As seen, each SMD chip model has its own characteristics and peculiarities that require and justify its use in certain applications and this is based on two fundamental factors which are:
- performance : understood as luminous efficiency, power, useful lifespan, type of pitch (i.e. every how many millimeters the strip can be cut), width of the LED strip;
- lighting effect : which can vary depending on the density of LED diodes per meter, the supply voltage of the strip, the quality of the diode in terms of color rendering as well as the quality of the color temperature.
Starting from the performances, first of all I will have to ask myself the following question: do I need a decorative LED source or for general and functional lighting?
In the first case, if the need is to have a LED strip with a decorative function , the choice may fall on outdoor SMD Screen 3528 LED diodes , which as mentioned are characterized by the possibility of having limited powers (starting from 4.8W/m ). However, suppose the application requires good homogeneity of light. In that case, it will be necessary to choose intermediate powers such as 9.6W/m to have at least 120 diodes per meter (4.8W/m are generally distributed on strips of 60 diodes per meter), possibly by combining with a dimmer to adjust the intensity of the flow emitted if it is excessive.
The aspect to consider is that the characteristic energy efficiency of the SMD 3528 LED diode is not the highest, however, despite a relatively low purchase cost. Also for this aspect, it is worth comparing with the characteristic elements of the concrete application: if the strip is intended to remain on for a short time on average per day it will be worth purchasing the 3528 model since the energy efficiency aspect comes into play second floor compared to the lower purchase cost. However, if the application requires medium-intensive use, it is best to refer to the SMD 2835 LED model.
As for the 2835 model, it is an SMD chip that from a cost-quality perspective turns out to be one of the best ever. The LED strips that mount it can be used both for decorative purposes and for actual lighting purposes. This is because it is a chip that has enjoyed great favor on the market and is therefore available at low powers (typically 4.3W/m, 4.8W/m, 6W/m, 7.2W/m, 8.6W/m, 9.6W /m and 10.1W/m) as well as powers suitable for illuminating entire rooms (14.4W/m, 17.3W/m, 20.2W/m, 25W/m, 30W/m and 40W/m). Furthermore, starting from 9.6W/m the strips have 120 LEDs per meter, moving up to 168 LEDs per meter for the 17.3W and 21.6W and 196 LEDs per meter for the 20.2W (in this case arranged in two parallel rows). Capable of producing high-lumen light beams and with excellent color rendering (from CRI>85 up to CRI>95). In the writer’s opinion, this is a choice that makes the most of applications that require a high quality, homogeneous, and powerful general lighting solution (and therefore with powers starting from 14.4W/m).
From the foregoing, it appears that, in theory, we tend to recommend strips with 2835 SMD Screen instead of 5050 as the former generally allows the creation of continuous homogeneous lines of light. The latter, as mentioned above, when they have several LEDs per meter lower than 120 can produce the dotted effect which in most cases turns out to be unsightly.
As regards the SMD 5630 and 5730 models, these are sources capable of emitting high lumens, particularly suitable for applications in which opal screens are used (capable of significantly reducing the real luminous flux emitted by the device) or to minimize the dispersion typical of applications requiring indirect light (so-called soft light). In these cases, thanks to these models of SMD LED diodes, it is possible to obtain large lumens with lower energy absorption and therefore effectively illuminate
