High Power LED Tutorial #2 - How to Drive 5W & 10W COB LEDs from 12V

[@andywatts4774]

My driver arrived in the post today and works perfectly, thank you for the tutorial

[@alexanderwinkler3639]

I normally don't write comments, but this time I just had to! Thank you so much for explaining this subject so well. I've been scouring the web for a couple of days now and never felt I really understood how to calculate driver and led combinations until now! Keep up the good work!

[@spacial2]

Really interesting. I was involved in electronic design and prototyping until the 80s. I then moved into Electrical installation to make more money and sadly, forgotten so much and much is obsolete. But I still have many of my old manuals, reference sheets and such. But my collection of circuits and so much more has disappeared. The LEDs I remember were little beads which glowed red. It was possible to get banks for numbers of course. Ultrabright was dimmer than a match! The introduction of Yellow was a revolution! These are a massive step forward. I have strip LEDs in my home already, especially in traffic areas such as the hall, kitchen. The future is LED. Interesting article in another clip, from you, about those dangerous GU10s. Thanks once again.

[@UltraLiteSpeed1]

You are correct.. Found that you always use a supply voltage above the output for this devise.. Thanks for the Class my Friend.. I started this weeks ago when I was interested in a Flower Initiator 10 Watt IP65 Indoor Outdoor Grow Light.. This listed over $200.. I new I could make one of these for much cheaper.. Fact is I spent about $50 for everything I needed.. Now i am looking at adding a couple more Lines of Color to my Grow room to complete the Spectrum..

[@omarramirez5764]

Good tutorial Julian... I have five brand new 10w leds like the yours but it does not light until 16 vdc. I have used it about 28 vdc 350 mA whit heatsink could you tell me something about that? thanks Julian.

[@JulianIlett]

Thanks very much Adrian. It's from Sure Electronics (or Sure Display) via eBay. The full item name is "150-1500mA Buck Regulator LED Driver for 1-50W High Power LED"

[@JulianIlett]

The buck converter may need a volt or two difference between input and output to maintain a stable output. If the LED needs the full 6v to draw 1000mA, the buck regulator input may need to be 8v or more.

[@JulianIlett]

The 20W, 50W and 100W LEDs all need around 35 volts, so I'll be using boost converters (instead of buck regulators) to run them from a 12v battery. Bigger battery, bigger heatsinks, thermal grease, fan cooling will all feature in part 3. Many thanks for the kind comments.

[@musicstevecom]

Good Video, Thanks Are the 3W led dimmable? & Dimmable using the current limiter? see any problems?

[@LazerLord10]

Are the higher power LED's coming soon? I'm very interested in how the ultra high-powered LED's are used. Also, is a current only regulator enough for a 10W LED? It's just two transistors.

[@JulianIlett]

I'll be adding to the LED Tutorial series soon.

[@JulianIlett]

I've not measured it, but the data sheet for the LED driver claims 96% (24v in, 4 LEDs). I reckon if it stays cold, it's running efficiently.

[@davidperez5489]

Great videos. I use the 10w, 12v leds rated at 900mah and i do not restrict the current at all as i use a regular 12v, 10amp power supply. They draw around 1.5- 2.oamp each and they work just fine with and active heat sinc. The aquarium light i made has been in olace fir 8 months and the lights are working great...no burn outs. Does that make sense to you?

[@sciencoking]

Do you know how the manufacturer gets the nominal voltages of the chip within such narrow ranges that they all light up the same amount? My standard LEDs don't like to be driven in parallel, one will be brighter than the other unless I add a resistor to each one.. though that might be because they're cheap.

[@NicholasAarons]

Another Fantastic Video Julian. Keep up the great work. Nick.

[@JulianIlett]

Probably not. LEDs need a current controlled power supply. You need a PSU that will limit the output current to 1000mA while letting the output voltage rise up to whatever the LED needs. Your 5v PSU has an output voltage right in the middle of the LEDs 4.5v to 6v range, so it's just possible that the LED would light up without burning out, but it wouldn't run at full brightness. It's the wrong type of PSU for a high power LED.

[@fidelcatsro6948]

interesting, cant wait for the part 3 LED 100watt documentary

[@jkoz292]

I have two sets of three of those 10 watt led chips that I purchased. I want to run them off my boat battery off 1 power 12 or around 13.8v power supply They will be housed 3 a peice in two different housings. The specs are from China and say 300 milli amps a peice but ohms law says they are 700 mili amps a peice. I am just starting to hear and learn about current limiting but am wondering about quite alot now. I feel i need to wire them in parallel since they are rated for 12 to 15 volts Dc. Do I need to supply them with the roughly 700 milliamps times 6 to all the lights and where do I purchase a current limiter such as yours to run off a dc battery? Please, any help is much needed. I plan on housing them in non silicone epoxy resin with heat sinks and they will be completely water proof. Epoxy resin plus time is valuable so I want to do it correctly. All the info on the subject is confusing and many people do not seem to run the cree cob style light in parallel or exlplain the current regulation in a way I understand. The China based specs say the forward voltage is 12-15 volts and forward current is 300 ma if that makes sense or is helpful. Thank you for any help in my quest in the pursuit learning more on the subject!

[@ajxbjj]

Great video! We are still waiting for part 3.

[@joohop]

good vid man thanks whats the smallest reg unit cost ?

[@tv175s3]

6:33 The 2B3C marking on the 3W cob means 2 Parallel lines of 3 leds in Series. But why do they use B and S instead of 2P3S?

[@chucky35uk]

Well I tried a cheaper option with standard leds but the didn't last.....maybe coz I didn't use a regulator....but I really wanted something a lot brighter like what Audi use....I kno u have videos on higher wattage leds...but just wondered if the rules change on deprecating them six a side from a cars 12 v... Thanks again.

[@blancaokama7366]

Blanca Okama I love your videos. I am learning a lot. I’m trying to build a high power led panel that is 2 feet wide and 6 feet long. Using parts from EBay: 200 pieces 3W LED, 670nm, Intensity Type:3W 170~200Lm ,Viewing Angle:120° , Forward voltage:2.6V~3.6V, Forward Current:3W 700mA 20 pieces 5-35V 3W LED Driver 700mA PWM dimming DC TO DC step-down constant current Input :DC 5-35V, Output: 700mA ± 20mA, Drive 1-10 pcs 3W LED, Supports PWM dimming, High level turn off the output, Low level Open the output, LED buck mode to ensure the total total voltage difference is lower than the input supply voltage (2-3V) . Powered by: 12Volts 10A 120watts 18 Channel CCTV distributed power supply Output: DC Output Voltage: 12V Output Voltage Tolerance: ± 1% Rated Output Current: 10A Output Current Range: 0-10A Output Power: 120W Ripple and Noise: 100mVp-p DC Voltage Adjustable Range: ± 10% Input: Input Voltage Range: 90-130V, 47~63Hz AC Input Current: 0.65A/115V, 0.35A/230V Efficiency: 95% Working Temperature and Humidity: -20~+40℃, 20%-93%RH Storage Temperature and Humidity: -20~+55℃, 10%-95%RH 12V DC - 10amp Supply Current Multiple Outputs (18 channel) Every channel is protected with fuses Power on/off switch DC regulated, over current and voltage protected Individual LED indicator for each out put Do u think this will work? Thanks!

[@AlberAmmanuel]

Hi Julian I appreciate your videos. I got a question about the 3w leds and I want to drive 3 of them I series but I'm not sure what current I'll have to drive them on. of what I learnd here I guess it's 900? but then how many volts do I need ?

[@RifaiAL]

Hey brother, you are doing a marvellous job in the best way understandable when it comes to LED technology. Can we have a link to the video of your tutorial where you connect a 10W RGB 900A COB LED to an RF controllable driver?

[@probluntify]

Hello i would build a light with 4x 12V 10W COB Led´s. The Power supply is 12V with max 80W out. My asking is now which is better 4x 2 Ohm Resistors (to get on 10.5V and 750mA) or 4x Current regulators, ore better (if it´s Possible) one current regulator or all 4 led´s?

[@Ziplock9000]

A link to the driver board would help

[@chucky35uk]

Julian....I want to fit daylight running lights to my car. I bought 12 10 watt LEDs from eBay.I want to wire them 6 aside. I will fit a 12 volt regulator. But my question is....should I wire them in parallel or series? Love your videos.

[@nnvif4935]

Thats what i'm doing. why you using 10w leds?

[@Proiectediversediy]

Question: i haved buy 10 pcs of 10w LEd.The producer says that they need 9-12 V and 1050 mA.All the rest of 10w led on ebay have 900mA.The problem is that i have just one power suply of 12 V 24Amps.What resistor i must use for driving the 10W led? i was calculating 1 (i wanna drive them with 11 volt) so we have 1 divided buy 1.05 amp equals 0.952 ohms.so just one ohm and 1.1025 watts.Or is 11 wats for the resistor?Please help

[@dehved]

Proiectediversediy You can't use a resistor, need buck converter.

[@IsoU235]

Still very helpful information. Thank you!

[@proyectosledar]

excellent video Julian, have you measured the efficiency of those converters?

[@filipinodiynot]

hi julian i need some help what sort of led diver do i need for the this 17cm White 12V LED COB Car Auto DRL Driving Daytime Running Light Fog Lamp usually in pair Voltage: DC 12V • Power: 6W(17cm)/5W(14cm) • Light Color: white (6000K-6500K), blue, ice blue • Luminous Flux: 480lm (17cm)/320Lm when i measure the current it's only 194-200 mA with 12vdc now i am a bit confused how come it will be 6w many thanks in advance

[@JulianIlett]

Not really necessary on the 5W and 10W, but certainly needed for the 50W and100W

[@aadi1999]

can we use the same previous buck convertor with 10w leds?

[@AlecTaft]

hello , i have 9 ten watt red led and i want to put them in a 2ft square florescent bulb holder frame , which is metal i am also going to put a 4in square piece of aluminum under each led and bolt it to the metal frame, will i need a separate driver for each led or could i use a biger one to run them all, and witch is the best way to set them up thanks if you can help me they are 12 vollt

[@odortiz]

question regarding information on the LED manufacturer data sheet. My LED pulls 600mA at 3V and 1000mA at 3.2V. I used 12 LEDs in series and set the switching driver. the instructions said to set the driver to 800mA for max brightness. I chose to use a meter and set the voltage to 3.1V per LED. Had I chosen to set the driver to 1A, would the voltage have gone up to 3.2V per LED? Should I stop setting drivers based on voltage and use current from now on?

[@JulianIlett]

Yes, LEDs should be current controlled at high brightness. You can voltage control them at low brightness, but that's pretty useless because nobody wants dim LEDs.

[@Krzeszny95]

3:56 how does it detect what voltage to rise up to? Also, what would happen if you connected 12 volts to a 6 volt LED and limited the current?

[@UltraLiteSpeed1]

After It sank in of what you have described.. It makes sense to use the Buck regulator for my application inline with the 6 volt DC supply bought.. Takes some of the Guessing away for my 10w LED that specs out at a forward voltage range of 4.7--6 volts-1000ma.. Not really the standard voltages for a 10w LED as the Manufacturer said that IR LEDs run at lower voltages..

[@haz939]

Are you able to get high power LEDS that are not both common cathode and common anode? So you can drive the led strip inside individually. As I had a 50W LED I tried cutting the metal strip down the sides. But they seem to be all common connections. Both anodes and cathodes. I ask I wanted to switch the segments very fast with transistors and an Arduino a kind of multiplexing effect to try and improve the efficiency.

[@JulianIlett]

As far as I know, only the RGB ones have separate access to the individual columns

[@tronghoang7289]

Julian, could you please let me where you got the black heatsink?

[@JulianIlett]

I haven't made it yet. I will have to make it because part 2 ends by describing what will be in part 3! I must stop doing that. But part 3 will be the last one. Then I will start a new LED tutorial series (mostly about high power LEDs) because so much has changed. There are so many new LED drivers available now.

[@juncusbufonius]

Looks like it still hasn't been made.

[@markovucemilovic1443]

Can we connect 10W Led on 28.8 V and 350mA? (using DC to DC boost converter?)

[@saumyakushwaha5004]

No

[@Copozeras]

Cant I connect the 12v rated 10w led chip directly to the 12v led acid batgery?

[@ricininepartypillz9248]

If wired in series would you need to up amps but keep the volts the same?

[@Mandrag0ras]

What are these (paper clip looking) pins you soldered @ 1:31 and almost in every board while you do your tests and where do you find them?

[@terryroe2023]

I am going to be using 3 x 5 watt and 6 x 5 watt Ir leds 850nm, sadly you never mentioned these

[@downundergarage6968]

How these are wired is on the markings of the led. 2b3c

[@twentypt6872]

what is the best amps for best ratio lumen/watt 400mA,600mA or 750mA?

[@stancofulman2562]

How can I use a single RGB round type 5W COB LED to be controlled by an RF LED controller?

[@Uninflected_]

Great video, thanks for sharing, it would be interesting to see how many lumens and over all power they take compared, to some common halogen bulbs!

[@antobellog1878]

Can I connect 2 10W LED lights on 1 driver? If yes, how do I do it?

[@juliusvalentinas]

What LED driver is that? Is there version with variable current control by pot or digitally?

[@duncanhopkinson4691]

Do you know if the 10w COB LED can be dimmed?

[@khegol]

Where can i get that regulator board or something similar?

[@caveman1882]

Would it be 'safer' to use a constant-current (current limited) power supply to test the LED arrays ? Otherwise, one may need to order again. :-)

[@UltraLiteSpeed1]

I am starting a project with this LED: High power 10Watt Bright LED * Lens Color : Water Clear * Viewing Angle: 120-140° * Wavelength: 730-740nm * Forward Voltage:4.5V~V6.0 * Forward Current: 1000mA I have looked in my stuff and found a US Plug AC 100-240V to DC 5V 2A Switching Power Supply Converter Adapter.. Can I use this wired direct to (+) ( -)?? Hope I don't need a resistor. If so what values? This would sure simplify my Project if it will work.. I appreciate you help..

[@UltraLiteSpeed1]

The 10W LED I have is rated at 4-6volt/1A.. So you saying the Fixed Voltage on my supply will not control and limit the current needed???

[@dalenassar9152]

Julian, I can't find "HIGH POWER LED DRIVERS TUTORIAL #3" --dale

[@JulianIlett]

LED = 90 lumens per Watt, halogen = 25 lumens per Watt if I remember rightly.

[@Decon89]

Thanks for your videos. I’m currently working on a project in which I need to power and control the fade level of five LEDs running in parallel at 700mA/1.5W. I’ll be using the same external 150-1500mA buck regulator LED Driver (PS-SP12144), powered by a 12v/1000mA PSU. The LED driver takes a PWM that can regulate the LED connect to the LED driver, but I can't seem to get it to work with the Arduino analogWrite() PWM function. It only seems to toggle the light on/off when EN is connected to VCC on the LED driver, but not with any other voltage source (e.g. use 3.3v from arduino). I might be going in the wrong direction here, so any suggestions would be a very appreciated :)

[@dehved]

Where is part 3????

[@vivianzhang8287]

ikr

[@judck]

How can a 10W COB cost $1.22? Are they overrated?

[@nnvif4935]

What is the LED mA controler called you are using here?

[@nnvif4935]

***** no longer shipped to UK, DAM

[@StuttgartHD]

u dont use thermal compound?

[@JulianIlett]

Sure Electronics via eBay - search for "buck regulator LED driver".

[@RSP13]

Very nice! Thanks!

[@chucky35uk]

Liam what wattage are u using?

[@jcm8478]

thank you good job juan

[@สบายสายลม-ธ3ฮ]

good

[@superkidzach]

how was this a tutorial in any way?