I like using led strips to create various pieces of lighting around the house for myself and also for friends. I buy the cheap 3528 analog reels from Amazon, (the stuff that gets shipped straight from China), and I go to Goodwill or other thrift stores and find small 12v plug-in power supplies to run them. I don't know what some of the classifications mean though, or which ones I should, or should not, use.
For instance, some say "class 2", while others don't state a class classification at all. And a lot say I.T.E. use only. I did Google that and found that it stands for information technology equipment, but what does that really mean?? Can those only be used with equipment that turns on and off constantly rather than staying on for very long? Are either of these types okay? Our should they be avoided?
Are there any other markings that I should be looking for?
Thanks for the help.
What type of power supply should i use for led strip
ledled strippower supply
Related Solutions
It is part of the safety regulations. When deciding which specifications apply for testing, the product application is taken into account as the way of deciding which spec applies. So if a laptop manufacturer provides an external PSU, they will have it tested to the relevant specs, which includes the product category. There is no guarantee it will be suitable for other applications.
For example, if you drive a motor which has accessable metal parts, and that laptop PSU doesn't give you an earth connection back to the socket, unless you make a seperate connection to earth, there isn't naturally one back for you.
You haven't provided much info. First white thing is labelled as transformer for "LV Halogen Lamps". Most likely it's just a step down transformer which will fry your christmas LED strip during reverse polarity.
Second one is a mystery box without much info. I wouldn't go for that either.
Here is what you need to do:
Figure out what voltage is required by your LED strip - 3V, 5V, 12V or something else?
If the LED strip is 5 watts, then you can calculate the current requirement as follows:
Current = Power / Voltage required.
Ex- If LED strip needs 5V, then you will need 5W/5V = 1A of current.
Go to the market and ask for a 5V 1A(or higher) wall adapter. Modify the voltage and current accordingly. I am just giving an example.
Get something less intimidating like this:
EDIT after the question was edited:
Figure out what length of strip you want to use. I will assume 0.7 meters which will give you total power requirement:
Power = Length X Power required per unit length = 0.7 X 7.2 = 5 watts.
Voltage = 12 V
Current = Power / Voltage = 5/12 = 0.42 A
Better to go for 12V 0.5A (or higher) wall adapter or any DC power source. Make sure it's a DC power source and not just a step down transformer. If the power source is DC 12V 12W, then it will do the job without any issues.
Best Answer
There's a company called UL that certifies electrical devices for safety and publishes several standards related to electrical safety. You can read about Class 2 Power Units in more detail but in general they are isolated and should be a good choice for safety.
Personally for the sake of saving a few dollars I'd stick with a power supply that has been UL certified rather than one of unknown origin / safety and it should have a mark such as the following:
You're correct that I.T.E stands for information technology equipment. There's a related question here Why are laptop power supplies marked “IT equipment only”? and while they may work OK you'd be best to avoid using them for other purposes.