My set up is this: Power supply > RGB LED WiFi controller > 1 to 3 cable splitter > 2M cable (x3) > 132.5cm 120leds/m 5050 RGB strip (x3)
I contacted the eBay seller about what power supply I would need to power the 5M cable they provided. They told me 12V 5A. After a little research it seems that this is wrong.
I read that 5050 LEDs draw 60mA per segment (3 LEDs per segment). There are 200 segments in this 5M strip, so 60mA x 200 = 12,000mA. Which would mean I would actually need a 12V 12A power supply. Unless the current draw from 5050 LEDs differ from different manufacturers?
I won't need this much current since I'm cutting off 3 individual 132.5cm strips from mine. Each strip has 159 LEDs, which equates to 53 segments (159 / 3). 60mA x 53 gives a current of 3180mA for one strip. The total current of all three is 9,540mA (3180mA x 3). So I guess this means I need a 12V 10A adapter? This is expensive though, so I am wandering, if I'm not powering them to white all the time, I could manage with less current?
I've already tested a 12V 5A adapter on the strips and it seems to work fine. It doesn't get hot or anything. I even tried a smaller section of strip to see if it was any brighter and it's seems to be the same brightness. Surely it should be brighter than using a longer strip??
Best Answer
Stick with what the seller has told you. The one thing you don't know is the rated voltage (forward) of each LED. If you cut out LEDs and don't see a change one of two things is going on.
There is a current limiter inline to the diodes.
You have reached maximum intensity, and going with any fewer LEDs would cause a short life span. After you get to maximum intensity, more current does not show a greater intensity, it just damages the LEDs.
As always, it would help if you had the data sheet for the LEDs, so could know the maximum POWER (V x I =P) that the diodes could handle. Then you could figure out no matter how many LEDs you were using what the voltage should be.
By removing that section of strip, you may have shortened their life. See if the seller can fill in that info gap.