LED light strips - wire in parallel, not series

[pn_day]

Hi all,

I made an interesting discovery over the weekend.

I'm using multiple LED strips on my velomobile build (white at the front, red at the rear, amber for indicators) and was getting all sorts of strange problems (some not working, some being dimmer than usual).

The strips I used are like the one in this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neuftech-Flexible-Light-Waterproof-Car-White-White/dp/B00UL8BBGS

LED strips like these don't like being wired in series. Wiring in parallel made all the weird problems go away.

Just sharing in case it saves somebody else some bother...
Phil

 

[Danidl]

Hi all,

I made an interesting discovery over the weekend.

I'm using multiple LED strips on my velomobile build (white at the front, red at the rear, amber for indicators) and was getting all sorts of strange problems (some not working, some being dimmer than usual).

The strips I used are like the one in this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neuftech-Flexible-Light-Waterproof-Car-White-White/dp/B00UL8BBGS

LED strips like these don't like being wired in series. Wiring in parallel made all the weird problems go away.

Just sharing in case it saves somebody else some bother...
Phil

It's easy to understand.. LEDs are not bulbs in the sense of an incandescent bulb. They are electronic devices, basically a forward biassed diode. They need to have the proper minimum voltage . typically 3 to 4 volts for a white led. Unless the minimum threshold is reached to overcome an Internal barrier they do not conduct, once they have achieved conduction, an increase in voltage , causes a very large increase in current.... They do not obey a simple ohms law. They should be powered via a constant current source not a voltage source. The LED strips have probably 3 such diodes internally wired in series, to operate from the 12 v , but other strips must be put in parallel..