V-TAC 60LED/meter – 24 Volt RGB LED strip measurement data between 1-15 meters, powered from one end

Customer Request:

Since I have already received the measurement data for the Pannon 30 LEDs per meter 24 Volt RGB strip per meter, could I get the same for the V-TAC 60 LEDs per meter 24 Volt strip in a per meter breakdown?

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I’ve done it! Not just up to 10 meters, but up to 15 meters, which is understandable as 30 meters with both-end connections.

This is the LED strip in question: V-TAC 600 LED (5050SMD) 24V LED strip 10 meter, RGB

V-TAC 24 Volt RGB LED strip powered from one end
LED strip length Measured with Miboxer controller, set to maximum white light
power consumption without power supply (calculated), Watt with 150 Watt Scharfer power supply (measured), Watt with plug adapter (calculated), Watt illumination ratio at the end of the strip compared to 100% at the beginning of the strip
1 meter 8.4 9.7 10.7 100%
2 meters 15.4 17.7 19.3 99%
3 meters 22.3 25.6 27.6 96%
4 meters 28.5 32.8 35.4 93%
5 meters 34.3 39.4 42.0 89%
6 meters 39.4 45.3 48.5 85%
7 meters 43.0 49.4 52.4 80%
8 meters 47.4 54.5 57.2 75%
9 meters 50.8 58.4 60.7 70%
10 meters 53.2 61.1 62.9 65%
11 meters 55.5 63.8 65.7 61%
12 meters 57.6 66.2 68.2 56%
13 meters 59.2 68.1 70.1 51%
14 meters 60.6 69.6 71.7 46%
15 meters 61.5 70.7 72.8 42%

 

The table above shows that I measured the power consumption and the light performance degradation at the connection point from 1 to 15 meters in one-meter increments for strips powered from one end. The actual measured consumption values were obtained by setting a Miboxer RGB controller to maximum white light output and measuring the total consumption with a 150 Watt Scharfer power supply. Since this power supply has an efficiency of 87% (as provided by the manufacturer), I corrected the power consumption without the power supply accordingly. Other controllers may mix white light with different ratios, resulting in different (but still similar) values, and different values would also result without a controller – although no one is likely to use RGB strips in this way. Plug adapters, which are typically less efficient power supplies (not the specifically industrial versions, but the residential ones), generally result in 3-6% higher consumption – and not more light – compared to more serious power supplies.

In previous posts (in a previous test), I praised this LED strip (here: https://enterior.eu/comparison-of-12-volt-and-24-volt-rgb-led-strips-which-one-should-i-buy/) because I measured only a 40% light performance drop at the end of the 10th meter compared to the measured value at the power connection point, and a 10% drop at the 5th meter. Now, I measured this strip to be 65% at the 10th meter, meaning it is even better, so the previously considered 40% light drop is now only 35%. This discrepancy means that even the nominal values of the resistors soldered onto the strips can vary (greater variability with cheaper resistors), so there can be such differences even between strips of the same type and production series. Therefore, none of my numbers can be taken as absolutely precise, but only understood as trends. Furthermore, my measurements are not certified!

The table shows that up to the 7th meter, a 20% light drop is considered quite favorable, making single-end power connection almost entirely acceptable. And this is also true for double. That is, if a continuous strip of 14 meters is created and connected from both ends, we will experience only a 20% light drop in the middle, at the 7th meter, compared to the measured value at the connection points.

If we want to create a large system but are determined to save costs or have no hidden area next to the LED strip for running a 4-wire trunk line and making power connections from there, we can compromise up to about 24 meters. As seen at 12 meters, we’ve just lost less than half of our light output, so if we set up a 24-meter RGB LED strip and connect it from both ends, it will most likely still shine above 50% of the light output compared to its two ends. This is not ideal, but some might say it’s worth it for the simplicity of the installation.

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What else is this table good for?

Since we just looked at the 24-meter two-end connection…
The table shows that at 12 meters with one-end connection, the power consumption is 57.6 Watts when the white light is mixed to maximum brightness. The nominal consumption per meter is 7 Watts, so at 12 meters it would be 84 Watts. Thus, if we create a 24-meter LED strip with only two-end power input, instead of the nominal 168 Watt consumption, we can only expect 115 Watts. Given these consumption ranges, 150 and 200 Watt power supplies are considered; seeing the table, purchasing the 150 Watt one would suffice instead of the 200 Watt.

Yes, we could even create a continuous 30-meter system from this strip with just 130 Watts of power consumption, but the light in the middle of the strip would only be around 42% compared to its ends. Well, there might be situations where one might decide on this, but I wouldn’t recommend such solutions to anyone.

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