6 Important Things You Must Know to Choose the Right LED Strip

LED strips are one of the best decoration elements you can get. They allow you to set the mood while being power efficient and being flexible which allows them to fit pretty much anywhere.

In this instructable we will cover 6 important things you need to know to choose the right LED strip for your project.

The first thing you need to know is the color of your LED. It can either be single or multi-colored. I f you simply want a white led strip you should know that there's a code that tells you how warm your light is. This code should be around 3200k for warmer or yellower lights and 6500k for cooler or whiter whites. If you are planning on using your light somewhere to focus, a cooler light would be better. But if you want a more relaxed ambiance, you should probably get a warmer light. If you want to set the mood, go for multi-colored lights known as RGB, which stands for Red, Green, and Blue. But you should check if there is a dedicated diode for every color or if the led diodes are RGB. The problem with dedicated diodes is that diodes of the same color are further apart which creates hot spots, and when you try to mix different colors, let's say red and blue to get purple, you will get bulbs of different colors. However, you can overcome this issue by using a translucent casing that will disperse the light. Another problem of dedicated diodes is that they are less bright than RGB ones, that is because RGB diodes have 3 sources of light in each diode. A final thing to note is that you can also find RGBW light strips which add a white color to your RGB strip or even RGBWC which adds a warm and a cool white to your RGB strip.

The next feature you want to look at is brightness. The first factor influencing brightness is the light density measured by the number of LEDs per meter, the more LEDs you have the brighter and smoother your light is. Second you should look at the size of the diodes, 5050 diodes are larger and brighter than 3528 or 2835 diodes. However, keep in mind that size don't always matter, you can find 2835 diodes that are brighter and more efficient than 5050 diodes. The final and most relevant factor is the current measured in amps and power measured in watts that your strip needs. The more current or power it draws the more light it can produce. However, keep in mind that some brands mention the total power of their strips, while others mention the power per meter. So let's say you have two strips of 5 meters each, if the first needs 12 watts while the second needs 3 watts per meter you can deduce that the second is brighter because it needs a total power of 15 watts.

Talking of length, usually led strips come in rolls of 5 meters. Keep in mind that you can always cut left strips in between segments, or can even connect multiple strips together. However, always use the exact same type of strip when connecting multiple ones together so that the color and the electrical specifications match. Also, if you are planning on using your strip around corners there are specific connections that you can buy instead of bending your strip. However, make sure to choose the connections with the right number of pins.

Another factor to look at is the waterproofing, known as the IP rating. This rating has two digits, the first showing how dustproof the product is and the second how waterproof it is. The higher the digit the more protected the product is. For example, if you are planning on placing your light strip far from water and moisture an IP rating of 00 should be good enough, if you are planning on using it in your bathroom or outside of your house for decoration you should use a light strip with an IP rating of 65 at least.

You should also look closely at the voltage and current of your led strip, to choose the right power supply for it. Typically, LED strips are 12V or 24V, however, LED diodes are only 3V. This is why you can frequently see segments of 3 or 6 diodes connected in series which add up to 9V or 18V. In addition, there's a current limiting resistor that brings the voltage to 12V or 24V. The role of this resistor is to prevent the LEDs from burning. Think of it this way, if a light was to absorb more current the voltage of the resistor would go up, this, in turn, would decrease the voltage of the led, decreasing the current it's absorbing. Now, in order to choose the right power supply, you need to make sure that it has the same voltage and can deliver enough current for your LED strip. If your power supply has a higher voltage it will burn your led strip and if the power supply can't provide enough power it will heat up and burn. Usually, resellers mentioned the maximum current needed for their LED strips. However, I would always recommend that you buy a power supply that's a bit larger just to be safe. You should also keep in mind that if you are planning on connecting multiple strips together, their current will add up, therefore you will need a much larger power supply.

Finally, let me guide you on how to choose the right controller for you. If you have a single colored led strip you can either directly power it on, or you can get a dimmer that would control its brightness. However, if you have a multi-colored RGB Led strip you will have a much larger variety of controllers. The simpler ones would allow you to select one of 12 preset colors or run sequences such as fading or flashing. More advanced ones can synchronize your lights with your music, but also there are even smarter controllers that allow you to control your led strip from your smartphone, or even using voice commands such as Alexa or Siri.

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