LED Strip: Heat vs. Waterproofing
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Hi
Any tips on waterproofing an LED strip,
while allowing heat to escape?Or, heat-sinking an already waterproofed strip,
or strip with waterproofed LED's?thx
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There are two types of waterproof LED strips available:
- the ones with some clear and flexible gunk on the top side covering the LEDs
- the ones with clear silicone tubing all around them
The first type can be heatsinked pretty easily by just sticking it on top of an aluminum profile, which can conduct some of the heat away
The second type however is thermally isolated by the tube, so the only way of keeping it cool is not to operate it in a hot environment. To further reduce the heat you can of course use one with less LEDs per meter or PWM-dim the strip.
Personally I have never had heat problems with LED strips and mine are just glued to an aluminum profile and then screwed onto my furniture.
What would be your use case for the strips?
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@johnywhy will the strips be in water? If that's the case, and the water is not too warm, the water will probably conduct the heat very well, keeping the leds relatively cool.
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@ThetaDev said in LED Strip: Heat vs. Waterproofing:
the ones with some clear and flexible gunk on the top side covering the LEDs can be heatsinked pretty easily by just sticking it on top of an aluminum profile
- How do you make or obtain the aluminum profile?
- Where/how do you make holes in the strip?
What would be your use case for the strips?
Bolted to things which might get warm (to the touch), in a warm environment, which might be exposed to rain.
The strip will not be underwater.
thx
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I have bought leds with profiles from this store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-package-50CM-5730-rigid-strip-LED-Bar-Light-Kitchen-led-light-bar-36LEDs-LED-DC/32417801762.html - not sure if they have exactly what you're looking for though.
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@johnywhy What you need is weatherproof rather than waterproof. Most weatherproof LED strip does get quite warm but the self heat dissipates safely. If the surface to which it is to be attached gets quite hot, perhaps insulation from that surface might be a solution?
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@zboblamont said in LED Strip: Heat vs. Waterproofing:
@johnywhy If the surface to which it is to be attached gets quite hot, perhaps insulation from that surface might be a solution?
Good suggestion!
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Even if there are quite a few differences between these two types, plus they have not only different shape, but also the raw material is different
