How to arrange the wiring of LED lighting

Very often for advice and the selection of equipment for LED lighting are addressed when the wiring is already laid. Some customer's fantasies are simply impossible to fulfill or we have to come up with intelligent control systems that cost considerably more.
Some costs can be avoided by entrusting the wiring design to specialists, rather than electricians who have not dealt with LED lighting.
Consider a few basic requirements.
  • An LED strip is an electrical device. The power source for the LED strip is the power supply. You should take care in advance about where you are going to place it.
  • LED strip, with some exceptions, is connected in series (one after another) up to a maximum of 5m, so if you run the wires, after finishing work (plastering, painting) will not be possible, it must be provided for. For example, in the case of classical backlighting, the wires can be routed afterwards by simply laying them on a plaster ledge or behind the plinth. If, for example, you do the perimeter lighting with an angle profile in the joint between the wall and the ceiling, the conclusions must be made at the stage of plasterwork, otherwise the wires will not be hidden.
  • If you want RGB strip and the control system (controller) and power supply are in a specially designated place, away from the location of the LED strip, then pull through not two but a four-wire wire (see the article on Connecting a multicolor LED strip). RGBW lighting requires 6 wires (two for W-white light, 4 for RGB). In MixWhite lighting 4 wires (two for each white light)
  • If you do not want to overpay for a sealed IP65, IP67 power supply, make sure that the place where the voltage source will stand has an air pocket (space - for example, under the ceiling, for air circulation)/span>

04.09.2023