


The 12V supply from the battery would be totally adequate for your lights. Cars batteries give off 12VDC give or take.
12v battery powered led strip install#
If you wanted to install this in your car, you wouldn’t need any power supply. For example, LED flex strips have on-board current limiting resistors (as you can see built onto the flex board base). Nine times out of ten this will not be the case and you will need a power supply to convert your power to a safe DC voltage for your lights. If you are powering from a battery or happen to have a constant DC voltage that is adequate for your lights, then consider yourself lucky. These types of products will typically call for a constant DC voltage.
12v battery powered led strip drivers#
Constant Voltage Power SuppliesĪ constant voltage power supply can be used to power LED lights that have resistors or constant current drivers already within the system. If you don’t have a current limiting device, finding a driver is your first step but if your LED product already has current under control, you can follow this post in finding a constant voltage power supply. If you are unsure whether you need a constant current source, take a look at this helpful post in order to find out. Most finished LED products or LED strip lights (that you would buy straight from the store) already have drivers or resistors built in to regulate the current. If you are building your own LED fixture or working with any of our component star LEDs, you will need a constant current device within your system. This overdraw of current will make LED brightness fluctuate, leading to high internal heat that will eventually lead to failure of the LED light. LEDs electrical characteristics change as they heat up if current is not regulated, LEDs will draw too much current over time. This constant current driver or current limiting resistor is used to regulate current to the LEDs, keeping them running safe and maximizing their lifetime. Most LEDs need a current-limiting device (whether that be a driver or resistors) in order to prevent LEDs from being over driven. This post will go through those many factors and help you select the right power supply for your LEDs!įIRST…Make Sure you have control of the current to your LEDs There are many different factors to consider when choosing a power supply for LED lighting. You will either need a constant current LED driver or a constant voltage power supply (or a combination of both) in order to make your LEDs work properly. Whether you are building your own LED fixture, fixing and retrofitting existing fixtures, or purchasing new LED lights, you will need to find the correct power source for your LEDs.
