LED Glossary / Terminology Guide
HitLights LED Lighting Glossary / Dictionary / Terminology Guide
jar·gon1 /?j?rɡ?n/ noun
Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Here at HitLights, we fully understand that becoming an LED expert is hard work. To help you on your path to LED expertise, we created this handy LED lighting terminology guide to take some of the confusion out of talking about LEDs and Strip Lighting in general.
Let's make jargon jar-gone.
A
AC (or Alternating Current)
The type of current that comes from your wall outlet. Uses a line, neutral, and ground wire, and usually requires conversion to lower voltage direct current (DC) for use with LEDs. Electricity flows in alternating directions (forwards, then backwards, then forwards again).
Accent lighting
Subtle lighting effect usually achieved with indirect lighting around edges of rooms or cabinets. Puts out just enough light to be noticed, rarely enough light to sufficiently illuminate the entire space.
Addressable strip.
Special LED strip lighting that has individual LEDs, or groups of LEDs, controllable independently.
Amp (or Ampere or (A))
A measure of electrical current. Related to power (watts) and voltage (volts) by the formula Amps = Watts / Volts.
B
Battery (or Power Pack)
A portable power source that can power LEDs or other devices. Capacity is measured in amp-hours (aH). To calculate how long a battery will last, divide its capacity (amp-hours) by the total current draw (amps). Rechargeable batteries can be used over and over again, saving you money with every use.
Beam angle
A measure of how wire or narrow the beam of light emitted by a light source is. A low beam angle puts light in small space (directional, like a flashlight) while a high beam angle puts light in a large space (omnidirectional, like a light bulb).
Business account
A special business account for qualified customers that offers quantity pricing, expanded shipping options, and more.
C
CCR (or Constant Current Reduction Dimming)
Dimming achieved on the high voltage side by restricting the available current output of a dimmable driver using a compatible dimmer switch.
CCT (or Color Temperature or Correlated Color Temperature)
A measure of the 'color' of a white light. Lower values are 'warmer' (more yellow), while higher values are 'cooler' (more blue). HitLights refers to certain CCT ranges in descriptive terms : 3,000K is Warm White, 4,100K is Neutral White, and 5,000K to 6,500K is Cool White. While other manufacturers use these same descriptors, they may not refer to the same color temperature ranges.
CRI (or Color Rendering Index)
A measure of light 'quality', with a maximum of 100. Used to determine how accurately a light source reproduces colors across the entire visible spectrum.
Controller
A?device which is used to control what color, functions, or intensities an LED strip or LED product produces. Usually consists of a remote (sometimes referred to as the controller) that contains the buttons or keys for control and a receiver that is physically connected between the strip and the power source. Generally refers to multicolor applications only.
D
DC (or Direct Current)
The type of current that LEDs require. Uses a positive and negative wire. Electricity flows in one direction only.
Learn more :?Wikipedia
See also :?AC, Power Supply
Density
Density refers to the amount of LEDs on a given length of LED strip. A higher density strip would have more LEDs per unit length (eg per foot) than a lower density strip. The distance between the LEDs is referred to as the 'pitch'.
Dimmable driver
A special kind of power supply that is compatible with high voltage wall dimmers.
Dimmer
Any device that allows you to control the intensity of light. Available in two kinds - low voltage dimmers which install AFTER the power supply, and high voltage dimmers which install before the power supply. Generally refers to single color applications only.
Diode
An electrical device that allows current to flow in one direction only. A light emitting diode (LED) is a special kind of diode that also emits light when a current is passed through it.
Direct lighting The practice of illuminating a space or area with a light source shining directly on it.
See also : Indirect lighting
Directional
See beam angle
Driver
F
Flicker
Subtle strobing or flashing of LEDs due to unreliable connections, incorrect voltage, or incompatible power supplies. Preventable with good installation and system design.
See also : System design
Fluorescent
A type of light source that emits light by using electricity to excite a material that emits invisible light (usually UV) which is then converted to visible light by a fluorescent material. Most commonly found in tube lighting.
I
Incandescent A type of light source that emits light by using electricity to heat a metal filament. This high heat causes the filament to 'glow', or incandescence.
Indirect lighting
The practice of illuminating a space or area with a light source shining on it 'indirectly' by being reflected off another surface first.
Intensity
IP rating (or Ingress Protection rating)
A measure of the 'durability' of a strip, IP-rating also measures how 'waterproof' a strip is. IP-20 is indoor only, IP-65 is water resistant, and IP-67 is waterproof.
L
LED (or LED Chip or Light Emitting Diode)
A special kind of diode that emits light when an electrical current is passed through it. LEDs are more efficient than most other light sources, and are available in a range of colors, outputs, and sizes. While LEDs naturally output just one wavelength (color) of light, methods to convert single wavelengths to white (all visible wavelengths) were developed in the?
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LED Module
A small and durable module featuring a handful of LEDs. Usually comes on a 'string' of several (~20) modules attached by wire for easy installation.
Light Bar
A rigid bar with directional LEDs designed to put a large amount of light into a specific direction area. Generally used for signage and lightboxes. Similar to LED modules, but both larger and less durable.
Light Strip (or Strip Light)
A strip of LED chips and other components attached to a flexible printed circuit board (PCB).?Often also known as tape light, and rarely (but sometimes) referred to as rope light or string light.
Luma
HitLights' internal designation for LED chips of certain outputs. Luma5 refers to chips that put out around 5 lumens, Luma10 refers to chips that put out around 10 lumens, and Luma20 refers to chips that put out around 20 lumens.
Lumen
A measure of light output or intensity. A traditional 60 watt incandescent light bulb puts out around 800 lumens.
Luminous Efficacy
The measure of how efficiently a given light source converts power (watts) to visible light (lumens). LEDs have a higher luminous efficacy than most other light sources.
M
Multicolor
A special kind of LED product that has multiple independently controllable 'channels' for different colors. When operated at different intensities, these lights can mix to create almost any color.
N
Neutral?White
See?CCT
O
Omnidirectional
Output
P
Power supply
An electrical device that converts high voltage AC current from a wall outlet or house wiring to low voltage DC current suitable for use in LEDs.
PWM (or Pulse Width Modulation Dimming)
Dimming achieved on the low voltage side by a dimmer that turns the lights on and off faster than the eye can see.
R
RGB
A multicolor LED with three channels - one for red, one for green, and one for blue.
RGBW
A multicolor LED with four channels - one for red, one for green, one for blue, and one for white. Generally produces a higher quality white than and RGB LED.
S
SMD (or Surface Mounted Device)
In the LED world, refers to a device (LED chip) that is mounted directly to a surface, usually a flexible LED light strip. Various sizes, connection types, and output exist. See this blog for some common ones including 2835, 3528, and 5050 types.
Solderless connector
A 'clip on' connector that allows you to make connections to cut sections of LED strip without soldering.
Strip Light
System Design
The practice of designing an LED lighting system to be as efficient, practical, and reliable as possible through careful consideration of components, connections, and installation requirements.
T
Tape Light
Task Lighting
A direct lighting?source intended to provide enough light at close range to help with the completion of a task - such as lighting underneath kitchen cabinets or above work spaces.
U
UL-Listed product
A product?that has been tested by and conforms to the specifications of the Underwriters Laboratories, and independent testing and standards organization. UL-Listing requires products to meet specific safety standards and for their manufacturing facilities to be inspected.
V
Volt (or (V))
A measure of electrical potential. Related to?current (amps) and?power (watts) by the formula?Volts?=?Watts / Amps
Voltage drop
The natural decrease of voltage along the path of current in an electrical circuit such as an LED light strip or light strip system. Voltage drop results in inconsistencies in light, such as bright light at the beginning and dim light at the end of a strip. The impact of voltage drop can be decreased in several ways.
W
Warm?White
See?CCT
Watt (or (W))
A measure of electrical power. Related to?current (amps) and voltage (volts) by the formula Watts =?Amps?* Volts.
Z
Zone Control
In controller terms, zone control is when you have multiple areas, or 'zones', that you wish to control independently. For example, you might want white on the ceiling but blue around a window area - all from one remote.
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Got your LED terminology down? Need a light strip for your project? Our free eBook, titled 'How to Choose LED Strip Lights '?is an ideal guide in the next stage of your LED?lighting journey.