose a driver that is rated at the correct wattage to ensure the longevity of the driver and LED Strip that it is powering. An LED driver should be loaded at around 70 - 75% of the rating of the driver.

 

For example, a 100W driver should be loaded up to 75W, a 200W driver should be loaded up to 150W etc. This is flexible, and also when powering colour-changing LED strips, because you will not be setting all the colours up to full brightness for any length of time, the 75% rule can be increased a little.

 

This driver can be powered up to its maximum wattage, however, we do not recommend that this be done for more than short periods. Doing so will dramatically reduce the life of the driver.

 

Our constant voltage non-dimmable drivers are available in the following outputs:

12V LED Drivers: 30W, 60W, 100W, 150W & 200W
24V Drivers: 30W, 60W, 100W, 150W, 200W, 400W, 500W & 700W
36V Drivers: 300W

 

Note: Please ensure that you check which LED Lighting Strip you have before purchasing a driver. Make sure that the voltage of the driver matches the voltage of the LED strip you are powering and NEVER connect a higher voltage driver to a lower voltage LED strip. This can cause the LED strip to get extremely hot causing it to burn out and also create a fire hazard.

 

For further details and technical help, please contact our technical sales team by phone, email or WhatsApp and live chat on our website.

LED Drivers
12V LED Drivers

12V LED Drivers

24V LED Drivers

24V LED Drivers
36V LED Drivers

36V LED Drivers

MEAN WELL Power Supplies

MEAN WELL Power Supplies

What is an LED Driver Used For?

LED Drivers are power supplies used to convert mains 230V AC voltage to a lower DC voltage for LED. Voltages typically used by LED products include 12V and 24V DC, these products are classed as constant voltage. It is important to ensure the LED driver you are using is a suitable voltage and wattage for the product you are powering.

 

How To Specify An LED Driver

When installing low voltage LED lighting it is crucial to ensure that the driver used is suited to the product it is powering. Below is a brief guide on how to properly specify an LED driver for your low voltage lighting project.

 

What Voltage LED Driver Do I Need?

The voltage supplied to an LED strip or similar product must match the voltage at which it is designed to be run at. As a company, we keep stock of strip lights ranging from 12 - 36V with the voltage of each strip specified on the product page. Once you know the voltage required you can look for the size of the driver you will need. 

Using the wrong LED driver can cause damage to the product and can even be a health and safety issue should the product overheat.

 

What Wattage LED Driver Do I need?

A driver's wattage is the maximum load at which that driver can be run, to find the size of the driver you will need to calculate the total wattage of the product you will be powering. For LED strips this can be done by multiplying the total length of the strip by the power consumed per metre. For example;

  • 4 metres of 9.6 W/pm LED strip would draw a total of 38.4 Watts (4 m x 9.6 W/pm)
  • 7 metres of 14.4 W/pm LED strip would draw a total of 100.8 Watts (7 m x 14.4 W/pm)

To prevent overheating an LED driver should not be run at more than 75% of its capacity. For example;

  • A 150W PSU can power a maximum of 112.5W (75% of 150W)
  • A 60W PSU can power a maximum of 45W (75% of 60W)

By properly specifying your LED power supply you will ensure that the driver does not overheat or fail prematurely.

 

Does my LED Driver Need To Be IP Rated

For projects where LED drivers may be exposed to water ingress, it is important to ensure they have the correct IP rating. IP rating (ingress protection) is a measure of prediction against solids and liquids.

For outdoor installs, we keep stock of Waterproof LED drivers. These IP67 drivers can be submerged up to 30 mins in 1 metre of water and are well suited to outdoor projects. These drivers can be used indoors and feature a solid state design for silent cooling. 

 

Shop our selection of constant voltage drivers today and find the right product to power your LED lighting project.