Your input on my idea to make a led system

[Corvette Reefer]

ohhhhh okayyy i see so just get one 24V 2.2A or higher power supply to run both drivers together, and ill still be able to turn each driver on and off right with a switch right??

[evilc66]

If you only want to manually turn the drivers on and off, then yes. Two switches placed between the power supply and the drivers will work. NEVER EVER place the switches between the driver and the LEDs.

[Corvette Reefer]

on the manual they say place it between the CTRL and REF

[evilc66]

Same difference. It's either kill the dimmer signal, or kill power completely. Same end result.

[Corvette Reefer]

If i do 2 drivers i need 2 12V 1.2A, for each one? or 24V 1.2A for each one?

[evilc66]

You double the current, not the voltage when wiring drivers in parallel to the power supply. The voltage of the power supply will limit the number of LEDs you can run in a single series string. The current rating of the power supply will limit the drive current of the driver you want to use, and the number of drivers you can wire in parallel.

[Corvette Reefer]

So the voltage u must divided up between the total leds on a series, and you need the current for the power and if the you want 1000ma led power to each one, you only need it for the driver wich then the driver gives each led 1000ma but you dont need like 6000ma for 6 leds but two drivers make 2 differnt serioes so each driver has to split the current from the power supply from 2000m to 1000ma to each driver? thats how im understanding, is that correct?

[evilc66]

Well, that was painful to read, but I think you have it right. Just to clarify though:

Some basic electrical rules:

Devices wired in series - voltage adds, current is the same at all points.

Devices wired in parallel - current adds, voltage is the same across each parallel device.


So, your source voltage (the power supply) has to be greater than the total forward voltage of all LEDs connected in series. This is especially important with DC buck drivers like the Buckpuck, as they need a few volts above the forward voltage of the LEDs to operate properly. The source voltage still has to be within the limits of the driver though. AC drivers like the Meanwell and TRP drivers already have that taken into account, so you just have to stay within the voltage range of the driver.

All constant current LED drivers will adjust the output voltage to match the needs of the LEDs connected to it, regardless of if the input voltage is much greater. You can run one LED on a Buckpuck with a 24v supply, and everything will work just fine. What you can't do is run 6 LEDs on a 6v power supply. You would need a boost driver for that (boost steps voltage up, buck steps voltage down).

If you are wiring LEDs in parallel to a single driver (not recommended), both parallel strings have to have the same number of LEDs, and preferably the same forward voltage. If you are wiring drivers in parallel to the same power supply, the power supply should be rated for more than the drivers are rated for. If you want to run two 1000mA Buckpucks, you should be looking for a power supply with more than 2A capacity. The reason you do this is so the power supply is not running at it's limit all the time, which reduces heat, and extends life. The same should be done with even a single driver on a single power supply.

Make sense?