Emergency LED drivers are just like a regular LED driver, it regulates the power supplied to the LED fixture, but they operate off a battery instead of direct to the line voltage. They influence the performance and lifetime of the luminaire since they regulate the amount of current to the LEDs.
If you’re installing a LED or performing maintenance on existing installations, or buying LED lights, you might need a constant-voltage power supply,or a constant-current LED driver or for proper LED operation.
Several things should be considered when selecting an LED Emergency driver. The below information will help you choose the right power source for your needs for light output.
Constant-Current Drivers
A constant-current driver helps to regulate the amount of current that is supplied to an LED or LED array to maximize LED lifetime. The constant-current driver is used for those LEDs or light fixtures that require constant output current and operate under some voltages.
Most finished LED products already have a constant-current driver or resistors to regulate current. If you’re building an LED fixture or replacing a constant-current driver, it’s essential to review that thevoltage of the driver and output current and is compatible with the LEDs’ current and voltage.
Constant-Voltage Power Supplies
Constant-voltage power supplies are to power LED products that have constant-current drivers. Products with current-regulating devices need a different operating voltage than what is supplied by the power source; in this case, a constant-voltage power supply comes to the rescue.
If constant-current drivers matching the voltage and current requirements of both the product and the power source (home, vehicle, etc.) are available, and constant-voltage power supply wouldn’t be necessary.
Wattage
You must determine how many watts your lights require when selecting a constant-voltage power supply. If you have more than one light, you should know the total watts required. You must make sure you have a large enough power supply to handle the wattage consumed by all of your lights.
Voltage/Current
When you build an LED fixture or replace an LED emergency driver, it’s essential to verify if the output current and voltage is compatible with the LED’s current and voltage. Make sure the LED’s specifications are compatible with the specification of the driver. When choosing an emergency driver, ensure that the voltage requirement of the LEDs is met.
Dimming Ability
If you want to change the brightness of your dimmable LEDs, you will need a dimmable driver or power supply. You can check the specifications of these power sources to know whether or not they’re dimmable.
There are five dimming control types which are commonly used:
- TRIAC Dimming
- Pulse-Width Modulation Dimming
- Resistive Dimming
- 1-10 Volt Dimming
- 0-10 Volt Dimming
Weather and Temperature Resistance
Another crucial factor that you must consider when buying an LED emergency driver is the environment that it will be used. Drivers work well if they are used in the environments with the temperature that falls inside their operating temperate range.
These are the few factors that you must consider before getting an LED emergency driver. Other than the factors mentioned above, efficiency of the driver or the power supply, and the size of the area of the installation is also essential.
