Monday, November 26, 2012

Buying LED Tape - Some Advice


There are many things to consider when it comes to buying LED Tape. Today we are going to take you through some of these considerations including length, luminosity, power consumption and voltage. But first, what is LED Tape?

LED Tape is a type of lighting fixture that features a series of low-voltage LED's mounted to a flexible strip. Due to it's flexibility, LED Tape is capable of handling applications that are otherwise too difficult or impractical for older lighting solutions.

Length

As LED Tape can be cut to size, it is possible to scale it to the exact requirements of your project. Cutting LED Tape is a fairly simple process and can easily be done yourself, but most customers prefer to have the tape prepared in advance. If this is the case you will need to forward your measurements.

The first thing to check is the frequency of the cutting points on the particular tape you have chosen. The most common intervals are 2.5cm, 5cm and 10cm. Your measurements will need to be rounded up or down depending on which type of tape you are choosing.

Next, you will need to take your measurements. For example, if you are installing tape onto the underside of kitchen cabinets, you will need to measure their length, compensating wherever necessary for the increments at which the tape can be cut. So, for example, if the cabinet measures 53cm exactly, you will need to round down to 50cm (if using tape with 5 or 10cm cutting intervals).

Once you have all your measurements, send them in an email. Your retailer will do the rest.

Luminosity

Luminosity, measured in lumens, describes the brightness of the tape. Retailers usually advertise the brightness of their tape on a per metre basis. Sometimes it can be hard to work out whether a particular type of tape is bright enough for a particular application. That is why we separate our tape into three categories; low, medium and high brightness.

Generally speaking, low brightness should be used for decorative purposes, medium brightness should be used for task lighting, and high brightness should be used for general purpose illumination. A forth option is to simply install a dimmer switch, which will allow you to vary the brightness of the tape as required.

Power Consumption

Like luminosity, the power consumption or wattage of LED Tape is advertised on a per metre basis. The overall power consumption of your tape can be calculated by multiplying the wattage per metre by the number of metres you will be powering from a single power supply. The resulting figure should be used to determine the size of the power supply you need.

Voltage

LED Tape is a "low-voltage" lighting fixture, as opposed to a "mains voltage" fixture. This means it requires a transformer to convert, or transform, the mains voltage from 240-volts to the 12-volts needed to power the tape. Transformers are available in two main varieties; mains ready or "plug and play." They also come with different maximum loads, depending on the power requirements of the tape

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