Calculating power requirements of RGB LED strips

led strippower supply

Is there any formula or rule of thumb for calculating power requirements of 'typical' RGB LED strips? Say x amps per # of lights? or are there too many other variables involved(specific make, etc).

Best Answer

  • There are way too many types of LED strips (e.g. individually addressable or not, I2C, SPI or PWM interface, integrated current limiting resistors, ...)
  • A wide variety of LED chips are used in such strips (5 mA, 20 mA, 500 mA or even 1 Ampere per color, and SMD 3528 through to high-power LED per color), for any general rule of thumb to be applicable.
  • Also, the number of LEDs in a strip is yet another variable.

In short, there is no such thing as a "typical" RGB LED strip.

An LED strip manufacturer will typically list rated power for the strip, that is the best recourse for determining power requirements.

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