How to improve the brightness difference of LED strips caused by voltage drop

A typical 12V LED light strip is basically formed by a plurality of light groups in which three SMD LED beads are connected in series. In an ideal situation, the voltage input to each group of LED beads should be 12V, but in actual use, the input voltage of the LED groups far from the power supply is less than 12V, resulting in their brightness is significantly lower than the LEDs that closer to the power supply. What caused this?

Voltage drop issue (from www.mldrled.com)

The main reason is that the copper foil circuit inside the LED strip has resistance. The power output from the power supply needs to go through a longer loop to reach the far-end light bar. As this distance increases, the power loss also increases, so the actual voltage input to the far end is not enough to fully drive the LED light. Similarly, if an improper wire is used in the circuit, the voltage drop will be aggravated.

It can be seen from the above that the root cause of the voltage drop phenomenon of the strip led light is the current loss in the circuit. Based on this principle, there are several ways to improve the problem.

1. Increase the thickness of the copper foil
The resistance of the conductor is related to the size of its cross-sectional area, so the use of thicker copper foil can reduce the resistance of the PCB and increase its ability to carry current. Although this method is effective, it will result in an increase in the cost and price of the lighting products.

2. Use a higher voltage LED light strips
In the case of the same power, the higher the voltage, the lower the current. Therefore, as the input voltage increases, the current in the strip circuit decreases accordingly, thereby reducing the current load of the PCB. This is why the maximum series length of the 24V strip is longer than 12V.

3. Install in parallel
We know that the longer the series length of the tape lights, the more obvious the voltage drop. Therefore, we can install a certain length of the strip in parallel to reduce the inconsistency of the first and last brightness caused by the series connection.

We are a China strip LED lights manufacturer dedicated to providing reliable and quality light strips to customers around the world.

Five external factors that affect the service life of LED lights

LEDs are widely used in every lighting industries because of their energy saving, long lifespan, and environmentally friendly. However, there are 5 external factors will shorten their service life.

1. Drive current: The rated voltage and rated current of the LED lights are unchangeable. Therefore, there are different sizes of LED power supplies on the market, and the most common are 12V and 24V DC drive power supplies. For most of the constant voltage LED tape lights currently on the market, the output voltage and power of the power supply must be appropriate, otherwise, it may reduce the life or even damage the LED lights.

2. Corrosive environment: In some areas with serious pollution or in some chemical manufacturing plants, it is best to use LED lamps with protective devices to avoid damage caused by contact with corrosive materials.

3. Operating temperature: The temperature will affect the light decay and service life of the LED. Generally, LED lights are used at temperatures ranging from -20 ° C to 65 ° C. Excessively high or low temperatures will affect the work of lights. In order to avoid the light decay that caused by high temperature, it normally increases the heat dissipation area or installs the active heat sinks.

4. External force: During installation or use, the collision of hard objects or sharp objects will cause the LED to be damaged or even completely destroyed. Therefore, the LED light should be installed as far as possible in a place that is difficult to reach.

5. Humid environment: Whether it is production, storage or use, the LED should be avoided in a humid environment, because the moisture can easily cause the LED to be wet and the short circuit.

These are the five major external factors that affect the life of LED lights. If you have other questions about LED lighting, please feel free to contact us. We are a manufacturer of LED lights in China, specializing in the production of LED light strips and LED plant lights.

What are the factors that affect the life of LED strips?

LED light strips are widely used in various places for their long life, easy installation, and energy saving. The long lifespan is the most representative parameter. Therefore, the service life of the LED light box light bar has become one of the most concerned issues in the industry. Whether it is for the LED light bar manufacturers or users, it is necessary to understand the factors affecting the life of the LED strip lights. There are three main factors that affect the life of the LED strips:


1. The quality of the lamp bead directly affects the service life of the LED strip. The LED is composed of a variety of materials, and the quality of each material is totally different. For example, the heat dissipation of the pure copper bracket is superior to that of the iron bracket and the aluminum bracket. The materials vary widely, and the connecting wires are also divided into gold wires and gold-plated wires. Therefore, the quality of the LED is inseparable from the quality of the raw materials used. A good and stable LED is inevitably the most stable combination of various materials. The theoretical lifespan of LED strip lights can reach more than 50,000 hours. However, due to improper competition in the market, some packaging factories have chosen the inferior raw materials in order to reduce costs, thus greatly affecting the service life of LED strips.

2. The service life of LED light box light strip is closely related to the heat dissipation of PCB. The heat dissipation performance of PCB directly affects the series of common problems such as whether the material structure of LED light strip is stable and the light decay is serious. Therefore, whether to use a high thermal conductivity PCB also plays a very important role in the service life of the LED lights.

3. When the driving current of the LED light box light bar is greater than the rated current, the light decay will be increased. The lower the driving current of the LED light box light bar, the smaller the heat, the lower the brightness. Increasing the drive current exceed the rated current, the heat of the LED light box light bar rises, which will shorten the service life.

The above is a brief description of the factors affecting the lifespan of LED strips. If you have any questions and requirements about LED lighting, please contact us without hesitate. As a China LED strip lights manufacturer, we are committed to creating win-win cooperation with our customers.

What cause dead LEDs on LED strip lights

Sometimes there will be dark areas in the light boxes. When you open the canvas, there are several LEDs on the LED light strips. After using for a while, there are several LEDs can't work, which is the phenomenon of dead LEDs that people in the industry say. So what are the reasons for the dead LEDs?

Firstly, the quality of the LED lights is the direct cause of the dead LEDs. The use of inferior lamp beads will greatly increase the chance of dead LEDs of LED light bars. LEDs are composed of various materials, such as brackets, chips, wires, glues, etc. If any of these materials are low quality may cause LEDs to die prematurely.

Secondly, a LED or line on the serial-parallel circuit board is disconnected, causing the other LEDs to be off. This situation will affect the normal operation of the whole segment of the led lights. The reason is that due to the low working voltage of the led lamp, it is generally necessary to use string and parallel connection to adapt to different working voltages. The more LED lamps in series, the greater the impact, as long as one of the LEDs or one of the lines in this LED strip is disconnected, which will cause the entire LED light fixture.

Moreover, the wiring error also will cause the LED lights to burn out. If the LED low voltage tape lights are directly connected to 220V AC power will damage the lights. If the power supply is correct but the lights are not working, it may be because the positive and negative poles being reversed.

The last reason is that the physical damage during packaging, transportation, and installation. In the packaging, transportation, and installation of the LED light strip, various physical damages occur, causing the dead LED.