LED controllers – control of your LED lighting

The third part of your series on LED lighting and mostly LED striplights is about LED Controllers.
First part - LED striplights
Second part - LED adapters
Unlike the LED striplights and LED adapters, the LED controllers are not mandatory for your LED lighting system, but the modern LED controllers allow for beautiful lighting effects and it would be a pity if you don't use them.

Here are the three most popular controllers:

Dimmers - used mostly with the striplights which are only one color, and are for increasing and decreasing the light .
Ordinary RGB Controller- Used with the full colored RGB LED striplights, and according to the programs allows for various visual effects – color flow, blinking in different patterns, as well as the dimming function of the Dimmer – to increase and decrease of the light.
RGB Music Controller – It has the functions of the ordinary RGB controller, but it also can change the light color according to the music playing. This controller can produce the effects of professional disco club lighting.
When purchasing a dimmer or controller for more than 5m of LED striplighting it is important to check how many meters can the model of your choice control. Most LED controllers can work with about 10m of LED striplight . If you are planning to control more than 10 m you will need to add an amplifier which will allow you to add another 10 meters. If the striplight is even longer, another amplifier needs to be added.

Choice of LED adapters - LED power supply

LED Power Supply - Price List
This is the second article from the series for practical advice for choice and installation of LED lighting at home.

LED adapters (LED power supply)- After you have chosen the right LED striplight for your needs, it is important to choose the right LED adapter for it. Usually the LED adapter is marked according to its amperage (in Ampers). Most commonly, the adapters are marked according to their amperage, and the striplights in watts, and this is often confusing. In order to quickly calculate what type of adapter is suitable for your striplights , you must multiply the ampers x 12 and the result is the adapter's power in watts (W).

Here are several examples:

LED adapter 2A x 12= 24W
LED adapter 5A x 12= 60W
LED adapter 10A x 12= 120W


Here is a tavle with the typical consumption of the different types of LED striplights

LED striplights with 30 diodes type SMD3528 consume 2.4w per 1 meter
LED striplights with 60 diodes type SMD3528 consume 4.8w per 1 meter
LED striplights with 30 diodes type SMD5050 consume 7.2w per 1 meter
LED striplights with 60 diodes type SMD5050 consume 14.4w per 1 meter


You should always choose a power adapter with minimum 10-20% more power, because this will allow you to add other light products to it, and also this decreases their working temperature and thus increases their life. For example, if the LED striplight, which you have chosen has a power of 95watts, you can use a LED adapter of 8.5amps which equals 100 watts, but it is better to choose a more powerful adapter of 10 amps which equals 120 watts.

Usually, the LED adapters are with a metal or plastic body. The metal ones are usually used for hidden installation in the walls or other such construction, and the plastic ones in places where dampness might occur. They should never be placed in water or be placed under direct water flow. When choosing an adapter be sure to choose the 12v type, because even though other voltages are rarely offered any other adapter may damage your LED lighting.

The next article is about LED Controllers