Determining The Required Cable Length
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    • Determining The Required Cable Length


    Maximum Cable Length at 24v

    W(VA) / AMPS14 AWG16 AWG18 AWG20 AWG
    5W / 0.21 A2265 ft.1432 ft.898 ft.560 ft.
    10W / 0.42 A1132 ft.712 ft.449 ft.280 ft.
    30W / 1.25 A380 ft.239 ft.151 ft.94 ft.
    50W / 2.08 A229 ft.144 ft.91 ft.57 ft.
    80W / 3.33 A143 ft.90 ft.57 ft.35 ft.
    100W / 4.17 A114 ft.72 ft.45 ft.28 ft.
    120W / 5.00 A95 ft.59 ft.37 ft.24 ft.
    140W / 5.38 A88 ft.55 ft.35 ft.22 ft.
    160W / 6.66 A72 ft.45 ft.28 ft.18 ft.

    This table was calculated for Copper with a maximum of 10% voltage drop.


    Calculating Tool

    This calculating tool is recommended to determine cable gauge, circuit distance, and voltage drop.



    Explanation

    Using the correct 24VDC power supply and wire gauge is crucial. The number of conductors should match the number of different LED colors on the lighting product and Voltage (V+). For example, RGBW LED Tape requires 5 conductor wires: four for LEDs (R, G, B, W) and one for voltage. RGB LED Tape needs 4 conductor wires: three for color LEDs (R, G, B) and one for voltage.

    Depending on the voltage available, the power (watts) available, and the gauge of wire used, there will be a maximum cable length that will have to be respected between the beginning of the LED tape and the DMX driver powering it.

    For example: Let’s say you have 10 feet of TAPE-60-RGBW powered by a DRV-SRPC2108-24-200CVF:

    10 feet x 4.4 watts/foot = 44 watts

    We need at least 43.2 watts to power the LED tape.

    The DRV-SRPC2108-24-200CVF power supply can provide 200 watts, but we reserve 20% for power stability, leaving us with 80% of the total capacity, which equals 160 watts available for actual use.

    200 watts x 80% = 160 watts

160 watts > 44 watts

    So the SRPC2108 has enough power output to drive the 10 feet of LED tape.

    And let’s say you are installing a 14 gauge wire (14 AWG) between the LED tape and DMX driver. (Do not exceed a 10% voltage drop.)

    Using the chart above, we can see that a 14 gauge wire supporting 50 Watts can go as far as 229 feet. Therefore a 14 AWG supporting a 44 Watts load can do:

    (with interpolation : y = y1 + (x - x1)*(y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1))

380 ft + (44 W - 30 W)*(229 ft - 380 ft) / (50 W - 30 W) = 274.3 ft

    Therefore, to power 10 feet of TAPE-60-RGBW with a 14 gauge cable, the cable’s maximum length is 274 feet.