As a result of those experiences, Volt Lites functions from the designers’/directors’ perspective. Too often the vision of the designer was lost in the production process of renting gear, and because of equipment issues and rental quality, the designers had to lower their standards. They had personally experienced a disconnect in the relationship between the designer and rental house, which they wanted to remedy.
They created Volt Lites in order to provide design expertise, exceptional equipment and strong support for their clients and customers. The concept behind Volt Lites arose because Matt and Harrison saw a void in the lighting industry that they wanted to fill. After graduation their paths in the lighting industry diverged, but in 2010 they reconnected and formed Volt Lites. Those early experiences developed into a career for each of them, which became formalized at CalArts where they met and received their degrees in lighting. It can sometimes be useful to understand the inner workings of such devices as it can help us understand some of the more nuanced aspects of its performance, such as dimming and voltage input changes.Co -Founders Matthew Shimamoto and Harrison Lippman both developed an interest in lighting from a very early age, and both had strong mentors who encouraged them to experiment with and research products and innovations in lighting. One of the significant advantages of LED strip light products is simple yet versatile they are given compatibility with simple constant voltage power supply devices. This is an added advantage for LED strip lights whose color temperature consistence must remain constant even when its brightness is altered. Similarly, we also know that an LED will draw the same amount of current when it is in its "on" state, regardless of its duty cycle.
By adjusting the ratio of time on vs time off (duty cycle), the apparent brightness of an LED strip's light output can be adjusted.įor a 12V LED strip, this means that it is always receiving either the full 12V or 0V, depending on which part of the PWM cycle we are at. The preferred method is to use what is called PWM (pulse width modulation) - where the LEDs are turned on an off at a rapid rate. In reality, however, power electronics are not very good at reducing the voltage output in this way.
One way to dim an LED strip is to adjust the input voltage to below is rated level, as we saw above. While it is possible to supply a voltage that is slightly different from the rated voltage, you will have to be careful and precise to ensure that you do not cause any damage to the LEDs. We've shown that for a 12V LED strip, it can go from dark to overdriven in a narrow range between 10V and 12.8V. Any higher and you risk damaging the LED.Īnd keep in mind that each LED will have a different rating, and inherent variation in manufacturing can affect the actual voltage ranges that are acceptable for a particular LED strip. It just so happens that 200 mA is the manufacturers' maximum current rating. Our LED is now driven at 3.2V, at which the chart shows a current draw of 200 mA. Let's take a look at supplying 12.8V to a 12V LED strip. You'll likely see a very dim LED strip at this voltage level.Īll voltages less than the LED strip rating are safe, as you will always be drawing less current and therefore avoiding any possibility for damage or overheating.
If we reference the chart, at 2.5V, the LEDs will barely draw any current. What if we supplied just 10V to a 12V LED strip? In this case, we are reducing the voltage per LED by 0.5V each. While that's a pretty significant drop, the LEDs will run just fine, albeit at a much lower brightness level. Will the LEDs still run at 2.75V? If we reference the chart above, it appears that the current draw will drop from 120 mA per LED to about 40 mA. Because in a 12V LED strip there are 3 LEDs and a resistor in series, supplying 11V instead of 12V is a bit like reducing the voltage for each LED by 0.25V.