LED Power Supplies for Strip Lighting - LED Flexible Strip Power Supply

Which power supply do I need?
7 easy steps to finding your correct power supply

Don't want to read the whole article? 

FLEXFIRE LEDs POWER SUPPLY GUIDE: Use the charts to figure out which LED strip light power supply you need. 

Use the key below to see which power supply you will need. Look below and find the number of feet you are going to use. Then look across to the final column for the recommended LED power supply to use.  

See the LED driver selection chart

Introduction

Since our LED lighting products are customizable and come in different sizes, the power supply you need will depend on the LENGTH & TYPE of the LED strip light you are using for your project.

The correct power supply needed for your LED lighting project is easy to calculate. Follow the step by step instructions and examples below to see which power supply you need. 

Throughout the article, in orange, we will creating a mock example you can follow.

 

 

Step 1- Which LED strip light series will you use? 

If you aren't sure yet, click here to use our product selector tool

The first step is to choose which flexible LED strip light you are going to use for your project. Each strip uses a different wattage or voltage. Choose the series and length of strip light you will be installing.  

For our mock project, we will use 10 feet of the Architectural Series Strip Light as an example.

Keep in mind the recommended maximum run lengths of the lights due to voltage drop 

The Architectural Series has a maximum 42ft run length with the 24V version. 
You can hook up more than 42ft to a power supply by installing the runs in parallel.

Step 2 - Check if the input of your strip is 12V, 24V or 48V DC

Check the product specifications or markings on the strip. It is important to check because wrong voltage input may result in malfunction or other safety hazards. Also, some strip lights use AC high voltage and do not require a power supply. 

So, in our continued example, the Architectural series uses a 24V input.

 

Step 3 - Check how many watts per foot your LED strip will consume 

This step is very important to determine how large of a power supply you will need. Each strip consumes a certain amount of power per foot (watts/ft). If you do not have enough power to light your strips, they may appear dim, flicker, or not light up at all. The watts per foot can be found on the product page of the strip light.

The Architectural Series uses 4.4w/ft.

Step 4 - Calculate the estimated power usage

This calculation is important for determining the size of the power supply needed. Again, this is based on type and length of the light strip. 

Our 10ft length example setup will use 4.4W/ft x 10ft = 44 watts

Step 5 - Understand the rule of 80%

When choosing a power unit, it's a good idea to make sure you are only using 80% of the rated power maximum to increase longevity of the power supply and keep it cool to prevent overheating. This is called derating. This calculation is done by dividing the estimated wattage of the strip by 0.8.

Our continued example would be 44W divided by 0.8 = 55W minimum rated power supply. 

This means you will need a power unit that has a minimum output of 55W at 24V DC.

 

Step 6 -  Put it all together to determine which power supply you will need

In our example, we identified that we need a 24V power supply with a minimum wattage output of 55W.

Once you know the voltage and minimum wattage needed, you can choose your power supply. Depending on your installation, you can choose from three different types of power supplies.

 

1. Zurik™ Dimmable power supply - great for AC dimmers such as Lutron, Leviton, etc. Great warranty, trusted globally.

2. Plug and play desktop style plastic housing power supply - Plug and play, easy to install, rated for indoor use.

3. Non-Dimmable power supply like the Mean Well™ brand -  Robust, outdoor/indoor rated, high power output, long warranty, trusted globally.

 

Step 7- Purchase your recommended LED power supply

To finalize our example, we need a power unit in 24V that has an output of more than 55W.

From our available options, you can choose from the following:

1. Plug and Play style power supply: 24V 60W 2.5A power supply

2. Mean Well™ brand power supply: 24V 60W HLG Mean Well  / 24V 60W LPV Mean Well

3. Zurik™ EMLV Electronic Dimmable power supply  24V 60W Zurik EMLV
 

Flexfire LEDs Power Supply Guide: Use the charts to figure out which LED strip light power supply you need.

Use the key below to see which power supply you will need. Look below and find the number of feet you are going to use. Then look across to the final column for the recommended LED power supply to use. 

See the LED driver selection chart