3 ms·

> However 12v lights obviously use more power. This is incorrect. The same number of lights at the same brightness will use give or take the same wattage. Th

by wolrah 2y ago

> However 12v lights obviously use more power. This is incorrect. The same number of lights at the same brightness will use give or take the same wattage. The increase in voltage leads to a decrease in amperage. Larger installs should actually use slightly less power because the higher voltage loses less to resistance in the wires, the same reason utility-scale power distribution is done at higher voltages than anyone actually uses. There are some individual "12v" LEDs that are just a lower voltage LED plus a big resistor to bring 12v down to a level the LED can survive which do obviously waste a lot of power but that would be a really silly design for a multi-LED assembly.

jedberg 2y ago
> There are some individual "12v" LEDs that are just a lower voltage LED plus a big resistor to bring 12v down to a level the LED can survive which do obviously waste a lot of power but that would be a really silly design for a multi-LED assembly. But yet it's how every one of the LED lights that we are talking about are designed. So like I said, 12v will use more power.
- wolrah 2y ago
  Almost every multiple LED 12v strip I've ever used has the LEDs grouped in threes wired in series, likewise 24v strips are divided in to groups of six. I don't entirely understand the electrical science behind it but I think it's something like the voltage experienced by each LED is within tolerances even though the overall input voltage isn't, and if you were to try to cut the strip within a group it'd blow up that group quickly. Those strips should use slightly less power for a given number and brightness of LEDs than their lower voltage counterparts because the higher voltage is losing less power to resistance over a given distance, same as high voltage transmission lines.
  - jedberg 2y ago
    Yes, those are the consumer ones that are generally not individually addressable. I'm talking about WS2811 LEDs. Pretty much every WS2811 controller board is 5v, because there is only one manufacturer and that's all they make. The strips with 12v have a resistor on each one because people like to use 12v since you can power more lights before you have to inject more power. Like this: https://wallyslights.com/collections/12v-pixels/products/12v-ws2811-xconnect-resistor-bullet-pixel https://wallyslights.com/collections/12v-pixels/products/12v...

by wolrah 2y ago

jedberg 2y ago

> There are some individual "12v" LEDs that are just a lower voltage LED plus a big resistor to bring 12v down to a level the LED can survive which do obviously waste a lot of power but that would be a really silly design for a multi-LED assembly. But yet it's how every one of the LED lights that we are talking about are designed. So like I said, 12v will use more power.

wolrah 2y ago
Almost every multiple LED 12v strip I've ever used has the LEDs grouped in threes wired in series, likewise 24v strips are divided in to groups of six. I don't entirely understand the electrical science behind it but I think it's something like the voltage experienced by each LED is within tolerances even though the overall input voltage isn't, and if you were to try to cut the strip within a group it'd blow up that group quickly. Those strips should use slightly less power for a given number and brightness of LEDs than their lower voltage counterparts because the higher voltage is losing less power to resistance over a given distance, same as high voltage transmission lines.
- jedberg 2y ago
  Yes, those are the consumer ones that are generally not individually addressable. I'm talking about WS2811 LEDs. Pretty much every WS2811 controller board is 5v, because there is only one manufacturer and that's all they make. The strips with 12v have a resistor on each one because people like to use 12v since you can power more lights before you have to inject more power. Like this: https://wallyslights.com/collections/12v-pixels/products/12v-ws2811-xconnect-resistor-bullet-pixel https://wallyslights.com/collections/12v-pixels/products/12v...