5050 LED 12V and 10A power supply

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Danartist

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Hi,

I bought 2 10 meter strips of 12V 5050 leds. They have UL tags that say 5Amp. I have cut them apart in 60 inch lengths. I then soldered 18g wire to each of them. My plan is to solder them all together and connect them in parallel to a 120w 10 amp power supply so I don’t get a voltage drop. I am guessing that this is not a good thing to do because the power supply is 10A and the ratings on the LED strips are 5A. My question is can I use 12V 5050 LED strips with a UL rating of 5A with a 12V 10A 120w power supply?
 
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Jadnashua

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It typically isn't an issue to use a power supply that is larger than needed except for the cost both to buy and to run. It won't actually use 10A unless the devices try to draw it (just like you can put a 60W light bulb or a 100W one in a lamp, as long as it is designed to handle the extra heat). 18G wire is not really a good size for a 10A load.
 

Danartist

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It typically isn't an issue to use a power supply that is larger than needed except for the cost both to buy and to run. It won't actually use 10A unless the devices try to draw it (just like you can put a 60W light bulb or a 100W one in a lamp, as long as it is designed to handle the extra heat). 18G wire is not really a good size for a 10A load.
Thanks Jadnashua. The gauge of wire that came with the strips that was connected to them before I detached is marked “AWM 2464 22 AWG 80C 300V VW-1”. It’s tiny wire. Is this why the UL listing has it as 5A?
9522D2E7-E108-45A7-968D-F49C35AA29B3.jpeg
Would it be the best solution to then solder all of the strips directly to the power supply and bypass any 22 gauge wire? This is the power supply. image.jpg
 

Jadnashua

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It's a bit counterintuitive, but the gauge of wire internally to a device verses what is required to feed it often differs. The reason is, inside the device, the engineers know that actual load, the wire length, the heat dissipation capabilities, and the acceptable voltage drop. Code wants, typically, a larger gauge wire to ensure that the supplied voltage doesn't have too big of a drop so that the device can work properly. AT 10A, I'd want at least a 16g wire, but if it were kept short enough, 18g might work without losing too much to heat and dropping the voltage.
 

Danartist

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Thanks Jadnashua for answering my post and sharing your knowledge. After reading what you wrote I am going to use 14 gauge, as I have a bunch of it, to be safe. Thanks again.
 
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