How to Prolong the Service Life of LED Lighting System

Although LEDs have longer life and higher efficiency than other types of lighting systems, they are also more vulnerable - especially when they are not used in constant current systems. Generally speaking, improper wiring, improper heat dissipation or improper use of drive may cause premature failure of LED lighting system. You need to check whether the radiator or cooling system works normally, whether the wiring is correct, and ensure that the system operates within the rated parameters.

The constant voltage drive is more convenient to operate and can potentially save the design cost, but by avoiding the possible failure of the constant current system, we may be able to alleviate the problem of premature failure. Although constant current systems are cumbersome to operate, if used properly, they can prolong the service life of LEDs. The reason is that constant current solves the problem of heat escape.

Power is equal to current multiplied by voltage (P = I x V). People will think that as long as two variables remain constant, the remaining variables will remain unchanged. If we don't consider the problem of heat escape, that's right. When the LED is turned on for a long time or operates in a warm environment, the forward voltage drop will decrease and the LED current will rise above its rated value. This is the main problem when diodes (LEDs) are used as "loads" in lighting systems.

When the LED is heated, the constant current drive will intercept the overcurrent, and the voltage output will also adjust the heating led to a lower forward voltage drop. Therefore, there is no need to worry that the constant current drive will produce destructive overvoltage.

The following suggestions can help you solve problems and prolong the life of the lighting system when using the constant current lighting system:

Replace the damaged led immediately

Some people will make the mistake of letting the constant current LED lighting system continue to work when one or two LEDs are burned out or damaged. In this case, the constant current drive will pass the same current through the remaining LEDs, resulting in burnout or premature failure. Turn off the power and repair the damaged led immediately. Constant voltage drives do not have such problems because they always maintain the same voltage and their current depends on the current consumption of the (remaining) led.

Connect the lighting system to the output before connecting to the input power supply

Another suggestion that can help you avoid problems and premature failure is to ensure that the LED lighting system is connected to the drive before connecting the input power to the constant current drive. If you connect the input power to the driver before connecting the LED, the output voltage of the constant current driver may reach the highest (or higher) rating (higher than the rated voltage of the LED) of the voltage output window specification, resulting in premature failure or burning out the LED immediately when connecting. Constant voltage drives still do not have such problems because their output voltage is fixed and the current depends on the current on the LED.

Many professionals and amateurs will first connect the power supply to the constant current input, and then complete the wiring of the LED or "test" their lighting belt (by connecting the LED or light belt to the output) - they may not be aware of the damage they have done to the lighting system, but also wonder why the service life of the LED is not as long as expected.

Constant current drive obstacle removal

The reading displayed by the constant current drive voltage output with open load is likely to float up and down the whole range of the voltage output window because the output voltage will constantly change to try to output a fixed current.

Sometimes, an ordinary DC multimeter will be difficult to read because it may display AC voltage instead of DC voltage, which actually depends on the drive and instrument used. Sometimes, the output voltage may be the minimum or maximum value of the voltage output window. In order to obtain a stable reading, you need to add a load at the output to adapt to the voltage output range and meet the requirements of constant current.