Our LED Strip Lights Installation Guide

LED Strip installation can be confusing. That’s why we have produced this guide, which applies mainly to our own LED strip offerings but can also be used to help you install any LED strip.

Important LED Strip Specifications

The following table summarises the specification elements of our LED strip that should be considered before installation:

Type	Voltage	LEDs / m	PCB Width	PCB Thickness	Max run	Cutting Point
3528	12V	60	8mm	0.25mm	5m	50mm
3528	24V	60	8mm	0.25mm	10m	100mm
5050	12V	60	10mm	0.25mm	5m	50mm
5050	24V	60	10mm	0.25mm	10m	100mm
5050 RGB + W	12V	60	10mm	0.25mm	5m	50mm
5050 RGB + W	24V	60	10mm	0.25mm	10m	100mm

3528 vs 5050

3528 / 5050 refers to the LED chip size used. Strip using 5050 LED chips are twice as bright as strip utilising 3528 LED chips*. They also consume twice the power*:

Type	Voltage	Power Consumption / 5m	Current / 5m
3528	12V	30W	2.5A
3528	24V	30W	1.25A
5050	12V	60W	5A
5050	24V	60W	2.5A
5050 RGB + W	12V	60W	5A
5050 RGB + W	24V	60W	2.5A

*assuming the same number of LEDs per metre.

12V vs 24V

If powered from one end only, our 12V LED strip can be run in a maximum length of 5m*.

If powered from one end only, our 24V LED strip can be run in a maximum length of 10m*.

This is due to a phenomenon called Voltage Drop:

A voltage drop in an electrical circuit normally occurs when a current passes through the cable. It is related to the resistance to current flow, with passive elements in the circuits including cables, contacts and connectors affecting the level of voltage drop. The longer the circuit or length of cable, the greater the voltage loss. In an LED strip circuit, voltage drop will cause the last LEDs in a long of strip to be dimmer than the earlier ones.

In many other electrical circuits, voltage drop can be compensated for by using larger cross-sectional sized cables which offer less resistance to current flow. However, this is not practical for the installation of LED strip, where both the width and thickness of the conductor in the strip cannot be changed.

Runs that are longer than the “Max Run” length are discussed below in the section ‘Long Runs’.

*In our experience it’s possible to install around 6m of 12V LED tape, and 12m of 24V LED tape in one continuous length before you can see a loss of brightness.

PCB Thickness / Strip Width

This is the width of the strip. Please always ensure that any connectors and profile used are compatible with the strip width.

Cutting Point

LED Strip can only be cut at certain points. These are known as cutting points. The differences in cutting point distances between 12V and 24V must be considered when installing LED strip.

Long Runs

Where runs over the ‘Max Run’ length of the strip are required, there are various options which will be discussed in our next LED Strip installation article.

If you have any questions, contact our team of experts today on 01482 820099 or drop us an email on enquiries@ledsave.co.uk.