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Controller for LED lighting. Controllers for LED strips

When connecting a regular monochrome tape, you should adhere to three basic rules:

  • connection is made in parallel in sections of no more than 5 meters
  • the tape is mounted on an aluminum profile
  • The power supply is always selected with a power reserve

The same rules are fully applicable for multi-color RGB tape. However, there are some peculiarities here. They are connected with the use of an RGB controller in the connection diagram.

RGB controller

In addition, be sure to remember that full-fledged rgb backlighting can be made using SMD 5050 LEDs. They are the ones that implement the ability to change colors in one light source.

This is achieved due to the fact that the LED is assembled from three crystals. In all other types of SMD 2835, SMD 3528, one LED can shine in only one color.

Because of this, small dips in illumination may occur in the backlight, when neighboring LEDs simply will not light up and the strip of light will not look solid and continuous. Examples and disadvantages of such models can be found in the articles “” and “”.

The RGB controller is connected after the power supply. With its help, you can change not only colors, but also the brightness of lighting, different operating modes, the intensity of color changes, etc.

For the light-music mode, when colors run in different directions and replace each other, special controllers will be required. They are called DMX.

A certain length of LED strip can be connected directly through the controller. The maximum is 5 meters or 10 meters when connecting two sections of five in parallel.

What to do if you have multi-colored lighting more than 10 meters away? For the monochrome version, everything is solved by parallel connection of individual pieces. For example, you connect 3 sections of 5m each and have full illumination 15m long.

For RGB strips, it is possible to solder and connect 5-meter sections in parallel, but there are some nuances with direct connection to one controller.

Connection diagram for RGB LED strip 5m or 10m long

First, let's consider the option when you have a total length of LED backlighting of only 5m or 10m, that is, two solid strips connected in parallel, 5m each. What is needed in this case?

  • power supply that converts 220V from the network into 12 or 24V necessary for the backlight to operate

  • RGB controller

Unlike the power supply, it can be selected without a power reserve, which is called back-to-back. The main thing is to correctly calculate the power of the tape itself.

For example, if 1m consumes 14.4W (data can be found on the packaging or from tables, according to the type of LED), then 10m will respectively “eat” 144W. It is for this power that you buy a controller.

How to connect all this correctly? Firstly, 220V must be supplied to the power supply itself. Usually on the left there are two terminals marked L (phase), N (zero) and ground. Here the polarity of L and N is not necessary.

  • Light with BGR V+ contacts

They are deciphered as:
B (blue) – blue

G (green) - green

R (red) – red

V is the common plus on the LED strip. Directly on the tape it can be signed as “+12” or simply “+”. All other three rgb pins are negative.

  • Power with contacts “+” and “-”

Unlike monochrome tape, the RGB version has not two contacts, but four. And sometimes all five!

The fifth is responsible for white light, since normal white natural light cannot be obtained from a combination of RGB colors. These LED strips are called RGBW or RGBWW.

Therefore, check in advance how many contacts for soldering wires the tape has and buy the appropriate controller. This is especially true when shopping through online stores.

The Power contacts are supplied with 12 or 24V voltage from the power supply.

Look for terminals on the block labeled “V+” and “V-“. Instead of “V-“ they sometimes write “COM”.

If you mix up the order, connect red to green or vice versa, nothing bad will happen, the colors on the control panel will just get confused.

By the way, in extreme cases, an RGB LED strip can be connected without a controller at all, directly to the unit.

To do this, you need to twist all three rgb wires into one and apply a minus wire to it, and a positive wire to the second one.

True, in this case, there can be no question of any multi-colored lighting. However, it can be considered as one of the lighting options if the controller fails.

If you correctly connect the RGB strip according to the first option, you should have the following sequence: 1 Power supply
2 Controller
3 RGB LED Strip

RGB ribbon 15-20 meters long

If you need to connect 15, 20 meters or more, this option with only one controller will no longer work. There are two exits:

  • use two controllers
  • use RGB amplifier

The first option is inconvenient with higher costs. And secondly, you will have two control panels, each of which is responsible for different sections of the tape. And how you synchronize them is another question.

Therefore, the best option is when everything is controlled from one controller and from one remote control. This can be easily implemented with an rgb amplifier.

From the name it is clear that its purpose is to amplify the signal from the controller. True, some are mistaken, believing that it is needed for a brighter glow of the tape. And it is for this purpose that it can be used even for 5-meter sections. This is wrong.

It is selected according to the power not of the entire length of the LED strip, but only of the section that is connected to it, in addition to the first 5 or 10 meters.

Amplifier connection diagram

The amplifier has input-input and output-output terminals. At the input and output, the same contacts as the controller - a common plus and colors.

There are also power supply terminals:

  • VDD or "+"
  • GND or "-"

Voltage 12-24V can be supplied both from an additional unit and from a common one, if its power allows.

To connect, connect the common ends of the previous segment of the LED strip to the input terminals of the amplifier.

After this, place the power conductors from the unit under the VDD and GND screws.

As a result, you should get the sequence: 1 Power supply
2 Controller
3 LED strip No. 1
4 Amplifier
5 LED strip No. 2

The assembled backlight according to this scheme will work and be controlled from one remote control.

If you need to connect another 5-10 meters of tape, another amplifier is added to the circuit, and possibly an additional power supply (depending on the lighting power).

Just keep in mind that you cannot directly parallel the power supplies themselves. This must be done through a diode bridge. Therefore, they must be separated from each other through separate sections of tapes.

Thus, you can assemble a multi-colored backlight of any length according to your requests. The main thing is to find a place to place all this equipment.

When there is not enough space, a micro model can be used instead of a large amplifier.

It resembles something like an adapter, and its size is appropriate. At the same time, it copes well with its task of signal amplification.

In addition, it can be used if you lack the power of your controller. For example, the power of the entire LED strip is 110W, but the controller is only 70W.

In order not to change it, just buy such a mini amplifier, connect two elements in series and enjoy the lighting.

By the way, the controller itself may be of the same miniature size.

Sometimes it is not enough to simply turn light sources on and off; there is a need to control them - adjust the brightness, change the color of the glow, turn on various static or launch dynamic effects. To control the LED strip in such cases, there are special devices - LED strip controllers. In this article we will look at what controllers are, how they differ from each other, and how to choose a controller for specific purposes. Let's start with the simplest.

Adjusting the brightness of the LED strip.

To adjust the brightness of a white (or single-color) strip, an LED strip dimmer is used. You can control the brightness from a dimmer built into the wall or from a remote control. Built-in dimmers are used less frequently. This is due to the fact that to connect them, as a rule, it is necessary to lay additional wires in the walls, which is not always possible. Dimmers with remote control do not require additional wires. The remote controls transmit a control signal to the controller via an infrared or radio frequency channel. RF remote controls are more common because they do not require remote signal receivers and pointing the remote control at the receiver while switching the lighting.

The simplest and most common option is when the dimmer is a kit that includes a remote control and the dimmer itself. Such dimmers allow you to control one backlight zone, which in many cases is quite sufficient.

When the task is to control several lighting zones in one room (for example, ceiling, curtains, niche, etc.) from one remote control or to control light in different rooms from one remote control, then multi-zone control systems are used. In such systems, one remote control and several dimmers (according to the number of zones) are purchased separately and the dimmers are programmatically linked to the desired control zone.

There are times when it is necessary to dim an LED strip together with incandescent or fluorescent lamps, but it should be remembered that dimmers for such lamps cannot be used to adjust the brightness of the LED strip. This is due to the fact that the pulse width modulation (PWM) method is used to control the LED strip. The PWM method is that the LED is not supplied with a constant voltage, but with a pulse-modulated current, which can be adjusted using dimmers and RGB controllers.

TRIAC dimmers (work with thyristor power controllers), 0-10V control dimmers (work with 1-10 V control panels) or DMX control dimmers (work with digital panels and control panels) help to cope with this control task.

There are also dimmers that work in conjunction with light sensors, they adjust the brightness of the tape depending on the degree of illumination.

Color control of multi-color LED strip.

An RGB LED strip controller is designed to control the RGB strip. The RGB controller allows you not only to select from the three colors of the RGB strip (red, green and blue), but also to mix them, getting a variety of shades. The RGB controller already has dimmer functions, so there is no need to buy a separate device to adjust the brightness. It also allows you to choose the speed and smoothness of the color change of the glow. The RGB controller's memory already contains programs for lighting effects, for example, a smooth flow from one color to another, and more "advanced" models support the creation of your own simple programs.

Ways to control RGB controllers are the same as the methods of controlling dimmers discussed above, that is, they can also be wired, wireless, can be equipped with IR (infrared) or RF (radio frequency) control panels, work using an analog protocol 1-10 V or digital DMX and DALI, control one or more zones.

An RGB+W controller is designed to control a multi-color RGB + W (Red, Green, Blue + White) LED strip, which combines an RGB strip and a white glow strip. It differs from the RGB controller by having 4 channels for white light.

Controls the white tint of multi-white LED strips.

To control multi-white LED strips (MIX, TRIX), on which white LEDs with different color temperature of glow (cold, daylight, warm) are installed, a MIX controller is used. It differs from the RGB controller in that it allows you to choose the color of the glow from shades of white from cold to warm white.

Management of complex lighting systems.

It is carried out using various digital protocols. On our website there are controllers and decoders working on DMX and DALI protocols.

DMX control is used to create complex lighting effects and can control up to 170 RGB lights and up to 512 whites.

DALI control is often integrated with the Smart Home system and allows you to control up to 64 lights.

Control of traveling wave tapes.

There are also controllers that control special tapes - traveling wave tapes. With the help of such controllers and a ribbon, you can create the effect of lights running along the ribbon. In such controllers, as a rule, there are about 100 programs that implement various effects of running lights (change of color, speed, increase in brightness, decrease in brightness, etc.)

Managing pixel strips and modules.

A separate class of controllers and the corresponding tapes and LED modules for them are pixel controllers. They implement independent control of each RGB LED on the tape or each RGB module. With the help of such controllers, it is possible to build various light panels with any information displayed on them, up to the creation of moving pictures. The program for such a controller is created by the user himself using specialized software and transferred to a memory card, which is then installed in the controller. You can record several programs on one memory card and run the required one.

Additional Information.

It should be taken into account that each of the controllers is designed for a certain power and if you need to connect a large amount of LED strip, then you need to use an RGB amplifier.

You can find out how to connect an LED strip using controllers and amplifiers in the “Connection diagrams” section of our website.

Selection Tips

Number of control zones

A conventional device can control only one zone - the entire LED strip connected to it will glow the same color and have the same brightness. If you want to control different parts of the backlight separately, you will need several controllers, each of which will be configured separately.

There are multi-zone devices - several controllers will be connected to one remote control or wall panel, each of which will control its own zone. This is especially convenient because... it becomes possible to save lighting scenes to separate buttons.

Lighting scenes

Saving scenes can be very handy for multi-zone lighting. You can save the current combination of brightness and color of all zones to a separate button.

For example, you might have 2 or 3 everyday scenes: “day”, “watching movies” and “party”. Turning on will happen literally with one button, and you don’t even need to know how many zones you have and where they are.

Presence of a white channel

Colored and white lights are often installed in the same niche. There are two main ways to control RGB+W lighting:

Two separate controllers
You can install a white strip dimmer and an RGB controller separately (for example, TEC Dimmer-X5 and TEC Dynamic-X4 wall panels). The free zones of the TEC Dimmer-X5 panel can also be connected to control traditional chandeliers and lighting fixtures using compatible relays or dimmers.

Combined RGB+W controller
There are devices with which you can control white and RGB backlighting simultaneously, for example, the TEC Dynamic-X8 model.

Non-volatile memory

On a conventional controller, when the power is turned off, for example, when turned off by a key switch, all settings are erased. After turning on, the backlight will turn on each time in some “basic” color and brightness, and each time you need to adjust it again.

In everyday life, it is very convenient when the device remembers previous settings. Even without any separate save buttons, the controller will remember what mode it was in before it was turned off. Non-volatile memory is responsible for this.

Maximum connected power

Each controller has a limit on the power of the tape connected to it. Manufacturers provide information about the number of amps per channel (R, G, B or W) or the maximum power (W per channel) at a certain voltage.

Knowing the maximum load power per channel, it is easy to calculate the power of the connected LED strip:

The color tape has three channels (R, G and B). This means that the maximum power of the controller for the RGB LED strip will be equal to the sum of the powers of the 3 channels.

White (W) tape has one channel. You can connect a white tape to the RGB+W controller, the power of which does not exceed the maximum load for 1 channel.

Before you buy a controller, check the characteristics of the tape. Our specialists will help you select equipment for a specific lighting project.

Working voltage

Most LED strips are available with an operating voltage of 12V DC or 24V DC. Typically, controllers support this range, but before purchasing, it is advisable to check that the voltage of the LED strip matches the capabilities of the device and power supply.

PWM frequency

If you plan to adjust the backlight brightness over a wide range (by more than 40-60%), we recommend paying attention to the PWM indicator.

Anyone who owns their own home wants coziness, comfort and convenience. With the help of automatic lighting, you can very beautifully organize the lighting of a flight of stairs. This will simultaneously show concern for loved ones and the interior will be transformed beyond recognition, that is, it will become simply chic.

The primary advantage of the controller is that the steps are switched on sequentially and smoothly. They turn off just as smoothly. The backlight turns on when a person passes in front of the installed motion sensor. At the same time, he does not need additional lighting in order to see where to place his foot in the dark: on the first and last steps there is emergency lighting, with the help of which the flight of stairs becomes visible in the dark.

Our production does not stand still and we are doing our best to improve the product. The updates affected staircase controllers. They are becoming more compact, more powerful and “smarter”. In addition to open-frame options, case-based controllers are now available for sale. They have a backlit LED screen, a protective case, easy menu navigation thanks to buttons located on the case, as well as convenient connectors for connection. In addition, the controller is quite easy to configure(). The following elements are connected to the staircase lighting controller: motion sensors, photoresistor, LED strip and power supply. Stair lighting is adjusted using the controller. It is possible to adjust the brightness and speed of turning on the illumination of the steps at your discretion. For example, you can dim the light on the first and last steps. There are plenty of opportunities for smart staircase lighting.

The following advantages can be identified with automatic staircase lighting:

  • ascent and descent is much safer;
  • long time of use;
  • compactness;
  • economy in electricity consumption;
  • looks great as an interior decoration.

The controllers we offer use motion sensors that have no analogues in other countries yet. They do not require a reflective surface. They are presented in the form of a thin beam. They can be installed at various points, and also in places where other sensors cannot function.

In order to achieve unique lighting for your staircase, it is advisable to use our KAP controllers marked 16, 24 and 32. They are ideally suited for any room, including a summer house.

Such automatic lighting is often used to illuminate paths in parks and corridors. The controller can be easily mounted on both wooden and concrete stairs.

The popularity of smart lighting based on the KAP controller, as well as motion sensors and LED strips, is growing day by day. In many homes, the interior is significantly transformed thanks to this option. You can see an example of how automatic staircase lighting works on our website. Our feature is a custom-made staircase of any complexity with an installed staircase lighting controller. You can also order finishing of a finished staircase from us. Our craftsmen will do everything very high quality and very beautiful.

You can buy backlight controllers by placing an order by phone or leaving an order on the website.