LED strips are power hungry

[Russ]

With the popularity of LED strips, it is important to note that they are power-hungry devils.
I have about 20-25' of these connected to my controller. They are way cool and offer colors and effects. I like the ability to RED my cabin at night.

However, these things are terribly inefficient. They have tiny resistors on each LED to lower the 12v to native voltage.

Here is a video of mine on FULL power and dimming 2 steps between. The Amperage drop is substantial. So if you use these, consider dimming them way down if on house battery power. I start with FULL LEDs at 100% (4.5 Amps!) and dim them to the lowest level which is plenty bright and uses a fraction of the amperage.

[BOAT]

Please tell us which LED strip lights we can buy that are efficient? Many of us want to put in the LED stip lights because we need the red color for night but want to be able to change the color for day and also have the ability to dim - LED strips are great for that.

What SHOULD we buy?

[mallardjusted]

Just remember that LED lights are not power hungry compared to incandescent lights - they use about 10-15% of equivalent incandescent lights. And then, if you use ones with dimming (still bright) features as noted by the OP, it is very low power consumption. I would suggest starting by looking through listings on Amazon by searching for "12v waterproof led light strips", then looking through the resulting info for specifics. Maybe the OP can give a link to his source as well.

[Russ]

I got mine on Amazon. I have so many LED strip projects I have no idea which these are. Even in the house, they pull a lot of power on full. I have some in a ceiling tray and I can't daisy chain more than 30' of them. The voltage drop is too great. I blew a transformer that wasn't rated high enough.

I think high power consumption is just a property of LED Strips which are vastly different from LED bulbs.

Strips carry 12v (or 24v) throughout the length so they can be cut to need. This requires each LED have a resistor to drop the voltage. Resistors consume power and create heat. It's a trade-off. Most LED strips come in a spool (like 8mm film spools) and instructions say DON'T operate them on the spool. They get HOT.

Simple solution. DIM them. Even a small amount of dimming will greatly reduce power consumption.

I replaced all cabin bulbs with LED equivalents. I can run ALL simultaneously for less power than a single incandescent bulb.

In my video above, I have approx 30' of strips which his a bit much. Under the aft berth, under steps, in the head and v-berth. Dimming is an easy solution as full power is way too bright anyway.

[mallardjusted]

Russ,

re: "I can't daisy chain more than 30' of them. The voltage drop is too great. I blew a transformer that wasn't rated high enough." There should be very little "voltage drop" whether it is 10' or 30' of strip lights. The LEDs and resistors are all in parallel. The difference is the amount of current needed, so for more lights a higher power rating is needed for the transformer.

I can't find anything specific comparing LED bulbs to LED strip lights as far as power needed. I would think when you compare similar lumen output, or similar wattage usage they are going to be close. Still way less than incandescents. Anyway, obviously having a dimming feature helps control the current/wattage usage.

I've replaced all my boat and RV incandescent lights with LED lights. What a difference in reduced wattage!

[adudinsk]

Yup.. LED strips are not designed to be low power.. especially the ones from China.
There are some VERY $$$ usa brands that are low power.. but you will pay for them.

Depends on the led type (ie 5050s/3528s etc) and the density of leds.
If they are sequenced (ie have chip drivers)
for a 60/m density .. they could easily consume 5w/meter (almost 1/2 an amp per meter at 12V)

[Highlander]

Russ
What,s going on inside ur boat with all this talk about ambient blue to cool things down , flashing red hot lights at night , dimmers to burn less energy , burning out hot trans formers , daisy chains , power hungry devils, strip projects , searching the Amazon , finding the lowest level, "Boat" asking please tell us more ! , because we need the red color for night ? , "mallardjusted" I would suggest starting by looking through listings ! ,then looking through the resulting info for specifics ! creating heat !, "I can't daisy chain more than ! ", strips are superior ? . where's this all going

I,m thinkin u need a flashing neon light " If this boats a rockin don't come a knockin"
& here,s a neon Video u can play inside the boat as loud as u like so as they get the Idea !



OK I,ve had my fun now

J

[Ixneigh]

I have found so far, no light strip that will last more than a year or two in the sea water environment no matter how well you try to seal them.

Ix

[Russ]

OK I,ve had my fun now

J

Old thread resurrected by a probable spammer from Moldovia. I deleted his post, but not before others chimed in.

I like the LED lights. Great way to light the aft berth area that normally looks like a dark cave. And yes, I dim them way down so they offer just enough lighting at night for the proper mood.

[adudinsk]

And they make little heat..

[Russ]

And they make little heat..

The LED strips come in a spool that looks exactly like home movie reels.

The instructions say "do not power on while on the spool"
Well of course I had to ignore that and found they got HOT! The heat is no doubt coming from the tiny resistors on each one that cumulatively generate heat (and consume a lot of power).

[Highlander]

Oh great Porn Movie,s with their own remote can I get a free preview !

J

[adudinsk]

Depending on the voltage.. 5V or 12V strips.. and if they are direct addressable leds.. the heat varies alot
The worst are 5v direct addressable leds.. (one single led is controlled so you can do light chaser patterns)
I went for RGBW (so there is one RGB led.. and also a WHITE led).. this way if you run the white.. there is no chip driver for it (as it does not need colour changing) and MUCH cooler.

12V direct address.. control groups of 3 leds so you can make chasing patters as well.. (if the boat is a rocking....well .. never mind) but the chasing is based on groups of 3 leds.. more heat but not as bad as 5V strips.

The RGB that you only control the entire strip colour is not bad for heat...
Single colour 12V .. the best for heat.
(yeah.. got LOTS of strip lighting all over the house/boat/etc)

Also built a STAR ceiling for the house 8'x8' with over 1400 points..in my house (try drilling 1400 1mm holes) and matched the stars to my wedding anniversary.
VERY cool..
Wondering if anyone is now going to do this on their mac??

[MacDanMc]

In fact, LED strips are superior to conventional lamps and neon tubes, because they`re more durable, and safer to use.

[OverEasy]

I have found so far, no light strip that will last more than a year or two in the sea water environment no matter how well you try to seal them.

Ix

Wondering where the corrosion issues are located at?.
The terminations at power supply?
In the light strips?
In the power supply?
In the controller?

Best Regards
Over Easy