0

10 - 3000 lumen off road LED lights are 47 watts. do not have volt amp drop rating. 470 watts

2 - 10/2 Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Wire - 10-Gauge 2-Conductor 100 Feet plus(whatever needed)

Use one of these transformers

  • Kichler 15PR600SS Pro Series Transformer 600W, Stainless Steel
  • VOLT 600W Clamp Connect Low Voltage Transformer with Timer/Photocell
  • Best Pro Lighting 600W Multi Tap 120 Volt AC to 12-15 Volt LED & Halogen - Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Outdoor/Indoor

Exterior application along outside of elevated deck to provide light into yard and forested area around the property.

Centralized location for the transformer w 2 wire runs up to 100 ft. 4 to 6 lights on each run.

Can lights be run in a chain fashion with out dropping wattage.

if the light is 47 watts, 10 lights is 470 watts safe to use a 600 watt transformer ?

thoughts ?

Improve this question
2
  • That’s a lot of lighting. LED lights produce about as much light as an incandescent bulb of 6-7 times the wattage, so this is equivalent to over 3kW. Do you intend that much lighting?
    – nobody
    Jun 6 at 2:59
  • My concern would be whether the power supply 6ou want to use can put out enough amperage to drive those bulbs.
    – keshlam
    Jun 6 at 3:14

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

If you match up voltage and DC polarity, you should be fine. Note that transformers output AC.

Look closely at the automotive lights. If they spec 12-24 VDC, as many do, they are using a bucking switching DC/DC converter (aka SMPS) to make the correct current for the LEDs. They will work on any voltage in that range and maybe a bit higher.

Note that voltage drop is a thing. On 12 volts, it's a BIG thing. Plinking random wire sizes on a hope and a prayer won't cut it, and results in the failure of many projects. You need a proper voltage drop calculation.

The ability of 12-24V automotive lights to work on any voltage in between is a great way to beat voltage drop. Start at 24 volts, which improves voltage drop by a factor of 4 anyway; and then even if voltage drop happens, as long as it's less than 50% drop the light won't care.

Improve this answer
6
  • Random LED lights will also surprisingly often take anything between 12-24V either DC or AC, since they chop it up with a SMPS anyway.
    – KMJ
    Jun 6 at 0:00
  • 1
    @KMJ yeah I used different words to say that. But I wouldn't go so far as to say "all" - a lot of made-for-house-lighting stock uses the "3 LEDs and a resistor" style, which lends itself well to PWM dimming.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Jun 6 at 1:15
  • Some small 12v lights also have a pair of diodes in them so that they work when put in either way on a DC circuit.
    – KMJ
    Jun 6 at 16:25
  • IME automotive 12V LEDs often function in only one orientation...would running such on an AC output not trigger it only 50% of the time?
    – Huesmann
    Jun 6 at 16:56
  • @Huesmann depends how smart the internal driver/SMPS (if any) is. Vehicle lights are expected to be wired correctly, no shop will ever have to take a vehicle light back because it doesn't work reversed lol.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Jun 6 at 19:32
0

Shopping is out of scope for this Stack Exchange so I'm not going to comment on your specific hardware choices.

As to running 12V LED lights off a 12V landscape power supply, I can't think of a reason why it would not work. You're going to need to be thoughtful about wire size as 600W is 50 amps. Probably lots of 12ga home runs will be a better bet.

Improve this answer
4
  • If you do a bunch of home runs you also don't need a 600W PSU, you can use a bunch of smaller ones, it'll probably be cheaper.
    – jay613
    Jun 5 at 23:49
  • True! Though high-wattage outdoor lighting power supplies are often fairly reasonably priced compared to smaller ones.
    – KMJ
    Jun 5 at 23:51
  • 8ga or 10ga is better than 12ga for longer runs
    – Dave
    Jun 6 at 0:37
  • @Dave if these are 50 foot or under runs, one per light, it's overkill. At 47 watts (even if it's 47 'eBay watts') you're talking under five amps. bluesea.com/support/articles/Circuit_Protection/1437/… for a nice reference table.
    – KMJ
    Jun 6 at 16:23
0

Your set up will work. I have used the Automotive bulbs for just this purpose. The automotive bulbs lasted longer that the landscaping bulbs and were cheaper. Use the heaver 12ga. wire.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.