How to Order LED Strip Tape - A Complete Guide - Downlights Direct Lighting Advice & News

LED strip tape is one of the best inventions to come from the LED lighting revolution. This flexible strip light contains a row of LED chips and resistors positioned on a self adhesive strip that can be cut down to size. This makes it an ideal choice for kitchen under cabinet lighting as cabinets come in different sizes. LED strip tape can be cut and soldered to bespoke sizes to match the dimensions of your room.

With cut points at regular intervals such as every 50mm or 100mm, you can create your very own lighting design, the possibilities are almost endless.

Brightness Choices

We have 3 main versions that produce different levels of brightness:

High Efficiency, 70 LEDs per metre. At 4 watts per metre, it produces 650 to 680 lumens per metre (depending on your desired colour temperature). In-comparison to a popular mains voltage under cabinet light such as the Forum Legare which is 1200 lumens for a 1.13 metre length, its not quite as bright but offers a highly energy efficient lighting option.
COB (Chip on Board), 480 LEDs per metre. At 15 watts per, it produces 1650 to 2000 lumens per metre. This creates an unrivaled, seamless lighting effect with no dots.
High output, 126 LEDs per metre. At 26 watts per metre, it produces an impressive 2770 to 3050 lumens per metre. This would be better suited for ceiling lighting rather than under cabinet use.

Colour Temperatures

The most popular colour temperatures are:

1. 2700K extra warm white - this is a similar colour tone to an old incandescent or halogen light bulb. Its warmer and orange in appearance, producing a welcoming and homely effect.
2. 3000K warm white - this is whiter than the 2700K and the most popular choice of colour temperature. A clearer, less orange tone but not too harsh.
3. 4000K cool white (also known as neutral white) - this produces a really white, clear lighting effect. This is commonly used in offices and supermarkets. It can produce a cleaner lighting effect in the modern home but can make a room feel cold and sterile.
  Beyond 4000K, there's 5000K and 6500K which start to have more of a bluer tone to them, like a sky effect on a clear day.
4. We also have an LED tape that dims in brightness and colour temperature known as 'Sunset Strip'. At full brightness it produces a 3000K effect and reduces to 1800K as it gets dimmed. This doesn't need any special controllers, it can be dimmed using any LED compatible dimmer switch and requires a dimmable LED driver.

Colour Changing

If you don't want to be limited to just one colour, we have RGB (Red, Green, Blue) options as well as the more advanced RGBW or RGBWW which contain a true cool white 4000K or warm white 3000K within them. This gives you the best of both worlds. An array of colour changing effects and a proper white light for ambiance.

LED Drivers

Most of our LED strip tapes are now 24V DC. We've found this to be a better alternative to 12V DC. It allows for longer runs of 10M as opposed to 5M of 12V DC without any downsides. To select an LED driver, follow these rules:

Choose constant voltage not constant current. Constant current is a rare option for LED tape.
Match the voltage of the LED driver with the voltage of the LED tape.
The wattage or size of the LED driver is determined by the total wattage of the LED tape or tapes that your powering it from. Multiple the wattage per metre, by the total metres. For example 15W per metre x 5 metres = 75W, so you choose an LED driver that's rated at 75W or higher.
IP rating, if your installing it outside you'll water a water and dust resistant LED driver that's rated at IP65 or above. Indoor applications can use non IP rated drivers but the IP65 versions come in a robust casing and offer better quality, so they're also ok to use internally.

Dimmable LED Tape

If you want to dim your LED tape, just select a dimmable LED driver from this category and make sure its constant voltage.

Dimmable LED Drivers

Controls

If you're dimming your LED tape with a mains dimmable LED driver, you'll nee an LED compatible dimmer switch such as Varilight V-Pro. For smartphone control, we recommend the Lightwave smart lighting system. You'll need a Wi-Fi hub and smart switch but we can offer advice if needed.

We also have RF and Wi-Fi controllers that work with Tuya, Apple Homekit, Philips Hue, ZigBee and more.

Aluminium Profile Rails

Also known as extrusion rails, they improve heat dissipation and add an extra touch of class to an installation. We have options for surface, recessed, corner mount and more. We can supply LED tapes and profiles cut and supplied to your specifications with any input or output cables that you need.

Design & Soldering Service

We sell LED strips per metre and per pack but we also offer a bespoke cutting and soldering service. If you let us know the lengths you require we can supply everything you need. The LED tapes cut and soldered with any input and output cables you desire. Appropriate LED drivers for each run and the most suitable controllers.

Get in touch with us, using the form below and we'll send you a quotation including everything you need, to make your room come alive with light!

How to Order LED Strip Tape - A Complete Guide