MEXICOWANDERER
Mar 11, 2017Explorer
LED Lamp Notes 5" 12vdc Strip As As Sold On eBay

2x Super Bright White 5.5" Car COB LED Light DRL Fog Driving Lamp Waterproof 12V
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301747417395?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
- COB plate construction ear-crimped onto aluminum backing
- 25 gauge power wires soldered to pin-head solder points
- Units have zero sealing. Face of emitter is plastic
- With power supply at 12.00vdc aluminum substrate achieved 148 degrees F in three minutes.
- Delta T temp of 78 F
- Six minute test failed one strip
- 12.00vdc required 713ma which of course rises as temperature rises
- Requirement of additional heat sinking is mandatory
- Raising voltage to 13.2 achieved 140F temp of aluminum substrate in under 120 seconds
Personal Opinion: Power wires are extremely difficult to work with unless soldering is employed.
There is zero power wire strain relief. Exampled perfectly when one strip arrived with neg wire already broken off at solder point. Solder point is pin-head size. Epoxy encapsulation is strongly recommended.
I used JB Weld to encapsulate wire connections and as an adhesive to bond strip to appropriate aluminum heatsink. Thermal conductive compound was used to thermally bond strip to added heatsink.
If treated as an incomplete emitter component, these strips are extremely bright at 12.5 - 13.6 volts. Their lack of mounting tabs makes their utility challenging.
The useful thermal threshold seems to occur at 11.7 volts in which temperature seems to limit at 33 degrees Delta T. Lumen output at this potential is objectionably limited.