the european editors at digi-key electronics published an article detailing the considerations that should go into picking the right power supply for a led project. the article describes the steps to making sure the optimal power supply gets chosen, including an understanding of the led application, knowing how an led operates, and the merits of various power supplies that are available through digi-key.

(wikimedia commons)

when choosing a power supply it is critical to understand how the led is going to be applied. is it going to be outdoors? is it indoors? is it being used in a retail or industrial application, commercial or residential?

this will affect whether or not you need a power supply that is capable of withstanding moisture or temperature fluctuations or a power supply with dimming capabilities or that has many outputs to control color balance.

“clearly, the power handling capability of an led supply needs to be sufficient to cope with the intended load,” the article read. “while it is good practice to design a lighting system with some margin or tolerance to allow for variations in load conditions, most of the off-the-shelf power supplies include protection against conditions such as overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature, or short circuits.”

there are many options for led power supplies from companies such as emerson network power, cui inc., recom power, tdk lambda, and microsemi. each has its own benefits and could be the right choice for your next led project.

to learn more about the options and what to consider when looking for a power supply for your led project, visit http://www.digikey.com/en/articles/techzone/2013/may/how-to-choose-the-right-power-supply-for-your-led-lighting-project?wt.z_sm_link=tzlgt.