What is street LED duralight
Duralight is a polyvinyl chloride hose of rectangular or round glow, inside of which there are incandescent bulbs or LED chips connected by wires. It is used to create eye-catching signs in stores, as decoration on city streets.
When compared with lamp counterparts, LED duralight has a number of advantages. For example economy. Diodes require 6-8 times less energy to work. There are several varieties of PVC diode tubes, but they are all connected according to the same principle.
What is duralight
Duralight is a decorative bendable cable with LED DIP chips or smd inside. It does not leak, sealed and durable. It is flat and round. An obsolete version of the cord was produced with incandescent lamps. Duralight is made from a thermoplastic polymer.
Diodes are combined into connected parallel groups.If the cable is long, it can be cut into pieces. Usually the length does not exceed 4 m. The place where an incision can be made is indicated by a special risk. The cut pieces can be bent or joined together depending on the purpose. In this way, you can get simple shapes, for example, in the form of a square, or more complex ones. The cable is multi-color and single-color.
Scope of application
The main areas where duralight is used are marketing and entertainment. Due to its resistance to temperature changes, flexibility and water resistance, the cable is considered an ideal option for exterior design. Signs for shops are made from it, stands attracting attention during promotions, decorate the facades of buildings and shop windows.
Diode hose is often bought for the New Year holidays to create themed decorations. In houses, interior pendants are made from it. The cable looks good on stages, steps and railings. In recent years, safer and more economical options for LED strips have been used.
Photos of works made by masters of lighting engineering
Technical indicators
The properties and performance of duralight are determined by the characteristics of the PVC sheath and LED chips. The material does not allow water to pass through the hose. Also, thanks to PVC, the cable is resistant to mechanical damage, vibrations and pressure. Due to the LEDs, it will last several times longer.than the equivalent with incandescent lamps.
Technical indicators:
- type of LEDs - SMD or DIP;
- cable diameter - 16 mm, 13 mm, 10.5 x 12.5 mm, 13.5 x 15.5 mm;
- section - rectangular or round;
- depending on the model, cutting module - 1 m, 4 m, 3.33 m, 2 m;
- colors - blue, green, orange, RGB, yellow-green, white, yellow;
- chain - 5, 4, 3 and 2-core, regardless of the section;
- power consumption - from 1.5 to 3 W per 1 meter of cable;
- the number of diodes - 144.36 and 72 per 1 meter;
- recommended operating temperature – from +5C° to + 60C°;
- voltage - 240 volts;
- service life - up to 50,000 hours.
Varieties of duralight
The most popular is a round cable, when the light is distributed evenly around the circumference. Flat ones are less popular, since the glow is directed only in a given direction.
Visually, this view can be compared with led strip in a silicone shell. But duralight is durable and more flexible. Any kind of hose is connected to a 220 volt network, or using a rectifier cable, it is included with the purchase. When you need a controller, buy it separately.
When connecting a duralight to 220 volts, the diodes will shine at full power continuously. This glow mode is called Fixing. If a rectifier is used, it is possible to independently set the lighting scenario:
- multichasing - combines flash and chasing modes;
- chasing - the brightness will change according to the specified algorithms;
- flash - diodes are turned on alternately by different groups;
- chameleon - change the colors of the glow.
The availability of modes depends on the functionality of the controller and the type of duralight. To implement the multichasing mode with color change, you must have RGB-LEDs, and in the places for the notch there must be at least 3 contacts for connection.
How to connect correctly
Duralight cannot be connected directly to a 220 volt outlet.You will need a controller or adapter, which is sold with a cord. If you need different modes, you need a controller.
The adapter consists of an adapter and a rectifier. This simple option is used only in Fixing mode, a constant glow without flickering.
The adapter is a diode bridge required to convert the mains voltage with a frequency of 50 Hz into a pulsating voltage of 100 Hz.
For the diodes to blink, you need a controller. It is selected depending on the power and the number of channels. The latter must match the number of strands in the cord. The inclusion is made according to the rules:
- the cable should be disassembled only if it is disconnected, and cut according to special marks;
- the design should be as far away from children and animals as possible;
- before installation, make sure that the duralight is dry;
- to check the performance, connect the cord through the adapter to the network;
- heat shrink tubing should be put on the joints;
- joints should not be under mechanical pressure;
- To ensure sufficient heat transfer, the cable must not be covered with metal or other objects.
Recommendations for working with duralight
Before using the LED cable, please read the following rules:
- in the on state, installation is prohibited. Connection to the mains is only allowed after correct installation;
- it is forbidden to include duralight, which is wound on a coil, into the network, as this can lead to overheating;
- joints should not be subjected to mechanical stress;
- during installation, make sure that the connections are not damaged and clean;
- in the place where the duralight is installed, there must be good ventilation;
- if the cable was connected several times, each of the segments must have the same characteristics.
Recommended for viewing: Mounting with equal distances between turns.
You also need to know how to properly cut duralight. If it is a round hose, it can be cut into pieces of different lengths, but in those places where there is a special designation in the form of scissors. If you do not follow the rule, the cable will stop working.
Before making an incision, the cord should be rotated along the axis until 2-3 mm of contacts are visible on both sides. After the incision, no pieces of wiring should remain inside, as this will lead to a short circuit.
Pros and cons
What is the difference between LED duralight and lamp
Lamp duralight is the predecessor of the diode. It has the worst performance. The LED cable consumes almost 10 times less than the lamp counterpart. Also, a significant difference is in the heat transfer coefficient and the limitation of the operating temperature.
Speaking about the service life, the cord with LEDs, when properly working without power surges, can work from 30,000 to 50,000 hours.
Conclusion
Duralight should be bought only for certain purposes.It is inappropriate to use it as a backlight, like LED strips. You should also carefully study the features of operation and the connection diagram, as minor flaws can provoke a short circuit or overheating of the LEDs.