CONNECTORS, WIRE & ACCESSORIES
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Voltage Drop
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WHAT IS VOLTAGE DROP?
Voltage drop is defined as the amount of voltage loss that
occurs through all or part of a circuit. Wires and electrical
components carrying current have resistance to current flow,
causing voltage drop.
LED driver (power supply) is generally installed in a remote
location aside from the luminaire. This requires specifying
the proper wire gauge (AWG) or thickness of wire to allow
current to flow properly through varying distances from the
LED driver to luminaire. Specifying the incorrect wire gauge
can lead to a variety of problems including perceived flicker
and shift in brightness across long runs of LED tape light.
It’s important to consider voltage drop when specifying an
LED array system (ex. LED tape light, modules, etc.) as the
Example: 12V Voltage Drop & Wire Length Distance Chart
WIRE
GAUGE
10 W
.83 A 20 W
1.7 A 30 W
2.5 A 40 W
3.3 A 50 W
2.1 A 60 W
4.2 A
18 AWG 34 ft. 17 ft. 11 ft. 8 ft. 6 ft. 5 ft.
16 AWG 54 ft. 27 ft. 18 ft. 13 ft. 10 ft. 9 ft.
14 AWG 86 ft. 43 ft. 29 ft. 21 ft. 17 ft. 14 ft.
12 AWG 134 ft. 68 ft. 45 ft. 34 ft. 27 ft. 22 ft.
199 ft. 99 ft. 66 ft. 49 ft. 39 ft. 33 ft.
10 AWG
1 Determine Total Load: A 16.4
ft. spool of BLAZE is 47.2 watts.
Round up to the nearest load of
50 watts.
2 Determine Distance from LED
Driver to Load: Let’s assume the
distance is 25 ft. Round up to
nearest distance of 27 ft.
3 It’s recommended to install 12
AWG wire between the driver
and luminaire to eliminate excess
voltage drop.
12V Voltage Drop & Wire Length Distance Chart (3% Drop or 11.64V)*
WIRE
GAUGE
18 AWG
16 AWG
14 AWG
12 AWG
10 AWG
10 W
.83 A
20 W
1.7 A
30 W
2.5 A
40 W
3.3 A
50 W
2.1 A
60 W
4.2 A
34 ft. 17 ft. 11 ft. 8 ft. 6 ft. 5 ft.
54 ft. 27 ft. 18 ft. 13 ft. 10 ft. 9 ft.
86 ft. 43 ft. 29 ft. 21 ft. 17 ft. 14 ft.
134 ft. 68 ft. 45 ft. 34 ft. 27 ft. 22 ft.
199 ft. 99 ft. 66 ft. 49 ft. 39 ft. 33 ft.
*These tables provide general guidelines for
determining wire gauge based on total load
and distance from led driver to beginning
of luminaire. For more accurate wire gauge
recommendations for our most popular
products, please visit www.DiodeLED.com
and click on ‘Technical Documents’ under the
‘Resources’ tab.
24V Voltage Drop & Wire Length Distance Chart (3% Drop or 23.28V)*
WIRE
GAUGE
18 AWG
16 AWG
14 AWG
12 AWG
10 AWG
142
10 W
.42 A
20 W
.83 A
30 W
1.3 A
40 W
1.7 A
50 W
2.1 A 60 W
2.5 A 70 W
2.9 A
80 W
3.3 A
100 W
4. 2 A
134 ft. 68 ft. 45 ft. 33 ft. 27 ft. 22 ft. 19 ft. 17 ft. 14 ft.
215 ft. 109 ft. 72 ft. 54 ft. 43 ft. 36 ft. 31 ft. 27 ft. 22 ft.
345 ft. 174 ft. 115 ft. 86 ft. 69 ft. 57 ft. 49 ft. 43 ft. 36 ft.
539 ft. 272 ft. 181 ft. 135 ft. 108 ft. 90 ft. 77 ft. 68 ft. 56 ft.
784 ft. 397 ft. 263 ft. 197 ft. 158 ft. 131 ft. 112 ft. 98 ft. 82 ft.
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