Constant Voltage and Constant Current LED Systems

It is very important to know the difference between the two different types of LED systems available on the market today as mostly all products sold by Ecolocity LED are Constant Voltage type and are not compatible with Constant Current products. Using both types in the same LED system will cause damage to the product. Below is a quick rundown of the two different systems.

Constant Voltage

Mostly all products sold by Ecolocity LED are Constant Voltage type. Constant Voltage means that the DC Voltage of the product must always remain constant or at the rated DC Voltage of the product. Constant voltage will maintain constant voltage regardless of load current. It also means that all components of the system must be Constant Voltage type. In other words, 12VDC Constant Voltage product must always be powered at 12VDC. For example, powering a 12VDC Constant Voltage product with a 6VDC power supply would not power the connected Constant Voltage product at half brightness but it would surely damage the connected product due to the fact that it is not receiving the required 12VDC it needs to operate. If you would like to dim Constant Voltage product you must do so through PWM Dimming, not through lessening the DC Voltage input.
*If using Constant Voltage Product, all the components must be Constant Voltage*

Constant Current

It is important to know what type of product you are using when buying from different distributors as Constant Current product is not meant to be used with Constant Voltage Product. At Ecolocity LED we only sell Constant Voltage product. Constant Current type products will vary the voltage to maintain constant current regardless of load impedance. Constant Current products do not operate the same as Constant Voltage so it is important to know what type of product you are using.
*If using Constant Current Product, all the components must be Constant Current*