KNOWLEDGE CENTER
LED drivers are electrical devices that prevent damage to LEDs by regulating the forward voltage (VF) of the LED that changes with temperature, avoiding thermal runaway while delivering a constant current to the LED. LED drivers also help meet the requirements of energy-saving standards.
LED driver is like the heart of the luminaire, and it is the key factor that determines the life of the luminaire. There are five important factors when choosing LED drivers:
1.Power efficiency
The luminous efficiency of the LED will decrease with the increase of the LED temperature, so the heat dissipation of LED is very important. The higher the power efficiency, the less power the luminaire consumes, and the less heat it can emit. Therefore, if the temperature of the lamp can be reduced, the light decay of the LED can be delayed.
2. Power Factor (PF, Power Factor)
When the power factor (PF) is higher, the power that can be used by the lamp is higher, so the power consumption of the power supply system can be reduced. The high power factor LED power supply that complies with the regulations will improve the energy use efficiency of the power supply system, and is in line with energy saving, carbon reduction, and environmental protection benefits.
3. Current Harmonics and Ripple
Harmonics in the power supply system are actually interference currents that pollute the power grid. The lower the harmonic multiplier of the current input load in the appliance, the smaller the high-frequency harmonic current, which will not cause loop pollution in the power system and damage the power grid equipment. Ripple current is closely related to the power supply. Ripple will affect the LED flicker, and it will cause LED light attenuation when the ripple current and voltage are too large.
4. Protection function
A safer power supply should have overvoltage, overtemperature, and overcurrent protection, as well as surge and insulation requirements. Some outdoor LED lamp currents will enter the power grid or chassis due to the start of the grid load and lightning strike induction, which will cause a high voltage condition. The resulting surge will damage the LED and its lamps. The surge and insulation requirements on the LED driver protect the LED luminaire from being damaged and prevent damage from leakage.
5. EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
A good LED power supply should have the function of electromagnetic compatibility, so that the electromagnetic quantity generated by the lamp will not cause interference to other equipment, and will not be interfered by other electronic equipment.