Drivers and Dimmers

Primer on DRIVERS for LED Lights

LED's work off DC Voltage which must be converted from AC mains power (120,220,247 VAC, etc). The device for doing this is called a Transformer or DRIVER.  The LED also must have a Constant Current (CC) source,a fixed continuous current, in order to operate properly.  There are 2 primary ways to get this source current.  One is to use a CC Driver which has the circuitry to provide this. Another is to use a Constant Voltage (CV) Driver along with an LED fixture that has additional circuitry installed that will take the CV source and convert it to CC for the LED.  WHY ?  There are a variety of reasons that a CC or CV driver techniques are used-----here are a couple:

Constant Current Driver: (350 or 700mA)  Simple Circuit, lowest cost system solution. Lights typically wired in a series configuration. This works fine in smaller areas but can be a disadvantage because if a light is damaged or fails,  the whole string goes out.  However, a nice feature of CC type is that you can use either a 350 or 700mA driver to adjust the light brightness, without using dimmers.

Constant Voltage Driver: (12V / 24V DC) Driver cost is similar to CC but higher fixture cost . Drivers deliver more efficiency in CV configuration and have the advantage of using a Parallel wiring configuration. This allows other lights in the string to continue operating if one fails.

Some LED fixtures or bulbs have all the driver circuitry built in while some use these external drivers. Whichever method is used it is important that the circuitry be safety agency approved. Vertelight fixtures use external drivers for versatility and cost savings and all of our drivers are UL, cUL or ETL approved

Pricing in US Funds                     

DRIVER REFERENCE LINKS (Choosing the Appropriate Driver):     VQL Series & MR16        VWS Series & Linear

 Driver Reference (Downloadable)