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| W/m | Typical Use | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | Accent / cove | Low |
| 4.8 | General ambient | Medium |
| 7.2 | Feature / kitchen | Med-High |
| 9.6 | Task / retail | High |
| 14.4 | Commercial | Very High |
| 19.2 | Industrial | Ultra |
Always size your driver to at least 120% of the total strip load. A driver running at 80% capacity runs cooler, generates less heat, and lasts significantly longer — often 2–3× the lifespan of a driver running at full load.
LED strips require a constant voltage (CV) driver — not a constant current driver. Make sure the driver output voltage exactly matches your strip: 12V, 24V, or 48V. Mismatching will damage your strip.
LED strips draw slightly more current when cold, and power supplies degrade over time. A 20% headroom keeps your driver in its efficient zone — reducing heat and extending lifespan by years.
Your driver AND controller must use the same dimming protocol. Common types: Triac (wall dimmers), 0–10V (commercial BMS), DALI (smart buildings), PWM (LED strip controllers). Mixing incompatible types causes flicker.
Low-voltage strips can suffer voltage drop on long runs — the light gets dimmer toward the far end. Fix: use 24V or 48V strips, power from both ends, or split into multiple shorter runs each with their own driver.
Choosing the right LED strip driver (power supply) is one of the most important decisions in any LED strip installation. An undersized driver will overheat and fail prematurely. An oversized driver wastes money. And the wrong voltage will either dim your strips or destroy them instantly.
Sizing an LED strip driver comes down to three steps:
Always choose the next standard driver size above your calculated requirement. Standard sizes are typically 30W, 40W, 50W, 60W, 75W, 100W, 120W, 150W, 200W, 240W, 300W, 320W and 500W.
| Voltage | Best For | Max Run Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12V | Short decorative runs, under-cabinet | ~5m per run | Most common, widest product range |
| 24V | Longer runs, commercial, high-wattage | ~10m per run | Less voltage drop, preferred by professionals |
| 48V | Very long runs, high-output strips | ~20m+ per run | Emerging standard for architectural lighting |
Running a driver at 100% capacity continuously generates excess heat and dramatically shortens its lifespan. A quality driver like a MeanWell HLG or ELG series is rated for a certain MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) at 80% load — exceed that and you void the warranty and halve the life expectancy. The 20% buffer also leaves room for any slight inaccuracies in the strip's stated wattage, which can vary by up to 10% between manufacturers.
For large installations, you have two options: one large driver feeding all strips in parallel, or multiple smaller drivers each powering a zone. Multiple smaller drivers are often preferred because:
As a rule of thumb, avoid runs longer than 5m on 12V or 10m on 24V from driver to the furthest point of strip — voltage drop beyond these distances causes visible dimming.
If you want to dim your LED strips, the driver and dimmer must be compatible. Common dimming protocols include:
Never connect a non-dimmable driver to a dimmer switch — it will flicker, buzz, or be permanently damaged.
| IP Rating | Protection | Suitable For |
|---|---|---|
| IP20 | No moisture protection | Dry indoor locations only |
| IP44 | Splash resistant | Bathrooms (outside Zone 1) |
| IP65 | Dust-tight, water jets | Outdoor covered locations |
| IP67 | Temporary immersion | Outdoor exposed, near water features |
| IP68 | Continuous immersion | Pool surrounds, underwater |
MeanWell is the industry benchmark for LED drivers. Here's a quick guide to their most common series for LED strip installations:
One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of LED strip installations is the cable between the driver and the strip itself. Even if your driver is correctly sized, undersized cable between the driver output and the strip will cause voltage drop — resulting in dimming or colour shift at the far end of the run.
As a general guide for low-voltage DC cable runs from driver to strip:
| Run Length | 12V System | 24V System |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3m | 0.75mm² or 1mm² | 0.75mm² or 1mm² |
| 3–5m | 1.5mm² | 1mm² or 1.5mm² |
| 5–8m | 2.5mm² (or power inject) | 1.5mm² |
| 8–15m | Power inject at midpoint | 2.5mm² |
| 15m+ | Multiple drivers | 4mm² or multiple drivers |
These are indicative values. Always check voltage drop using the Garden Lighting Calculator for precise cable sizing on your specific run length and wattage.
Power injection is the practice of connecting the driver output to the LED strip at multiple points along its length, rather than just at one end. This distributes the current load and reduces the voltage drop that would otherwise cause the far end of a long strip to dim.
For a 10-metre run of 12V strip, instead of feeding from one end and watching the last 3 metres dim, you feed from both ends — each end only carries current for 5 metres, cutting voltage drop by approximately 75%. The driver can still be a single unit; you simply run separate cables from the driver output to each end of the strip.
Power injection is typically needed when using 12V strips longer than 5 metres, 24V strips longer than 10 metres, high-wattage strip (18W/m or above) over 3 metres, or any run where visible brightness variation is unacceptable such as retail or hospitality settings.
Where you install the driver has a significant impact on its lifespan. LED drivers generate heat during operation, and heat is the primary cause of driver failure. Never seal a driver in an airtight enclosure — heat buildup will dramatically shorten lifespan, even for drivers rated for enclosed installation. Roof spaces can reach 70°C+ in Australian summers. Most LED drivers are rated for 40–50°C ambient, so a driver running at 70°C will have a fraction of its rated lifespan. Consider locating it in a cooler position or using a driver with a higher temperature rating. Allow at least 50mm clearance around all sides of a driver for airflow when installed in a ceiling cavity or enclosure.
There are two fundamentally different types of LED drivers, and using the wrong type will damage your LEDs. Constant voltage (CV) drivers maintain a fixed output voltage (12V, 24V, or 48V) — LED strip lights require constant voltage drivers, as they have their own internal current limiting resistors built into each LED segment. Constant current (CC) drivers maintain a fixed output current and are used with high-power LED modules, downlight COB arrays, and architectural LED systems. Constant voltage + constant current (CV+CC) drivers — like the MeanWell HLG series — offer the best of both: they regulate voltage until the current limit is reached, then switch to current regulation, protecting against overload while maintaining stable voltage for LED strips.
If you are powering standard LED strip from a roll, you need a constant voltage driver at the strip's rated voltage. Using a constant current driver with LED strip will da