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Thread: SMD LED Strips - 5050 or 3528??

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  1. #1
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    SMD LED Strips - 5050 or 3528??

    Does anybody have experience with surface mount LED strips? If so, I'm looking to order a 5 meter roll, but am undecided as to whether to order 5050s or 3528s. For those that are not familiar, 5050s are substantially brighter than 3528s. I'm just wondering if the 3528s will be bright enough because I have a foot long strip of 5050s which I tried last night and they are extremely bright. Since I am planning on creating edge lit memorial frames, I was wondering if the 3528 would be a better choice. The 5050s, in my opinion, seem to be obnoxiously bright, especially for a memorial frame.

    Any thoughts??

  2. #2
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    Up until just a few months ago when I shut it down, LED lighting was my main business... so I have to say that the numbers you mention mean zero to me and do not describe a generic LED type. My guess is they are the model number for a specific brand, but unless you tell us what that brand is, they're just random numbers.
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  3. #3
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    The 5050 and 3528 are the most common LEDs used in LED flex strips nowadays. The main difference between the two is that the 3528s emit 6 lumens and consume approx .06W, while the 5050s are actually 3 x 3528 LEDs combined into one package, emit 18 lumens and consume .18W. You could get a good look at what I am talking about at a random site that I just googled.

    http://www.ledlightsworld.com/led-st...ps-c-1_49.html

    The strips shown on this site are exactly the same as the ones that I would be ordering, except I'm checking EBay for a better deal.

  4. #4
    Up until just a few months ago when I shut it down, LED lighting was my main business... so I have to say that the numbers you mention mean zero to me and do not describe a generic LED type. My guess is they are the model number for a specific brand, but unless you tell us what that brand is, they're just random numbers.

    Those are standard SMD component sizes. 5050 = 5mm x 5mm 3528 = 3.5x2.8mm just as 1206 = 1.2x0.6mm and 0805=0.8x0.5mm.

    The numbers (on their own) are not part numbers at all and have absolutely no bearing on the power output of the led whatsover. Just as you get very high power 0805's you also get low power 3528's. I use 3528 when I make HO scale minuature overhead flood lights. We also use 1208's for indicator lights on SMD PCBs.

    Manufacturers use 3528's because they are quite thick and easy to place using automatic placement machines. Their solder pads are also nice and big. They are great when the height of the led is not too important. They make for good 3mm round led replacements where SMD parts are preferred to through hole parts. Of course the same goes for 5050's to replace 5mm round leds.

    I've seen flex strips in all the different led sizes. It depends on the effect you're looking for. If you want a nice even spread of light across the entire length of the strip then the best is to get densely packed lower power leds, but if you wat high power point light then its better to get high power leads that are spread further apart. The choice of strip is entirely up to your application (and budget)

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adrian Hill View Post
    Those are standard SMD component sizes. 5050 = 5mm x 5mm 3528 = 3.5x2.8mm just as 1206 = 1.2x0.6mm and 0805=0.8x0.5mm. The numbers (on their own) are not part numbers at all and have absolutely no bearing on the power output of the led whatsover.
    Wrong units... 0805 means 80 mils x 50 mils (or 0.080" x 0.050"), 1206 is (roughly) 0.120"x0.060" (it's actually a bit larger), etc. I'm quite familiar with SMD sizing, but as you noted, size has no direct bearing on power output. One of my taillight replacement designs used LEDs that were (roughly) 2x3mm... and they were literally blinding at 25mA from across the room (they were good to 75mA). But I've never seen anyone quote LEDs based upon the size of their package, hence why I said it means nothing to me. Nestor would be better served by sending us links to datasheets so we can see how much light output these things have and at what half-angle.
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  6. #6
    Seems we're both right and wrong: 3528 & 5050 are in mm and the rest are in inches

    http://www.produktinfo.conrad.com/da...P_120_GRAD.pdf
    http://smartalec.0009.ws/pdf/5050%20datasheet.pdf

  7. #7
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    I've been trying to hunt down a datasheet on these strips for a couple of days no and have had no luck. I'll update as soon as I find something.

  8. #8
    Yes, the LED 5050 is brighter than 3528. How many LED elements is there in your strips ? You can pick up 3528, or choose a LED strip with less LEDs per meter. Here is the differences between LED 5050 and LED 3528.

  9. #9
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    One of the biggest differences is when you use an RGB strip. On the 5050 strips, the three LED chips are in a single package, but on the 3528, there are three seperate packages. If you plan to cut the strips, this can make quite a difference in the cut lengths. A 5M strip with 300 LEDs in 3528 would have 100 of each red green and blue LED packages. The same length strip in 5050 whould have 300 green, 300 red, and 300 blue LED's, in 300 individual packages. In short, the 5050 LEDs work much better in the RGB configuration. Take a lok on eBay, some of the sellers have good close-up views of the strips.

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