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LED lighting is an innovative and energy-efficient technology. LEDs require a power regulator to supply a consistent flow of electrical current, and that’s where drivers come in to maintain their top performance.

LED drivers are control gears behind LED lights and are responsible for regulating the ideal current to a single or an array of LEDs. The drivers protect LEDs against current and voltage fluctuations in the main supply and ensure they remain within the operating range. Without the appropriate driver LEDs would become too hot, malfunction and result in deficient performance.

Selection of an appropriate LED driver requires a professional lighting specifier to understand the concept of current/voltage modes, LED circuit topologies, multiple/independent outputs, dimming and flicker considerations.

Here are a few criteria when selecting LED drivers to optimize your lighting performance.

Current and voltage mode

LED luminaires and drivers are either constant current or constant voltage.

– The constant current luminaires require a constant current to be supplied from the driver (350- 700mA). The current is fixed by the driver, but the voltage differs and increases with the number of lights used.

– The constant voltage LEDs require a steady voltage to be supplied from the driver (12 -24 V). The voltage is fixed but the current required varies and increases with additional lights.

Power factor

It describes how efficiently the driver uses electricity. It is a ratio of the power (watts) used by the driver divided by input voltage (volts x amps). The range is a decimal between 0 to 1. An efficient ratio is closer to 1 that is 0.9 or above.

Physical size

Proper size has to be opted, to ensure a fit, in the area it is to be fixed.

Dimming

Both LEDs and drivers can be made with a dimming capability, and the dimmable feature is asserted on the datasheet. If the specs don’t mention dimming, then the product is non-dimmable.

Ingress Protection (IP) rating This indicates the suitability of the driver against ingress of dust, moisture, liquids and solid objects. Higher IP rates are needed for outdoor environments.

Maximum wattage

According to NEC (National Electrical Code), LED drivers should be paired with LEDs that use 20% less than their maximum rated wattage and not with LEDs that exceed limits to avoid over-stressing the components.

UL class

UL class 2 drivers comply with international regulatory standards (UL1310) and imply safe to touch with no additional safety protection required. Class 2 drivers are of better quality, posing with no risk of electric shock at the luminaire level. UL class 1 drivers have high-voltage output which requires safety protection within the lighting fixture. They accommodate more LEDs than a class 2 driver.

Tridonic LED Drivers with DALI power supply

Tridonic is globally renowned for its impressive portfolio of LED drivers and modules for the perfect lighting component solutions for indoor and outdoor environments.

DALI Drivers

DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is an international lighting standard that provides a 2-way communication protocol between components in a lighting system such as brightness sensors or motion detectors.

The benefits of DALI driver systems are :

– The universal application of the DALI system has brought digital technology in lighting control systems.

– The system allows the user to control individual drivers and ballasts via DALI controllers. DALI sends messages, like computer networks that are picked up by electronic ballasts via addresses and follows the instruction. A message ‘Turn off lights in room 2’ will switch off the lights in that room.

– DALI (defined in IEC 62386) provides ideal support for building control systems and enables each light source to be controlled separately. Some lights can be adjusted without affecting the other lights in the room.

– LED drivers with built-in DALI controllers enable fast and convenient installation without additional wiring.

– DALI protocol standard ensures a wide range of possibilities for flexible control after set-up.

Electric Way, leading lighting suppliers in Dubai, offer a host of solutions for LED lighting: drivers, modules, batteries and lighting control systems of reliable quality that you are accustomed to. We are one of the finest DALI LED drivers suppliers, and our products exhibit the highest standards demanded by the illumination industry. We promptly deliver bulk quantities to lighting companies across the Middle East region. Our lighting designers can guide you on selecting the correct LED drivers for your project.

Contact us for your LED lighting and LED driver requirements, on +971 4 817 0777 or email inquiries to sales@electricway.com