LED Instructions
LED Instructions and Guidelines
Mechanical Stress
LED modules contain electronic components that are sensitive to mechanical stresses. Such stresses should be kept to an absolute minimum. The following mechanical stresses should be avoided as they may cause irreversible damage.
- Horizontal and vertical pressure on electronic components and globe tops
- Drilling
- Milling
- Breaking
- Sawing
- Any similar mechanical processing
Tensile and Compressive Stresses
None of the components of the module may be exposed to Tensile or Compressive stresses. If glass or plexiglass shields are used, ensure that pressure is not exerted on the globe top.
Bending Stresses
Bending the module circuit board by more than 3% along its length may damage the product and therefore not advisable.
Chemical Substances
Please ensure that any chemicals used in LED applications are not solvent based, condensation crosslinked or acetate crosslinked (acetic acid). These give rise to reagents (e.g. solvent vapours, acetic acid) that may damage the module or globe top. It is very important that Silicon based products are not used in and around the vicinity of the LED modules as Silicon will cause damage to the globe tops and affect the colour properties of the LED, most common is changing white LED’s blue.
Electrostatic Discharge - ESD
LED modules are electronic components and are therefore sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Please ensure any electrostatic charge is grounded before handling and installing the LED modules.
Condensation/Humidity
LED module chains are provided with a protective coating to guard against condensation and humidity. If the protective coating is damaged this may lead to the LED module being damaged or destroyed. The LED module must be protected from direct contact with rain drops or wind blown rain drops to avoid permanent damage to the LED modules.
INSTALLATION
Installation onto metallic/electrically conductive surfaces
LED modules can be installed on electrically conductive surfaces. Please note the following:
- The surface of the board, the solder resist or thermally conductive adhesive tape must not be damaged, otherwise electrical insulation from the conductive surface will be lost.
- The mounting surface must be without potential. In applications with high levels of relative humidity it is important to maintain a minimum distance of 1-2mm between the sides and any conductive surfaces. This will prevent sparkovers, for example due to build up of moisture.
- Contamination (due to mechanical work for example) must be avoided.
- Fluctuations in temperature may lead to different rates of expansion in different materials. Therefore during installation it is important to check that the LED modules are not connected to each other with fully extended cables so that there is enough room for expansion.
Installation using adhesion
To avoid damaging the LED modules you must not use any tools or exert any pressure on the electronic components or the globe top.
To achieve optimum adhesion the carrier surface must be clean, dry and free from contamination. The following cleaning agents are recommended:
- Isopropanol/water 50/50
- Aceton
- Heptan
LED modules must not be attached and re-attached over and over without replacing the adhesive tape. Damaged adhesive tape must be completely removed and replaced by new adhesive tape.
Installation using Double-sided Tape
Most double-sided adhesive tapes do not have thermal conductivity properties so they should only be used with LED modules that require no additional cooling such as LEDP503, LEDP511, LEDP515 and LEDP516.
(For other LED products that require extra cooling they should be mounted onto a cooling surface/heat sink with thermal conductive tape).
When applying the double-sided adhesive tape to the LED module please take care when handling the module to avoid damage to either the components or the globe tops. If applying the double-sided adhesive tape to the carrier material first, apply even pressure on the LED module board when pressing down onto the tape. Avoid bending the LED module board or pressing on the globe tops to avoid permanent damage.
Installation using screws (mounting holes
LED modules with a mounting hole can be attached with a screw connection (holes must not be drilled in the module board as this may lead to permanent damage). Plastic screws are the preferred choice but should metal screws be used the screw heads must be insulated from the module board using plastic washers. Do not over tighten the screws so to prevent the LED module bending and possibly breaking.
Installation using mounting plate LEDZ161
Chain LEDP511 modules can be installed onto the carrier surface using the fixing plate LEDZ161. The single module board simply clicks into the pre-installed mounting plate. Fine adjustment can be made by moving the module on the mounting plate.
Cable Length
LED chain modules such as LEDP503, LEDP511, LEDP515 and LEDP516 operate on a Constant Voltage Source. Due to the cable resistance there will be a drop in the supply voltage which may result in a drop in Luminous Flux (brightness) from the connected LED module
The cable lengths below are the maximum distance from the LED Converter to the first LED module.
Cable Cross-Section |
0.5mm2 | 0.75mm2 | 1.0mm2 | 1.5mm2 |
2.5mm2 | |
| 8v | 3.0m | 4.5m | 6.0m |
9.0m |
15.0m | |
| 10va converter |
12v |
8.0m |
12.0m |
16.0m | 24.0m | 40.0m |
| 24v |
25.0m |
37.5m |
50.0m | 75.0m | 125.0m | |
| 8v |
1.5m | 2.25m | 3.0m | 4.5m | 7.5m | |
| 25va converter | 12v | 3.5m | 5.25m | 7.0m | 10.5m |
17.5m |
| 24v | 11.0m | 16.5m | 22.0m | 33.0m | 55.0m | |
| 8v | 0.4m | 0.5m | 0.7m | 1.1m | 1.8m | |
| 100va converter | 12v |
0.7m | 1.1m | 1.4m |
2.1m | 3.5m |
| 24v |
2.5m | 3.7m | 4.9m |
7.4m | 12.3m |
If longer cable lengths are required in a particular situation, the cable cross-section can be increased or the connected modules can be distributed among more supply lines.
Doubling the cable cross-section = doubling the cable lengths
Halving the current / output = doubling the cable lengths
Terminal Connections
If the LED chain modules such as LEDP503, LEDP511, LEDP515 and LEDP516 have to be shortened or branched, terminals must be used that offer permanent protection against moisture. Recommended terminals are “3M” Scotchlok products, ref. “UY1” and “UR2”
Electrical Supply
- LED modules and control gear must be installed by a qualified electrician in accordance with all regulations and standards. LED modules should only be connected to the power supply with the power turned off (to avoid damage to the modules caused by incorrect voltage conditions and Health & Safety).
- It is recommended that the LED modules are used with the Tridonic.Atco control gear to ensure the modules are correctly protected against over-voltage, over-current, overloads and short-circuits.
- The output of the connected LED modules must not exceed the rated output of the control gear. Although the Tridonic.Atco control gear is over-load protected, damage to the control gear may still occur if it is overloaded for an extended period of time.
- The control gear for the LED modules must be supplied with its rated operating voltage. If the maximum and minimum operating voltages are exceeded, the equipment will be overloaded and irreparably damaged.
- LED modules must be supplied with their rated operating voltage or rated operating current. If the maximum rated voltage and current is exceeded the modules will be overloaded and irreparably damaged. If the operating voltage and current falls below its rated value, there will be a loss of luminous flux and the LED modules will be damaged as a result.
- Ensure the polarity is correct when connecting the LED modules to the power supply converters. The polarity of the connecting cables is colour coded:
- Positive connection (+): RED
- Negative connection (-): BLACK
If the LED modules are connected with wrong polarity they will not emit any light and may be irreversibly damaged. Ensure the converter is switched off from the mains supply before connecting the LED’s to the secondary supply.
Maximum chaining of LED modules
Constant voltage LED modules (e.g. 8, 12, 24v) can generally be connected in parallel. LED modules must not be connected in SERIES.
- The maximum current load on an individual LED module is typically 2Amp and must not be exceeded under any circumstances.
- Because of the drop in voltage due to cable and conductor path resistance, too many LED modules connected in series will lead to a visible reduction in the luminous flux of the last LED modules in the chain.
- To minimise the number of feed points when connecting the LED module chains, it is recommended that a central feed point for two independent LED chains.
EMC
LED modules may cause EMC interference generally whilst dimming. Should this occur “shielding” the LED module inter-connecting wires will reduce the radiated noise.
Reduce the length of cable if possible between the LED modules and the Dimming control gear i.e. converters, boosters and sequencers.
Either use “twisted pairs” of cables or “earthed cables” between the LED modules and the control gear to reduce the EMC.
Temperature
The rated life of the LED modules is dependant to a large extent on temperature. Exceeding the permissible temperature limits will lead to a reduction in the life of the product and therefore premature failure.
The better the cooling of the LED modules, the longer its life expectancy.
The better the cooling of the LED modules, the higher its luminous flux.
Expected Lifetime
The expected lifetime of the LED modules is defined by the failure of the light source (mortality) and lumen maintenance.
- Mortality:
Mortality indicates the probability of failure within a certain period of operation.
The mortality of LED modules is very low compared with conventional light sources. Under normal operating conditions the failure rate for LED modules is <0.1% per 1000 hours of operation.
- Lumen maintenance:
If lumen maintenance is used to define the lifetime of a LED module, the figures relate to the number of hours of operation after which the luminous flux of the LED module is 80%, 70% or 50% of the rated value.
Lumen maintenance is determined by the temperature measured at the “tc point” (reference point) of the LED module under normal conditions of use. The following values are approximate:
| tc point Temperature oC |
Luminous Flux % | Expected Lumen Maintenance h |
| 45 |
80 |
22,000 |
| 45 |
70 |
35,000 |
| 45 |
50 |
65,000 |
| 75 |
80 |
19,000 |
| 75 |
70 |
30,000 |
| 75 |
50 |
55,000 |
Maintenance
- LED modules require no maintenance.
Cleaning of LED modules
- If for any reason it is necessary to clean the LED modules, chemical solvents or cleaning agents must not be used. To avoid damage to the LED modules no pressure must be exerted on the electronic components or the globe tops.
Environment
RoHS:
- All LED modules and control gear for the LED modules comply with Directive 2002/95/EC. These products comply with the present requirements of the RoHS directives. The RoHS conformity declaration is available upon request.
Disposal
- LED modules are electrical components and should be collected and disposed in accordance with the WEEE Directive.
Moisture Protection
- LED modules are provided with a protective coating so they can be used in environments with high relative humidity.
If the protective coating is damaged (for example during manufacture or installation) the LED modules may be damaged or destroyed by the ingress of humidity or condensation.