How Do LED Strip Lights Work？

LED strip lights have become an indispensable part of modern homes, commercial places, and various special occasions due to their modernity and versatility. So, how do LED strip lights work? This comprehensive guide will explain the key components, working principles, installation, and benefits of LED strip lighting.

What is an LED Strip Lights?

LED stands for light-emitting diode. An LED strip is a lighting device that consists of multiple small light-emitting diodes (LEDs) evenly distributed on a flexible circuit board. The circuit board is thin, flexible, and can be cut to the required length. It can be installed in extremely narrow corners.

LED strips can be used not only for decorative lighting but also for functional lighting. For example, they provide ample and comfortable light under closets, in hallways, or cabinets. In addition, LED strips can be installed in living rooms and bedrooms for mood lighting.

Main Components of LED Strip Lights

To understand the efficient operation of LED strips, we need to understand how LED strip lights work. First, it is crucial to understand its main components. Each component plays an integral role in the operation of the strip, ensuring that it can emit light stably and reliably for a long time.

LED Diodes

First, we have to introduce LEDs. LEDs come in different colors, such as warm white, cool white, blue, red, green, etc. It can convert electrical energy directly into light energy.

LEDs consume very little electrical energy but can produce stronger light output. This is why LED light strips are very energy-efficient and suitable for a variety of low-power applications.

PCB

The printed circuit board (PCB) is the basis for carrying LEDs. Modern LED light strips usually use flexible PCBs, which are both thin and durable. So LED light strips can be bent into various shapes without affecting the integrity of the circuit. This is why LED light strips can be adapted to various curved walls or furniture edges, greatly expanding its application range.

Current Limiting Resistors

The current limiting resistor is an indispensable component in LED light strips, whose main function is to control the current of the LED. Each LED has an optimal operating current range, exceeding this range may cause the diode to overheat or even damage. So make sure that the LED operates within its safe operating range to extend the life of the light strip.

Protective Shell

The outer layer of the LED strip lights is usually covered with a protective shell made of silicone or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material. You can choose different waterproof levels to have different protective outer layers.

This protective shell not only prevents dust, moisture, and other environmental factors from corroding the LEDs and circuit boards but also provides certain mechanical protection, making the light strip less susceptible to physical damage during installation and use.

3M Adhesive

For easy installation, LED light strips usually come with a layer of 3M adhesive on the back. This adhesive material can firmly fix the light strip to various surfaces. At the same time, when you don’t need it, you can easily remove it without damaging the mounting surface.

Power Cord

The connecting wire is the bridge between the LED light strip and the external power supply or controller. They are usually made of flexible and durable materials to ensure stable transmission of power and signals.

These connecting wires need to be able to connect to the power supply, and sometimes they also act as transmission control signals to achieve complex lighting effects, such as color change, flashing, etc.

LED Power Supply

The power supply is one of the key components of LED light strips. It needs to convert the AC power of the household power supply into DC power suitable for LED strips. Since LEDs are low-voltage 12V and 24V, they cannot be directly connected to the household AC power supply. For more details, pls check How to Choose a Power Supply for LED Strip?

In addition, the driver can not only adjust the voltage and current but also provide stable output when the power supply voltage fluctuates to ensure the normal operation of the LED strip.

LED Controller

The controller is the main tool for users to interact with LED strips. If you want to dim or adjust the color temperature such as RGB, you need to choose a controller. Modern controllers usually support remote control functions, and users can operate the strips through smartphone applications or voice assistants.

The Working Mechanism of LED Strip Lights

Next, we will analyze LED strip lights work in detail. You can check the following details to help you better understand the light-emitting mechanism.

Light-emitting Mechanism

The light-emitting mechanism of LED strips is based on the electronic behavior of semiconductor materials. There is a region called the P-N junction inside each LED. When current passes through this P-N junction, the positive charge in the P region and the negative charge in the N region meet and combine, releasing photons, which are the light we see.

This process is not only efficient but also very stable, allowing LED strips to maintain brightness after long hours of operation.

Color Mixing

RGB LED strips emit light through a combination of red, green, and blue LED beads, and then there is another light, which is a mixture of these three colors. By adjusting the brightness ratio of each color, RGB LED strips can achieve millions of color combinations.

For example, when all three colors of red, green, and blue are fully lit, white light is produced. This ability to mix colors gives LED strips an unparalleled advantage in decoration and atmosphere creation.

Color of Emitted Light

The color of light emitted by LEDs depends on the semiconductor materials and design structures used inside them. Different semiconductor materials produce photons of different energies, resulting in different colors of light.

For example, red LEDs typically use gallium arsenide (GaAs) as the semiconductor material, while blue LEDs use gallium nitride (GaN). By changing the semiconductor material and adjusting the current, LEDs can emit a variety of colors from infrared to ultraviolet.

Reflection and Refraction of Emitted Light

The light emitted by the LED may be reflected and refracted when passing through the protective housing. These optical phenomena can help to evenly distribute the light and reduce the appearance of hot spots or shadows.

The design of the protective housing usually takes this into account, by adjusting the texture or transparency of the surface to make the light more evenly scattered, thereby improving the quality and comfort of the lighting.

How to Power the LED Strip Lights？

Powering the LED light strip requires a suitable power adapter or LED driver because the LED light strip is low voltage 12V or 24V. So these adapters convert the household AC power (usually 110V or 220V) to DC power (usually 12V or 24V) suitable for the LED light strip. For more information, check out this article how to power led strip lights without an outlet?

When choosing an adapter, you must make sure that its output voltage and current match the specifications of the LED light strip, otherwise it may cause the light strip to work unstably or be damaged.

In addition, you also need to consider how much power the power supply is. Generally speaking, the power consumption of LED light strips increases with the length of the light strip. Therefore, when choosing a power adapter, it is best to choose an adapter with a power slightly larger than the actual demand to ensure that the power supply can be stable and can support additional loads when needed.

Why are LED Strip Lights Work Dimmable?

The dimmable function of LED light strips mainly relies on pulse width modulation (PWM) technology. PWM is a method of adjusting the brightness of LEDs by quickly switching the power supply on and off. When the switching frequency is high enough, the human eye cannot detect the flickering of the light, so the brightness of the LED can be adjusted smoothly.

The advantage of PWM control is that it can control the brightness of the LED with extremely high precision without affecting the color temperature or luminous efficiency of the LED. This allows LED light strips to perform well in a variety of lighting needs, from extremely bright task lighting to soft night lighting, and users can adjust it as needed.

Benefits of LED Strip Lights

The many advantages of LED light strips make them popular in a variety of applications. Here are some of the main benefits and their more detailed explanations:

Energy saving

One of the biggest advantages of LED lights is energy saving. This is mainly reflected in its efficient light energy conversion rate. LED light strips can convert about 80%-90% of electrical energy directly into light energy. This is why more and more people choose LED lights, because LED light strips consume only about one-tenth of the power of traditional bulbs, greatly reducing power consumption.

Long Service Life

LED light strips usually have a much longer service life than traditional bulbs. Generally speaking, the life of LED light strips can reach more than 50,000 hours. This means that even if used at normal hours every day, LED strip lights can work continuously for more than 10 years. This long life not only reduces the frequency of lamp replacement but also reduces maintenance costs.

Low Heat Emission

LED strip lights hardly generate heat when they work. Because of its high efficiency, most of the electrical energy is converted into light energy. Even long-term use will not affect the surrounding temperature.

At the same time, for high-power LED light strips, we can use matching LED profiles to help dissipate heat, which not only makes the LED light strip safer but also makes it suitable for installation in decorative high-end places.

Thin and Flexible

The LED light strip is designed to be very thin and flexible and can adapt to various complex installation environments. It can be easily installed in a small space and does not take up too much space. Its flexibility allows it to be bent into various shapes, suitable for installation on curved or irregular surfaces, providing more installation options and design freedom.

Durable

The LED light strip is very durable and can withstand certain vibrations, shocks, and environmental changes. In addition, it is also very suitable for outdoor lighting work, such as in high-humidity, high-temperature or low-temperature environments outdoors. But you must choose the right waterproof level. Keep it in good performance during long-term use.

Colorful Lights

The light source of the LED light strip is very bright, and the LED light strip can emit pure and uniform light. At the same time, it also provides high-quality, colorful lighting effects. Unlike traditional bulbs, LED light strips can emit pure and uniform light without the need for additional light-filtering equipment. In addition, LEDs have an extremely fast response speed and can be turned on or off instantly, which makes LED light strips very practical in occasions where fast-changing light effects are required, such as stage lighting or advertising displays.

Conclusion

In summary, we understand the basic information of LED strip lights and how they work, which can help us choose them better. LED light strips are undoubtedly an ideal choice for modern home, commercial, and industrial lighting. By deeply understanding its working principle and the function of each component, we can better use LED light strips to add more brilliance and convenience to our living and working environment. We are a manufacturer of LED light strips. If you need an LED strip, please consult us.

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