What is a LED street light bulb
Duralite is a PVC hose of rectangular or circular glow, inside 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 to their lamp counterparts, LED Duralight has several advantages. For example, efficiency. Diodes require 6-8 times less energy to work. There are several varieties of diode tubes of PVC, but they are all connected by the same principle.
What is Duralite
Duralight is a decorative bendable cable with DIP or SMD inside. It does not leak, is sealed and durable. It comes in flat and round sections. An older version of the cord was made with incandescent bulbs. Duralight is made of thermoplastic polymer.
The diodes are connected in in parallel groups. If the cable is long, it can be cut into pieces. Usually the length does not exceed 4 m. The place where the cut can be made is marked with a notch. The cut pieces can be bent or joined together depending on the purpose. Thus you can get a simple shape, such as a square, or more complex. The cable can be multi-colored or single-colored.
Scope of application
The main areas where duralight is used are marketing and entertainment. Due to resistance to temperature changes, flexibility and water resistance cable is considered ideal for exterior decoration. It is made of signage for stores, creating an eye-catching stands at the action, decorate the facades of buildings and shop windows.
Diode hose is often bought for New Year's holidays to create themed decorations. In homes, it is used to make interior pendants. Cable looks good on stages, steps and railings. In recent years, use safer and more economical versions of LED strips.
Photos of work done by the masters of lighting
Technical parameters
Properties and performance of duralight determined by the characteristics of the envelope of polyvinyl chloride and LED chips. The material does not let water inside the hose. Also thanks to PVC cable is resistant to mechanical damage, vibration and pressure. Thanks to the LEDs, it will last several times longerthan its incandescent counterpart.
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;
- cross-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 wires irrespective of section;
- power consumption - from 1.5 to 3 W per 1 meter of cable;
- Number of diodes - 144, 36 and 72 per 1 meter;
- recommended temperature for operation - 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, because the glow is directed only in a given direction.
Visually, this type can be compared to LED tape in a silicone shell. But duralight is durable and more flexible. All varieties of hose are connected to 220 volts, or using a cable-rectifier, when purchased it is included. When you need a controller, you buy it separately.
When connecting the discharge line 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 set the light scenario yourself:
- multichasing - combines flash and chasing modes;
- chasing - the brightness will change according to the set algorithms;
- flash - diodes are switched on by different groups;
- chameleon - changing colors of glow.
The availability of modes depends on the functionality of the controller and the variety of duralight. To implement the mode multichasing with color changing is necessary to have RGB-LEDs, and in the places for notch must be at least 3 contacts for connection.
How to connect properly
Duralight can not be connected directly to a 220 volt outlet. You will need a controller or adapter, which is sold with the cord. If you need different modes, you will need a controller.
The adapter consists of a coupler and a rectifier. This simple option is only used in Fixing mode, constant glow without flicker.
The adapter is a diode bridge needed to convert a 50 Hz mains voltage into a 100 Hz pulsating voltage.
To make the diodes flicker, you need a controller. It is selected according to the power and the number of channels. The latter must coincide with the number of wires in the cord. Switching is made according to the rules:
- The cable should be disassembled only if it is disconnected, and cut according to special marks;
- the construction should be kept as far away from children and animals as possible;
- before installation, make sure that the twist-light is dry;
- to check the functionality, connect the cord through the adapter to the mains;
- the connections should be fitted with heat shrink tubing;
- the connection points should not be under mechanical pressure;
- the cable must not be covered with metal or other objects to ensure sufficient heat transfer.
Recommendations for working with DuraLite
Learn the rules before using the LED cable:
- no installation is allowed while it is on. Connecting to the mains is allowed only after proper installation;
- plugging in the mains that is wound on a coil is prohibited, as it can lead to overheating;
- the connection points must not be subjected to mechanical impact;
- during installation, make sure that the connections are undamaged and clean;
- there must be good ventilation in the place where the twist-light is installed;
- if the cable was connected several times, each of the segments must have the same characteristics.
Recommended for viewing: Mounting with equal distances between coils.
You also need to know how to properly cut the duralite. If it is a round hose, it can be cut into different lengths of pieces, but in those places where there is a special designation in the form of scissors. If the rule is not followed, the cable will stop working.
Before making the cut, the cord should be turned along its axis until 2-3 mm of contacts on both sides are visible. After the cut, no pieces of wire should remain inside, as this will cause a short circuit.
Pros and cons
What is the difference between an LED culumite and a lamp culumite
The bulb culumite is the predecessor of the diode. It has worse performance characteristics. LED cable consumes almost 10 times less than its lamp counterpart. Also a significant difference is the coefficient of heat dissipation and operating temperature limitation.
Speaking of service life, the LED cord with LEDs in correct operation without voltage fluctuations in the network is able to work from 30,000 to 50,000 hours.
Conclusion
Duralight should be bought only for specific purposes. It is not appropriate to use it as backlighting, as LED strips. You should also carefully study the peculiarities of operation and connection diagram, as small flaws can provoke a short circuit or overheating of LEDs.