The difference between RGB and RGBW LED

RGB and RGBW is a couple of words that we commonly see and hear in the LED lighting industry. Today we are gonna review the RGB LED and RGBW LED, and find their difference.

RGB and RGBW LED Strip Lights

Combin 3 diodes (red, green, and blue) in 1 SMD chip, the RGB LED can realize color changing. To achieve better white light, adding a white light diode on the RGB LED, that's we call RGBW LED. So, RGBW is an RGB LED with an additional white light diode (the packaging process is far more complicated).

Through the controller, RGB and RGBW LEDs can switch from different colors, such as white, red, green, blue, pink, yellow, cyan, and so on. However, having an extra white light diode make the RGBW LED has a brighter and more pure white light performance. And according to the additional diode's color, there are also have RGBWW (RGB+ warm white), RGBCW (RGB+ cool white), and RGBNW (RGB+ neutral white), which can give you more choice.

To further introduce the difference between RGB and RGBW LEDs, we'd like to take the LED strips for example. The RGBW LED strip has 4 independent control circuits, and the RGB LED strip has 3. Therefore, we can visually note that the RGBW remote is more complicated than the RGB remote, and has more functions. From the connector, we can easier distinguish RGBW LED strip (5 pins) and RGB LED strip (4 pins).

Now, we learned that compared to the RGB LED, the RGBW LED has better white light performance, more color choices, and more functions. So can we conclude that the RGBW LED is better for buy? No, there is another important factor that we haven't take into account. As mentioned at the end of the second paragraph, the processes of RGBW LEDs are far more complicated than that of RGB LEDs. And the complex processes make the cost increase to the price. In today's market, the RGBW LED is several times more expensive than the RGB LED. To sum it up, RGBW LED lights are the better choice if you or your customers are strict in the white light performance and have enough budget. Opposite, if you just want to make rooms or restaurants more colorful, the RGB LED light can meet your satisfaction, and more cost-effective.

What is the difference between a copper bracket and an iron bracket?

At present, there are many kinds of LED products on the market, and the products with the same brightness and parameters may have different prices. The main reason for the difference in price is the difference in their materials. Today we will introduce two main metal brackets in the LED strip lights' industry: copper brackets and iron brackets.

The SMD LED bracket is formed by PPA and metal. Normally, the bracket will be plated with silver to facilitate the light and connect with the LED gold wire. The functions of the bracket are carrying the chips, conducting the current, increasing the heat dissipation and protecting the internal structures.

The bracket of SMD LED

At present, the copper brackets and the iron brackets are the two main metal brackets in the industry. The resistivity and thermal conductivity of copper are 1.678 and 401 that are better than that of the iron's 9.71 and 80. We all know that the temperature is one of the major factors affecting the LED's life. The resistivity and the thermal conductivity of the bracket directly affect the lifespan of LED. The lower the LED resistivity, the higher the LED electro-optical conversion efficiency, the smaller the heat generation. The higher the LED thermal conductivity, the better the cooling effect.

It can be seen that the copper bracket is better than the iron bracket in quality. Besides, the high ductility of the copper brackets will also reduce the death rate of LEDs. Furthermore, due to the iron is easy to rust, once the iron is rusted, the silver-plated layer will fall off and the LED will be broken.