Thanks to its ergonomic design as well as easy installation and arrangement, LED lighting has enjoyed enduring popularity – and it seems that it will continue to stay with us in the future. This makes it all more reasonable to invest in this type of illumination sources. Of course, you can use light bulbs and other products adapted to be powered directly from the power grid. However, every such product you purchase will already have a built-in driver anyway, most often with a transformerless, non-replaceable system, whose failure means you will need to buy a new LED “fluorescent lamp” or “bulb”. Looking into the future, while creating new electrical systems or modernising wiring in old buildings, it is worth adapting them to power and control LED light sources. In such a case, drivers will be key devices in determining the quality and life of the powered components.
Drivers for LED lighting systems
We have already discussed the types and possibilities of illumination based on light-emitting diodes here. If you are searching for specific solutions, we encourage you to read the text below, where the leading Mean Well solutions are presented. These include drivers designed for household use, as well as products for industrial purposes, and complex lighting sets for architectural and public buildings.
LPV and LPC series of drivers
The LPV and LPC series have been designed for use with light sources that requireconstant voltage or constant current, respectively. These are related families of products, they offer power of up to 153.6W, which is enough for basic illumination of residential interiors or advertising lighting. Drivers have a short-circuit protection, fully insulated enclosure (IP67) and factory-installed input and output cables. The advantage of these products is that they can be powered both from AC (up to 305V AC) and DC sources (431V DC). Selected models can operate with voltage from 90V AC upwards, which means that they can be connected to a typical power grid in all regions of the globe. The advantage of this series is also its wide thermal tolerance, ranging from -30°C to 75°C.
LPC-100-500
The drivers are IP67-rated thanks to factory-installed cables.
XLG and LDC constant power drivers
Constant power drivers allow you to power and control constant current light sources, tanks to which you can control and stabilise their brightness without introducing the strobe effect (which occurs in the case of PWM solutions). This type of power supply units allows to adjust the lighting intensity to specific user requirements or industrial applications.
In the Mean Well range of products you can find two series of such drivers – LDC and XLG. The main difference between them is the application area. The LDC family of drivers is designated primarily for indoor lighting. It features a built-in power factor correction circuit, very low standby current (less than 0.5W) and adjustable output current (from 625…1000mA to 1400…2100mA, depending on the model) which is possible by connecting a single resistor with specified resistance. Users can adjust lighting intensity using a monostable push button (which acts as an on/off switch and allows for brightness adjustment) or a device working with the DALI interface (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), supported by the LDC series.
XLG-100-12-A
XLG series of constant power drivers is designed for industrial applications.
XLG group devices intended for larger applications, such as outdoor lighting of buildings and public spaces (streets), stage illumination (e.g. as a DMX network power supply), light sources used in gardening, etc. They are characterised by power rating up to approx. 240W, a wide range of output voltages, the ability to be powered from 110V and 240V AC power grid, high efficiency (up to 94%) and IP67 rating, which means that these devices can be used in difficult environmental conditions, including outdoors (most models can operate in temperatures from -40…90°C). Find out more.
ELG and HLG sealed drivers
The ELG and HLG series include high quality AC and DC LED drivers. Altogether, this group includes hundreds of products designed for a wide variety of applications. They are characterised by a high ingress protection rating (IP65 or IP67) and a wide range of functionalities. Depending on the model, these may include: additional output for the standby mode (5V DC), voltage, resistive or pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming, active PFC (power factor correction), auxiliary 15V DC output. Selected products can be controlled remotely using the DALI interface or work with the programmable Smart Timer driver by Mean Well. The power rating of the devices offered by TME ranges from 60W to 300W. Drivers are suitable for lighting strings requiring voltagesfrom 12V to 343V (and currents up to 22A). The ELG and HLG series cover the needs of most systems installedin residential housing, single-family households, farms, public spaces and workplaces.
ELG-100-36
Metal enclosures have pre-drilled brackets for easy installation.
PWM drivers
PWM-120-12BLE
LED strip switched-mode driver: PWM-120-12BLE.
Popular and ergonomic method of controlling the intensity of LED lighting is to power it using drivers that emit a PWM signal. This method is used with constant voltage sources, such as LED strips and modules, allowing a wide range of arrangements – it also provides high compatibility and allows simultaneous powering of different types of components. The drivers offered in the TME catalogue offer a rated power of up to 200W. If you are interested in these solutions, make sure you read about the available products.
