Stay Current: Constant Current Tips & FAQs

Constant Current luminaires require a Constant Current power supply e.g 260mA or 500mA. For Constant Current lighting the “current” remains the same but the “voltage” varies depending on the load. The output of Constant Current drivers is commonly referred to in Milliamps (mA).

IMPORTANT:

Constant Current lighting MUST be wired in series ensuring correct polarity. Incorrect polarity/wiring will cause permanent lamp and/or driver failure. Connection to live driver will permanently damage all lighting on circuit. Pulsing/flashing lighting indicates incorrect wiring – power off immediately.

Pulsing or flashing results from the tripping and resetting of the circuit protection in the driver as it cuts the power and then tries to turn itself back on only to find the fault in the circuit still exists so it cuts the power once more. This will generally always save the driver from failure but is unfortunately not the case for the lighting on the circuit. In a series circuit if one light is damaged from incorrect wiring it will break the circuit causing all lighting on the circuit to go out. Halcyon does not accept responsibility for failures from incorrect wiring. All lighting sold by Halcyon goes through a burn in process at the factory and are pre-wired and tested 100% working prior to being sold.

The voltage required from a Constant Current driver increases with the number of lights.  Four luminaires connected in series require four times the voltage of a single luminaire. Majority of Halcyon Constant Current lighting is sold complete pre-wired with a Constant Current Driver, however in the case of small display lighting or large commercial lighting where drivers are chosen separately the following information is relevant:

Output Power [W]

When choosing a driver the total output power of the lighting must be taken into account. Constant Current drivers have a minimum AND maximum output wattage, you must stay within these parameters for optimal performance and driver lifespan.

Output Current [mA]

When choosing a Constant Current LED driver you must observe the current requirements of your light source/s. See Halcyon specification sheets. Some lighting can be under-run at lower milliamps to reduce light output, however always check with Halcyon to verify. All diodes require a specific working voltage, sometimes under-running diodes can lower the voltage below the designed parameters causing failure or flickering. Running a higher than specified mA will lead to failure or significantly reduced lifespan of an LED.

Output Voltage [V]

For constant current, the output voltage of the driver must exceed the LED requirements.

Constant Current Common Example: Remote driven 350mA Mini Display/Cabinet lights

Customer requires 3 x R744 3.3W 350mA mini display lights wired from one dimmable power supply.

Do you choose option 1 or option 2?

Option 1: 12W 350mA Driver (output voltage 17-35V)

Option 2: 28W 350mA Driver (output voltage 40-80V)

Answer: Option 1 – Always check minimum loading of dimmable Constant Current Drivers. In this case the 28W driver has a minimum recommended load of 14W/40V so the 3x R744 would not meet the minimum requirement

(3x R744 3.3W/9.5V = 28.5V).