LED lights have many advantages as compared to the traditional forms of lighting technology such as incandescent and fluorescent lights. They are way more energy-efficient and long-lasting. Also, they are good for the natural environment.

There are numerous benefits of LEDs, they are compact, versatile and generates less heat. However, one potential disadvantage of LED is they require a steady flow of current else they can overheat and become prone to malfunctioning.

This is where an LED driver comes to work, LED drivers drive the power that is supplied to an LED lamp. LEDs do not require a lot of power, so LED utilizes DC power to operate at lower rather an AC power. Because of this, they require something that converts AC power to DC power. And this is done by the LED driver.

Emergency LED drivers also operate the same way as normal drivers do, they are designed specifically for light fixtures that already require a driver to operate correctly. The only difference between emergency drivers and normal drivers is that emergency drivers operate off of a battery instead of a line voltage.

Types of Emergency LED Drivers

There are two kinds of Emergency LED drivers – constant current and constant voltage emergency drivers. Both work in different ways and have different purposes.

Constant voltage drivers are needed on LEDs that depend on the steady voltage to perform correctly. Constant voltage drivers come in varieties of wattage and they are commonly used in LEDs here lights lie parallel or are arranged in strips such LED accent and landscaping lights.

On the other hand, constant current drivers regulate the current that enters the LED diode. Constant current LED drivers are commonly used in LED lamps which do not have a built-in driver.

Emergency LED Driver – Working Principle

Normally, the Emergency LED driver powers the LED lights from the mains AC supply while maintaining the full charge of the battery. In case of power cut or mains power supply fail, the driver switches over to the battery and reduces the lux level for a minimum length of time.

On the restoration of the power supply, the Emergency LED driver switches back to the AC mode, it powers LED from the mains power supply and simultaneously recharges the battery.

The light output of the emergency LED driver will not be as bright as it should be as it operates from the battery, but it will be enough in case of an emergency. Most commonly, the maximum emergency operation time of emergency LED drivers will be 90 minutes.

LED Emergency Driver is usually available in four different mounting configurations to accommodate various requirements and types of fixtures: Single Flex, Dual Flex, Integral Non-Flex, and Top-Mount. Single Flex is a must-have while others are optional.

Clare Louise