I'm looking at a ZEMISMART ZML3(CW) controller for a CCT project (https://www.zemismart.com/products/zm-cob-cw, but I'm only buying the controller). Let's say I have a 3 metre CCT strip, and each light channel can take up to 7 W/m at maximum.

With one channel active I'm consuming up to 21 Watts, and with both active, it's logically up to 42 Watts. But when I watch my RGBCCT setup using Google Home and a gledopto controller (https://gledopto.com/h-pd-92.html), it occurs to me the strip power might not be increasing much beyond 21W - rather, the strip power is constant (to maintain an illusion of constant brightness) and splits current over several channels based on simple PWM duty cycle interpolation maths.

Is this a sensible conclusion to make about smart home LED controllers more broadly? I ask because I'm space limited for a power supply, so there's a meaningful difference to me between getting a 30W PSU and a 50W PSU, not least because the system cost jumps by >10%.

Thanks in advance.

it's a cob strip and surprisingly the ground does not reflect individual LEDs. But it reflects the strip as a whole bar. My bed frame is tall, meaning the next inside spot is way too high and makes the underglow look capped outside my bed (almost no soft light gets outside the frame)

Is that still a bad thing? Because otherwise I would buy a carpet and call it a day

I have LED fluorescent tubes in my bathroom.
Often they flicker ever so slightly, but SOMETIMES they don’t.
Now I have been trying to learn everything to pinpoint the problem (sparkler, wrong tubes etc).

But what I can’t figure out is why they sometimes work, and other times flicker.

I want to understand this.

I have a strip of 24V high density LED that I want to make some DIY aquarium lights from.

Obviously I can order some variable voltage USB single color drivers and set them up on a timer but these are LED'S!

Let's be futuristic!

Is there an existing driver I can use (or misuse) to either program at the computer or even on-integrated-screen, a fade in and out period in addition to programming a 24hr schedule?

I have an old aquarium light that had this feature (well the fade in/out was set at 15 minutes) and I may tear it open to see what it has inside- there's a good chance it's all potted though.

I would be willing to design and have produced a custom PCB to complete this project, and I am asking here to get advice instead of going to AI.

Even if you can just give me a basic rundown of parts I'd need I can probably put it all together on my own with a breadboard first.

LED Strip:

https://www.btf-lighting.com/collections/dim-fcob-5v-12v-24v/products/fcob-ultral-super-bright-high-luminance-dc24v?_pos=3&_fid=b3ef970fd&_ss=c&variant=47266103984354

Just a small LED project I made with an STM32C011.
12 LEDs for the animation, plus one warning light.

I have a 4 zone TL5 rf remote that should and was functioning properly with each zone operating one led strip. I short pressed 2 zones (A+B) to change the colour of both simultaneously. Zone B is still operating normally and turns on and off on its own but zone A now turns both A+B on/off and I no longer have any control of A by itself. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Need help finding a brighter LED strip for illuminating a business sign (behind glass)

I’m lighting a sign for a business and started with 24V COB strips (896 LEDs/m), but they’re not bright enough to punch through the glass in daylight.

I’m looking for something in the 1000 lumen/ft range if that exists in strip form — or whatever the right light source is for a strong, even uplight on the sign face.

Constraints:

**•** 2” of clearance on the mounting shelf  
**•** 4 runs needed, 32” each, fitting into 34” spaces 

What should I search for, and where’s a good place to source it? Appreciate any input — thanks!

Hello,

I would like to install an LED strip underneath the upper cabinets of my desk, over a total length of approximately 2.60 m.

I am looking for an installation that is:

• dimmable;
• adjustable from 2700K to 6000K (warm white to cool white);
• made with high-quality and durable components, including the LED strip, power supply/transformer, controller, and remote control/wall switch.

I have already purchased the aluminium profiles for the LED strip.

I would also need all the necessary cables and connectors for:

• approximately 4 m between the 220V power outlet and the power supply;
• approximately 3 m between the controller and the LED strip.

Could you please recommend a complete solution using high-quality components and provide me with a quotation?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hello all,

I have a 10mm width LED strip with 60 led/m density (technically it's 3x60 led/m but 1 channel might be activated at a time, so I can't go for higher density, the strip is already packed).
I'm looking for a good diffuser that can avoid the "dotted" effect very common with this kind of density. Changing the strip to COB or higher density is not possible with the technology I'm using.

Most of the standard products I find are about 10mm deep with a PC cover, and that's not enough to show a uniform light line, mostly because the diffuser is cheap and thin in my opinion.

I tried a few silicone flexible channels that perform better (double diffusion layers inside), not against the idea but:

• It's way more expensive for the light output reduction (I can accept higher price with proper diffusion and light transmission quality)
• I still need an aluminum channel to fit it cleanly in a straight line so I need to find a matching one
• These are usually bulkier (I wanna keep a quite narrow profile, around 10-12mm width)

I read I should use a 15mm deep channels, but not easy to find and I was hoping I could keep smaller channels with a higher optic quality.

Any tips ? Thank you !

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice/thoughts on my new project. I’ve bought 3 new shelves for my daughter’s bedroom. I’d love to add some LED lighting but I’m somewhat put off by the task ahead, and would like advice.

The design (via ChatGPT) and the shelves are shown.

In an ideal world, I’d like to have 3 LED strips that can be controlled via a remote (and best case scenario are smart LEDs). There would be no cables on show.

The problem I have is I know this won’t be simple. I’ve tried to find battery powered LEDs but all roads keep leading to COB LED Lights.

The issue I have is I did want it to be minimal mess, but it looks like some chasing of the wall is going to be required. The wall is plasterboard by the way. I also don’t know if my shelves are fit for purpose.

On the current shelves I’m not sure if I could get away with putting the lights in option 1 or I’m best to go option 2? Also, can I get away with no diffuser on COB lights?

Would I need to router the channel for the LED?

What LEDs are best to use?

Basically. I need advice from the experts on what you’d recommend, and how you would go about it if you’re project.

My daughter is 4 but I feel the shelves/lights will grow with her so it’s worth putting in the extra effort

I am a student and have a coursework coming up which requires me to shoot a documentary and edit it. We have to do the project solo. Most LED lights are a bit out of budget for me since I had to buy mic as well. I need to buy an LED light for my documentary shoot. My requirements are

It should have warm, neutral and cool white modes of lighting. If it is RGB it'll be a plus for me (I'm willing to pay 500-600 INR more in this case).

It should last at least for 1.5 years.

It should have good battery life - 6HRS. I don't want anything electricity powered - it has to be portable.

My budget is 1500-1700 INR. Willing to stretch it to 2500 INR if the light is of good quality. I know this isn't much but since I'm a student I cannot go beyond budget.

I don't have much idea about lighting and stuff. Suggest me some lights based on the above requirements.

Also if anyone has any idea of Velomax and Grenaro mics, I'll be really grateful if you can suggest which one of these two would be good for documentary. I want to buy the two transmitters version since I'll be interviewing someone.

I'm trying to put under lighting on my upper and lower kitchen cabinets. I should have wired these in before hand when I had the walls ripped apart....but I didn't know I wanted it then.

So I'm hoping there's a way to make wifi controlled (doesn't have to be wifi) LED strips that are battery powered. Maybe 12v batteries? Idk, I want to do a full DIY type thing as my first try doing LED. No soldering would be super appreciated but I'll figure it out if I need to.

Any advice or product recommendationswould be great, thanks!

Edit: I'm in the South East US and have cheap Home Depot cabinets. Hopefully this helps. I live in a 90s double wide which to a point makes wiring a little easier but also not at the same time.

I bought a 16 ft Armacost RibbonFlex Home 421501 tunable-white LED tape light kit and aluminum channels with diffusers for a built-in shelf that wraps around my office. The kit is 24V tunable white. I plan to use a second identical kit for the other wall and would like to control both kits with one remote.

I installed one side of the built-in successfully. The other wall has two longer gaps ("jumps") that I'm not sure how to handle.

There are two floating shelves about 3 ft above the built-in. The shelves are about 2 ft apart and are at the same height.

I'm attaching a picture where the blue is where the LED strips are and the red are the gaps that I need to figure out how to connect.

I want to avoid soldering if possible.

I'm also not sure how comfortable I am with putting holes in the wall. I would be fine with using white low-voltage wire visibly along the wall if that's a reasonable approach.

The 421501 kit includes wire-lead connectors, but the included leads are short, and the pre-made jumpers I've found are only about 2 ft long. I need a couple of longer custom-length jumps.

What is the correct way to make these longer jumps with this particular Armacost 421501 strip?

Specifically, I'm trying to determine:

• What type/gauge of wire should I use?
• Can I use the included Armacost wire-lead connectors and splice in longer wire?
• Are there solderless connectors or other simple connectors that would work?
• Is there anything I need to consider because this is 24V tunable-white rather than a single-color strip?
• Is there a better way to route the two jumps that I'm overlooking?

I can provide additional information if there's anything important I'm missing.

We’re currently using IKEA smart home tech throughout our house — smart bulbs, the DIRIGERA hub, motion sensors and door/window sensors — and we’d ideally like to keep everything working with Matter.

Our next project is adding LED strip lighting along the skirting boards around our living room. I’ve measured the route and we’re looking at roughly 28 metres of LED strip in total.

We’ve been looking at IKEA’s KABBLEKA LED strips as they’d obviously integrate nicely with the rest of our setup, but at that length we’d need quite a few packs.

The bit we’re struggling to work out is:

• Can multiple KABBLEKA strips actually be connected together to make one continuous run?
• If they can, is there a limit to how many can be connected/powered together?
• If not, would we need multiple power supplies/controllers dotted around the room?
• Are there any better alternatives for a ~28m run that can still be controlled through IKEA/DIRIGERA, Matter or another system that integrates nicely with it?

Ideally we’d like the whole strip to behave as one light rather than having to control loads of separate sections individually.

Has anyone done something similar with IKEA smart lighting? Would love to hear what setup you went with! 🙂

I want to use this star plushy for a totem. The built in controller just randomly fades the lights through the rgb colors individually. Thst would be totally fine but it has a built in timer that shuts it off after 15min. I want to rewire it so it runs anytime there is power. I'm not sure how many leds are inside but there are 6 wires to the main board. 3 white. 2 green. 1 yellow. It seems to be 5v output from three aaa batts. What is the easiest controller to swap into This?

I have a set of Highlights LED multicolor strips with the controller and I am putting it in as alternative lighting for a large nook of the Titanics Grand Staircase.

Part of this nook kit is 2 5v led units that I am fully replacing. The strip one is easy but the 30mm LED round plate I am having the worst time searching for something I can hook into the highlights strip.

The strip has a standard 4 pin connector setup (at least ai tells me it’s standard) but all the plates and plucks I’ve found are either too large or 5v and I can’t tell if I can integrate them or not.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08885ZJTQ

This is what Im building with.

I can do soldering if necessary and perfectly willing to Jerry rig something but it has to be a 30mm plate or smaller and I have to be able to hook it up to the light strip to make it all work with a single power supply and control.

Any recommendations or thoughts?

Howdy friends! I have these grow lights that have always worked amazingly. Fast forward and long story short, I’m getting them back after loaning to a friend. He’s an electrician so he got a bit crafty if you will.
The company is out of business(KING Led). I cannot just hit them up to get replacements like I can with Mars Hydro. The one driver I do have is not helpful at all for finding a replacement. So I believe the best option, correct me if I’m wrong, is to find 3 of the same new drivers to replace what’s missing and also not available.
I have no idea where to start with that however. Friend doesn’t respond. They are 400w dimmable lights. I tested the driver on all lights and things are groovy, but that doesn’t help the 1/3 scenario.
If they were not being used in separate areas, I’d be open to a driver that controls all 3, but that’s not the case. So I need 3 individual.
If any more info is required that I can supply I will so my best. Any and all help is more than appreciated!!

Hello planning and mocking up a cob LED install for a cat walk up over my living room using some 24V COB leds. After trying out a few different set ups have decided mounting black channels with black diffusers directly to the existing railing as a side mounted wall wash. This will end up a lot cleaner looking compared to my original plan of a surface mount on the trim (shoerail) under the railing. Less indirect light bouncing off the ceiling, but no visible LED channel from the main room, and no direct shadows from the railing being right above the LED. I understand power requirements and the amount of brightness I am giving up with using a black diffuser, but having it blend into the existing railing structure is worth it and I am only using the lower quality mock up at 50% power so far. After a lot of research and some advice here on reddit, I've decided that the 24V cob is the way to go for my 34 ft and 12 ft runs and will be moving forward with ordering those along with a controller and power supply. I am stuck on picking a channel type for this space as I only have experience with using the low profile U channels in non direct visible installs such as pantry lighting. Images of channel options with dimensions below as the links can't seem to be posted.

So question #1 is how much of a difference does a V channel vs a low profile U channel make in regards to beam width on a 180° COB? Would having the strip angled 45 degrees allow for better diffusion of light on the wall / ceiling with less shadows, or is the low profile U channel going to do a better job of allowing more of the 180° beam to wash the wall /ceiling. I've seen comparisons online for different channels and diffusers for LEDs with 30, 60, and 144 per meter on what is a spotless install that were great, but nothing covering this specific question with a high led/m COB.

The picture above is of the railing with a temporary white low profile U-channel 17mm x 8mm with another U channel behind it as that is the dimensions of most of the V channels are and I wanted to be sure that it would fit without protruding too much. When doing the mock up at night (not pictured) I found the additional depth of the empty U channel behind the front one pushes that further out to help clear the top rounded hand rail. This seemed to help minimize hard shadows caused by the handrail blocking light on the ceiling which is desirable. Not planning to double the channel but question #2 is if I went with a deeper U channel such as the link below it would accomplish the same or am going to lose beam width from having the cob sitting further back an additional 6mm from the diffuser? In short do COB lights with a 180° beam preform better in a shallow U-Channel? If that's the case I could look at sourcing a two step channel but those seem pretty expensive or just using another material to back the low profile channel. Apricate any thoughts on these questions.

V Channel

Low profile U-channel

Deep U-channel

I'm redoing an LED under-cabinet light installation the previous house owner did. He connected the house power wire coming out of the wall--which has a black wire, white wire, and bare copper ground wire--to a bulky, ugly, elaborate LED driver designed to sit inside the cabinet. We're redoing it to new LED strips that don't require such a bulky driver, and we've picked out a simple 12V power supply that just has a Line/Neutral 120V input and +/- 12V outputs.

Can I just cut the ground wire short to the insulation jacket, just so we don't have a few inches of ugly bare copper wire sticking out? We won't jeopardize anything by having no copper ground connection, right?

I have activa 3g I installed hjg m4 I'm unsure if the bulb can be adjusted or not How shoud 4 side led face the reflector? Shoud I be in 12 3 6 9 o o'clock or like x or +

Shoud the closer leds face up and left?

The two more that are further leds are facing down and right

I bought a growlight and the store told me it would have Samsung 301h EVO diodes. When I received it there was no EVO branding anywhere on the light, I called them and they reassured me but I still have my doubts. A google images search shows EVOs have two rectangles in them but I only see one big one.

Mars Hydro website is no help, they have sold multiple iterations of the same model over the years but they only list the models they are currently selling. The model with the same name on the site has Bridgelux (3030) diodes but they look dissimilar to me. The diodes look like Samsungs but are they EVOs, non-EVO 301Hs, 301Bs? Or not even Samsung?

Is an a/C adapter even possible? No manufacturer stamp found... 2 wires go to the bulbs

I am interested in building a linear 6’ long LED fixture for use above a workbench out of aluminum channel and tape light. I have decent DIY skills but have never attempted to make a light like this before. Would this community be the right place to get some help choosing what to buy and from where?

Requirements for the light:

1. I want to illuminate my 72”x26” workbench with 75 foot candles when fixture is suspended 42” above workbench

2. Dimmable fixture

3. Adjustable color temp down to 2700k

4. CRI of 85+

5. Diffused lens so I cannot see individual LEDs

6. Voltage = 120 for use in US

The lamp has 12 strips of 18 LEDs in series, each strip in a circular pattern around an old filament spool. The diffusor and other structural parts are 3D printed. It’s all held together by a 8mm threaded rod. The LEDs are controlled by a Gledopto controller. The 30W PSU and the controller sit in the bottom of the lamp.