WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WIRING
Wires, while designed to provide for uninterrupted flow of power, also provide some resistance. If the wires are short, this resistance is negligible. But over long distances or if the wires are small enough, this resistance can become significant. How can this be a problem in an LED system? With large installations, the many fixtures are spread out over a large space, thus each fixture is connected to the system through different lengths of wire. The fixtures with shorter wires get full power, but ones on longer wires get less due to the resistance in the wire. The result is that none of the fixtures are provided with the same power levels.
Here is an example with some math:
Lets make a hypothetical fixture where you mount 100 Pcs of 0.06 amp LEDs 12 inches apart on 20 gauge wire. A 20 gauge wire has a resistance of 20 ohms per 1,000 feet.
The wire will be 100 feet long (100 LED?s with 12 inches of space between them)
Since LEDs need a positive conductor and negative conductor, the current path is actually 200 feet long (there will be two 100 foot wires in this fixture).
The resistance of this fixture is 4 ohms (20 ohms divided by 1,000 feet = .02 ohms per foot.) (.02 ohms x 200 feet = 4 ohms)
The LEDs draw 6 amps of power (100 LEDs x .06 amps = 6 amps)
Resistance x Amps = voltage lost so using this formula, 4 ohms of resistance x 6 amps
= 24 volts will be lost on the circuit.
CONCLUSION
Power supplies, wiring, and LED limiting circuits must all work together if you want the fixtures to have the same brightness. Simply plugging in off-the shelf components and expecting them to work consistently and reliably will not work. In a properly engineered lighting system, issues such as wiring, voltage loss over distance, circuit design, and choice of power supply are considered to ensure a long lasting, properly functioning display. This commitment to proper engineering is what makes LED Effects products stand out. Yes, it may take a little more effort to build products this way, but down the road, the time and money saved and happy customers more than make up for it.
