4 Things You Should Know About LED Drivers

Illuminating your [city] home with LED lighting isn’t as simple as taking out all your light bulbs and screwing in new ones. You may need an LED driver to ensure your new LED lighting system works as advertised.

LED drivers are self-contained power supply units that produce and regulate power according to the specific needs of your light bulbs. LED drivers are current-regulated, which means they deliver a consistent stream of electricity over a range of load voltages.

If all this sounds a little too technical for you, here are the 4 most important things you need to know about LED drivers, explained.

Your LED Probably Comes with an LED Driver

You may not know this, but every LED light bulb needs a corresponding LED driver. However, most LEDs, especially those designed for general lighting use, already come with a small, built-in driver, which makes it convenient to replace old CFL or incandescent bulbs.

This includes LED bulbs that have standard plug-in or screw-in bases, or those with specific line-voltage.

On the other hand, LEDs that require external LED drivers include tape lights, downlights, cover light, panels, and outdoor lights. These are usually built for commercial, industrial, and outdoor lighting purposes.

Not All LED Drivers are the Same

When getting an external LED driver, you generally have two types to choose from: constant-voltage drivers and constant-current drivers. Another driver type is the AC LED driver, which is used with LED lighting systems, albeit rarely.

• Constant-current drivers are used for LEDs requiring a fixed output current and a range of output voltages.
• Constant-voltage drivers are used for LEDs that need a fixed output voltage with a maximum output current.

AC LED drivers are no-minimum load transformers. AC LED drivers are usually used with bulbs that already have an internal driver that converts the current from AC to DC.

You Need an LED Driver for Dimming and Color Features

If you’re planning to add dimming and other special features to your LED lighting system, whether it’s color changing/correction, remote control, photocells, occupancy sensors, or automation controls, you’re going to need an LED driver.

Drivers can support color sequencing/changing in an LED lighting system by dimming an array of colored LEDs, or by interfacing with a color sequencer. This can be done by using an LED driver with a specific voltage output that transforms into a three-channel output (the usual red, blue, and green) to produce a wide array of hues.

LED Drivers Have a Service Life

Before getting an LED driver, be sure you know the expected lifespan of the device. Unfortunately, there is no industry standard (at least not yet) for the service life of LED drivers, so you’re going to have to rely on the experience of others.

• High quality drivers often have a service life of about 50,000 hours with a failure rate of 0.2% per 1,000 hours.
• Low-performance devices usually last for about 30,000 hours and failure rates of 0.5% per 1,000 hours.

It’s important to ensure that the components (the LED lighting and the driver) match perfectly to prevent any damage to the system. As with LED light bulbs, a good rule of thumb is to buy the best driver you can afford.

If all this sounds confusing, don’t be afraid to consult the services of an LED lighting specialist or electrician, who can take care of setting up a complex LED lighting system for your [city] home.