If you were looking for the ideal tool to support and protect light and LED installation, then what you are looking for is a Constant Current Driver. This electrical paraphernalia is a power supply that regulate the current flowing through the desired electrical installations. The Constant Current Driver will make sure desired levels of light outputs are maintained by constantly controlling the output delivered by standard conventional supplies.
Constant Current Drivers are, in a nutshell, AC-DC or DC-DC converters that provide an accurate maintenance of current control in spite of potential supply-voltage fluctuations. Therefore, the purchase of a driver is a sound investment, as it may prevent thousands of pounds in damage from potential faults in the circuits.
Depending on the quality of the Constant Current Driver. This is done without damaging the cost, performance or lifetime of the light installation.
Down this article, we will also expand on the notion of Constant Voltage Drivers. We will also cover how to avoid confusing the two based on their functionalities, advantages and disadvantages.
Constant Current Driver Functionality explained
Constant Current Drivers fixate the output of voltage within a light installation: This enables the current to remain constant, therefore stabilizing and preventing damages. At the same time, this also prevents any potential heat flux, as light (Especially LED) will convert around 50% of energy into light and the other 50% will be wasted as heat: Therefore, by keeping the current stable, a Constant Current Driver will also prevent potential high heat flux.
Thirdly, CC Drivers will also increase the lifetime of your light installation for the reasons above. As current is regulated, all light will not experience any major fluctuations.
Constant Current Drivers and Constant Voltage Drivers
The two have a very similar purpose, but there are some key differences between the two items.
The first key difference is how the two operate: A CC Driver will directly modulate the current, while a Constant Current driver will use a semi-processed power with only voltage being regulated.
Constant current Drivers will affect the current flowing through it. This will make lights (especially LED) brighter, but if the output is too high. This will eventually over-drive the light under the majority of standard weather conditions, and particularly under hotter environments. Therefore, when purchasing a Constant Current Driver, please make sure that you are buying one suitable for your appliances: Excessive current will result in an overheated system regardless of what Constant Current Driver you may be using. However, there are some advantages over CV Drivers:
1- They are easier for designers and help create a much more consistent brightness.
2 – They will prevent burnout and thermal runaway.
However, there are also disadvantages which must be taken into consideration:
1 – CV is favoured by installation engineers.
2 – Costs are generally lower when operating on wider applications.
For a broad range of Constant Current Drivers and Constant Voltage drivers, look no further than our broad catalogue. All of our drivers have been specially designed for ease of installation and their technical performance. Find out more
