The arrangement makes a difference. If you have only three strings of LED &#;strips&#; in parallel, then each string will take 1/3 of the current pushed out by the constant current LED driver, regardless of how many &#;strips&#; are in the string (assuming you have the same number of strips in each string).

Link to BLUE DIAMOND

If you wanted each strip to run at 1A, then you need an LED driver which will output 3A and it would have to produce nearly 160V to guarantee that they turn on, since each strip will require 19.6 volts and there are 8 of them in series. In this case, since each string is 1A, the power used by each strip is 1A x 19.6V, or 19.6W, and the total power is 24 x 19.6W = 470.4W. You could also figure it out by looking at the total voltage of each string and multiplying that by the current through that string, so 156.8V x 1A = 156.8W, and since there are three strips, the total is 470.4W &#; same answer.

On the other hand, if you arranged them in 6 parallel strings of 4 strips per string, your LED driver would have to be able to output 6A to give each string 1A (6A / 6 strings = 1A per string). Since you only have 4 strips in each string in this arrangement, the voltage required would be nearly 80V (19.6V x 4 in series = nearly 80V). The total power of all of the strips will be exactly the same doing it this way. Each strip will have 1A passing through it and it will take about 19.6V, for a total of 470.4W.

You can get the same light output a number of different ways. You can put all of them in parallel, but then you would need a supply which output 24A at 20V (not available), you could put them all in series and use a 1A, 480V supply (not available, and dangerously high voltage), or any number of options in between these two extremes (2 x 12, 3 x 8, 4 x 6, 6 x 4, 8 x 3, 12 x 2). As long as you can find a driver that can output the appropriate current and voltage for the arrange you choose, you will get the same light output and will use about the same power.

So, what, exactly is your goal with these questions? Are you trying to get the most light out of 24 of those strips? Are you trying to figure out how to best arrange them for a particular power supply, or what?

Everything you need to know before buying led strip lights

Before buying LED strip lights, we recommend that you first understand the relevant led strip knowledge so that you can use the led light strip in your lighting project to the greatest extent, whether it is an indoor led lighting project or an outdoor waterproof lighting project.

The applications of the LED light strips are various, home lighting, commercial lighting, or building outline lighting, like bedrooms, cabinets, living rooms, TVs, ceilings, stairs, KTVs, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, retail stores, etc. You will always find the right led strip light for your lighting project.

Everything you need to know before buying led strip lights: 

#Part 1. What are LED strip lights?

#Part 2. Where and how to install LED light strip?

#Part 3. How do LED strip lights work?

#Part 4. How long can you run an LED strip?

#Part 5. How long do LED strip lights last?

What are led strip lights?

With the popularity of LED lights, LED light strips came into being. LED strip lights are also well-known as led tape lights, led rope lights, or led ribbon lights. 

As its name indicates, LED strip light is like a strip. Its component is a print circuit board with surface-mount device LED lights and other electrical parts, and its backing is a 3M adhesive, which is easy to install. 

What makes led rope lights unique is that led strips can be cut, and there are many cutting lines along the lighting strips, which surprised people and unbelievable.

*Single color led strip light

Led strip lights have countless advantages, long lifespan, easy installation, less energy consumption, material environmental protection, safe and various colors and color temperatures. 

&#;Related waterproof IP rating, voltage, and SMD LED knowledge: Top 6 Considerations Before Buying LED Strip Lights

&#;Related LED color and white light color temperature knowledge: 

How to choose the right color for your led strip lights?

The Color Difference Between Warm White K, K, K, K Pure White and K Cool White

What is Kalvin color temperature?

Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Addressable LED Strip

&#;COB VS LED, COB VS SMD: What is COB led lights?

&#;Knowledge about LED aluminum profile and LED neon lights: 

Ultimate Guide on Aluminum Profile for LED Strip Lighting

What are LED neon lights?

How to make LED neon lights?

Where to install led strip lights?

The most common places to install led strip lights at home are bedroom, ceiling, wall, under cabinet, under counter, stairs, kitchen, and bathroom. These places all can be installed led light strips to be lighting lights or atmosphere lights.

Outdoor waterproof led strip lights are normally used in swimming pool, park, roof, steps, etc. Led rope lights can also be installed in offices, factories, supermarket, even in cars.

The installation place of led strips is numerous. As long as the light strip usage rules are met, it can be used anywhere. 

&#;Related LED strip installation knowledge: 

How to install led strip lights?

Can you cut led light strips? 

How to connect led strip lights together?

How to install LED motion sensor stair lights?
 

How do led strip lights work?

When connecting the led strip to a power supply(also called LED driver, LED transformer), current will through the strip, and make its light emitting diodes to glow. Note that the current should be within the normal use range of the light strip. The current cannot be too high or too small, too high will burn the led strip, and too small the brightness of led lights will get dark.

Led strip light is marked with positive and negative poles, and it represents led strip need to be connected to the positive and negative poles of the power supply to let it work normally.

Generally, led strip lights will tell you what voltage it need. And the voltage is marked in the strip as well. So, if you want to enjoy led rope lights, pay attention to the working voltage. Otherwise, it will be not work.

Wattage power is another important factor to led strips work. If you want to know the wattage of your led lighting strip, it is not marked in the led strip, you have to find led strip specification to see what wattage it use. 

For more information, please visit High Efficiency Constant Current LED Strips.

*Single color LED strip directly connect to LED driver

*RGB color changing LED lights connect to RGB controller, then connect to LED power supply.

(RGB LED light controller controls RGB color change and LED brightness adjustment, LED transformer supplies power to the RGB controller and the RGB color changing LED strip lighting)

For example, the led strip light above, single color LED light strip, its working voltage is 12VDC. So that it need a 12VDC power supply. And it requires 90W power supply a roll. Therefore, before putting the LED lighting strip into use, you should prepare an LED power supply whose output voltage is 12VDC and the power sources is 100W.

In addition, when talked about the power of the led power supply, please remember the rule 80%. It means the power of the led transformer is about 1.2 times the power of the led strip. So, the strip light above can choose an LED power supply, which is 12VDC and 100W power sources.

In conclusion, the normal operation of led strip lights is inseparable from the correct working current, voltage and power wattage, and correct wiring.

&#;Knowledge about led power supply and LED controller: 

How to calculate power for led strip lights?

How to choose led strip light power supply?

How to connect led strip to the power supply?

How to choose led strip light controllers?

How long can you run an LED strip?

In general, the length of led rope lights is 5 meters / 16.4 feet a roll. According to the content mentioned above, to make led strips work normally, you must make sure the working current, voltage, wattage and wiring are correct, which are the all important factors. These factors determine how long an led strip you can run.

If your 12V led strip light is 5 meters / 16.4 feet, and your lighting project is 10 meters / 32.8 feet, can you use the 5 meters / 16.4 feet 12V led strip light? The answer is yes. You can use two that led strip with connecting them, and make it a 10 meters / 32.8 feet led strip.

However, as the strip length increases, the power is also increases. If the wattage of strip is 100W, when it becomes 10 meters / 32.8 feet long, the power changes. And it becomes 200W now. 

&#;LED light strip connector: How to choose led strip light connectors?

We have to pay attention to the problem of voltage drop when running super long LED strips. What is voltage drop? Due to the too long length and the insufficient power supply, the light strip will have LED brightness attenuation and white light LED color changes.

The most obvious way to observe whether there is a voltage drop is to turn on the LED lights with white light color. The white light of the light strip gradually turns yellow, and turns to orange and red as the distance increases. This is a typical manifestation of the led voltage drop. Finally, when there is a 100% voltage drop, the LED brightness will disappear. 

The solution to solve the LED voltage drop is that to power the led light strip sufficiently. Where the LED white color turns yellow, a seperate power supply should be required when running super long LED strip lights. 

Actually, there are ultra-long constant current led strip lights in our product lists to make up the LED voltage drop problem. Constant current means that the LED brightness of the long LED light strip is always the same. So the constant current LED strip can make the LED brightness keep the same and at the same time achieve super long running. 

We provide 10m/32.8ft, 15 meters/49.2ft, 20 meters/65.6ft, 30 meters/98.4ft, and 50 meters/164ft LED strip length options. You can choose a right ultra-long constant current led strip light for your super long LED lighting project.

If you don&#;t want your led strip light to be too long, there are some led strip lights that provide a choice of 1meter/3.28 feet as well, or you can contact us to customize the strip length you want.

&#;Related led light strip wiring diagram about short length LED strip project and ultra long LED lighting project: 

How to wire single color led strip lights?

How to wire tunable white/CCT led strip lights?

How to wire RGB color changing led strip lights?

How to wire RGBW led strips?

How to wire RGBCCT led strip lights?

How to wire addressable led strips?

How long do LED strip lights last?

The service life of led strip lights can reach to 50,000 hours, which is 5.7 years.However, there is a difference while the using hours are different per day.

Although led strip lights have a very long life, the incorrect use will still reduce the life of the led light strips. In the process of using the led strip light, please make sure that you use it correctly and will not damage the light strip. 

Improper bending will cause the LED strip to break and affect the life of the LED strip. LED strips work under non-standard voltage, current, and power, which will also affect their service life. Generally, precautions are marked on the packaging of the led strip light.

If you have any questions, you can search for answers on the Internet or ask for help from others or contact us. Wish you a perfect chemical reaction between you and your led strip lights. 

&#;More knowledge about LED strip lights you need to know:

Is it worth getting led strip lights? 

Are led strip lights safe?

What are the types of led strip lights? Flexible led strip lights VS rigid led strip lights

Are you interested in learning more about 5mm Ultra Thin Flexible Led Strip? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!