Running your LED installation with a power supply is convenient and certainly the easier way to go. However, there are situations where it may not be feasible to run AC cables to your project. This could be because of various reasons such as distance, obstacles, or safety concerns. In such cases, LED strip lights that don't need to be plugged in, and alternative power sources like batteries or solar panels can be considered.
How to size a battery for LED Strip Lights
Batteries are rated by amps per hour so to size a battery for your LED strip you will need to know the following:
- The current rating per meter (3.28ft) of the led strip.
- Or wattage per meter. Example: 15w/meter.
- And the operating voltage - usually 12 or 24 volts.
- The length of LED strip required for the installation.
- and how long your lighting needs to shine, before recharging.
Example Project
We will use the King Protea Series LED Strip for a cordless light project. The project requires 1.5 meters of strip to run for 8 hours. The example below will show you how to power a 24v LED strip with batteries
Our cut sheet rates the LED strip specifications as follows:
- Power consumption: 16.5W/m
- Supply voltage: 24V DC
The Formula
I can now work out the amperage per meter by taking: watts per meter / vDC
Therefore the strip amperage is :- 16.5/24 = 0.6875 amps /meter/ hour
Plus we add a safety factory for power loss at connections and wiring of 15-20%
We will require 1.5meter x 0.6875+20%x8 hours = 9.9ah battery
So as long as we have a battery that is 24v and 9.9amp an hour or more, our project will be successful.
We can help you choose the right size battery for your space by connecting batteries together in series or parallel.
Common LED battery applications and questions
- LED strip light with battery backup
Building safety rules require LED strip exit lights with a battery backup. These lights will turn on when the main power is turned off, allowing persons to exit the building safely. Wired4Signs USA can supply quality battery backup solutions for our LED strip.
- Battery box for LED lights
Wired4Signs USA has a CNC micro-factory where we can create custom boxes for your rechargeable battery pack for LED lights.
- LED strip lights for stairs battery-powered
We recommend using our energy-efficient Decor LED strip for these installations. These LED strips use very little power and generally, excessive lighting is not required on stairs. So the lower the LED consumption the longer the battery life.
- Rechargeable LED strip light & USB charger
We can build custom rechargeable strip lights with USB chargers for small installations: let us know your requirements.
- Battery-operated interior boat lights
We can create custom battery-powered marine lights and seal them with resin to make them waterproof. Just remember to use voltage regulation to prevent the LED strip from getting too much or too little power. USB rechargeable LED strip lights are usually limited by the maximum output available on USB outputs. (around 3amp at 5v).
- Battery operated color changing LED lights
We have a full range of color changing LED strips and controllers that could be included to create battery-powered accent lights for your patio. Battery-powered LED accent lights are often used for applications like trade booths, outdoor areas at restaurants, or outdoor kitchens.
- Battery-powered underglow lights
Our IP68 led strips are suitable for vehicle battery-powered underglow lights but once again make sure that your installation has voltage regulation.
- 12v rechargeable battery pack for LED lights
There are many options available and possibilities for us to build a 12v battery pack for LED strip lights - share your project details for us to meet your requirements. We can even create 12-volt battery packs for LED lights with cordless tool batteries available from Home Depot or Lowes. The advantage of this is that the spare batteries and chargers are available anywhere in the country. We advise consulting a battery specialist or one of our sales representatives when wiring LED strip lights to a 12v battery.
- Battery-powered grow lights
We can build grow LED strip light battery packs using our range of LED strips designed for growing plants - see here
- Battery-powered Bluetooth lights
Wireless LED strip lighting can be controlled with our low-voltage LED controllers like the Casambi Bluetooth system - Casambi. Casambi ecosystem provides a huge range of control options and the Casambi Xpress works well when you need battery-operated LED strip lights with a remote
- Motion-activated LED light strip battery-operated
When designing installations like battery-operated pantry lights use our low voltage motion sensors like the motionPAUL. Installing a battery-powered LED strip light motion sensor will prolong the life of your battery power and preserve power for when it is needed the most.
- Battery-operated rope lighting
Our LED neon or IP68-rated strips are the modern and most reliable solutions for battery LED strip light outdoor installations
- Battery LED tube lights
Our vast range of LED tube diffusers and accessories enables us to manufacture end options of cordless restaurant table lamps or outdoor table lamps battery operated.
- Battery table lamps for restaurants
Cordless table lamp restaurant adds a touch in places that are not served by your mains power.
Wired4Signs USA lighting solutions build custom LED restaurant table lamps and using our resin-filling equipment we can even build outdoor rechargeable table lamps.
Event companies use LED bar rechargeable table lamps to avoid excess power cords. See the event table lamps that we built for our customer: https://www.wired4signsusa.com/blogs/led-projects-blog/gradient-table-accent-lighting?keyword=table
- Cordless buffet lamps
Battery-operated buffet lamps are an excellent choice for trade expos and outdoor restaurants