Options for LED controllers and strips

đź’ˇ Lighting
1

I've been looking for LED strip lighting options over the past few years. I did install some Philips HUE strips in the kitchen and garage, but these are expensive and not as flexible to install in areas requiring varying lengths.

I'll be receiving some LIFX products this week, but I don't know that I'll like these any better than the Philips. Some areas I need to be able to cut to more rigid length requirements, and neither of these seem good for this.

I always wanted to use HE directly supported products for greater assurance of compatibility and integration options. Not finding good options for my needs, I have decided to look further. I found some products on Amazon and although not installed yet, I have done some testing.

The Generic Zigbee Bulb, Generic Zigbee RGB Light and Generic Zigbee RGBW Light HE drivers have, at least so far, worked well.

BTI-LIGHTING Zigbee 3.0 5in1 LM052 LED Strip Controller:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09NSK9ZBK

This paired easily as a Zigbee device, although was not recognized so I had to set the device type on the configuration settings. Otherwise, I have had no issues. It needs to be configured (with power applied, but before connecting the LED strip) based on what will be connected to it. Similarly, once paired with HE, the device type must also be configured based on the type of LED strip connected.

I have tested these LED strip lights so far:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BPM5RTNW (24VDC, RGBW, 4000K)
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B2WMM5WN (24VDC, RGB)
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B091KFWZM5 (24VDC, 3000K Single Colour)

These provide very even lighting and intensity has been surprisingly bright. Strips can be cut at much shorter intervals making them usable in a greater number of locations. They do generate some heat at higher intensities, so don't leave them powered up on the spool when testing. I have also purchased various aluminum channel to use with these. Unlike the HUE (and unsure about LIFX yet), these fit well into the raceway because there is no bulky plastic/rubber housing.

The power supplies I'm using are from Mouser:
https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/773-JVLM100W-24

The power supplies are appropriately certified to North American standards, and this model includes the junction box to connect with standard 14/2 NMD90 wire.

Everything I'm using is 24VDC, but they also have 12VDC products.

I'm curious if anyone else has used these and has more experience with them? Just wondering if there are any issues or roadblocks I might be faced with?

2

I purchased BTF RGBWW55M505060LW30-M and the BTI-LIGHTING Zigbee 3.0 5in1 LM052 LED Strip Controller. I am still early in testing but I paired the controller with HE using the Advanced Zigbee RGBW bulb type. I have not tried the Generic type.

3

I'll be interested to hear how the advanced driver work for you. Life has become busy here, so I haven't had the chance to get much deeper into it.

4

Those FCOB strips look pretty nice, and I read that they are cuttable. Do they have a minimum length requirement for them? I can't find that info anywhere.

5

No minimum length requirement, and depending on the specific product, can be cut about every 2 inches (some slightly less, some slightly more). Whether a segment is very short, or quite long, you need to supply the correct voltage. What will vary is the current requirement. Longer strips will require a higher output/wattage LED driver.

6

My experience with BTF-Lighting strips is that they are bright, colorful, and can be connected in series with the LM052 when it's supplied with enough power. I tested these two strips:

Unfortunately, testing on the LM052 generally produced poor results. While it did correctly control the CCT strip (using the Advanced ZigBee RGBW Bulb driver), it could not change the color of the RGB strip. In addition to the above driver, I also tried the Advanced ZigBee RGB Bulb and the Generic ZigBee RGB Light drivers with similar results.

7

Alright, I've always felt dumb for not knowing this, but I'll ask:

How on earth do you connect those style controllers to light strips? Do you have to solder individual wires from the connector onto the pins of the strip? Doesn't that look ugly and pose an electrical hazard?

1 Like
8

There are two ways to connect, with no soldering required:

  1. Cut the connector off the led strip, strip the wires, and connnect
  2. Easiest: buy a pre-stripped connector for your led strip (shown for the BTF Lighting CCT strip)
    lm052-connection
    lm052-connection1852Ă—578 73.2 KB
9

Yeah, option 2 is what I was hoping would be the case, but I guess I’m not searching for the right terms in order to find the product I need. I’ve got 5-pin RGBW strips and have been searching terms like “wiring harness” or “controller adapter” but the only time I’ve had some luck in finding something that’s looked right, it’s been like 2 pieces of connectors in a set of about two dozen other parts.

Is there a specific name for that dongle?

10

In my experience, it's manufacturer specific for either the led strip or led controller. For BTF Lighting, they're called "led connectors" and are included with some of their strips with extras sold seperately. You could cut the connector off your led strip and use these 5 pin male & female connectors from BTF.

1 Like
11

That looks like it might work! The single-end 5 pin one may be perfect for me here — I have a bunch of spare Osram LED strips that are fine from the LED perspective, but use a problematic controller. The 5 pin connector end will go into the strip, and the loose wires end go into the controller posted here.

Delightful! Thank you!

12

Glad to help :smiley:

13

I have one of these although I never used it. Bought a roll of generic RGBW LED strip and it works great.

https://www.getzooz.com/zooz-zen31-rgbw-dimmer/

14

I bought Litcessory connectors, splitters, etc to use with an under cabinet setup with a Hue strip. Worked great. They have connectors for other brands too.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Litcessory/Litcessory/page/AB6E492D-DA73-4C13-9EAD-A16F26A3BBE1?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ast_store_T51TATBDVCJMAXASXFJ5

15

I went looking for that Zooz RGBW dimmer because it's 24V and 10A. Although it's no longer available, there's a waiting list for their new version.

16

This looks like the same thing just a different brand.

1 Like
17

Thanks. Don't know why I didn't look at Fibaro - I had a couple of they're dimmers on my Vera+ and they were rock solid.

18

About to start on my first LED strip project.

What strip would you recommend? Controlled? Power supply?

These are for under a vanity in bathroom.

I want RGB and dedicated white (ideally warm white).

Been doing lots of research but super overwhelmed by all the options.

19

I get being overwhelmed - there are many choices for controllers and led strips, with more appearing every day.

I've been collecting and documenting various test setups. Need a day or two to clean up so it will make sense to more than just me, then I'll post here.

20

Nice! Thanks.