Can 12v led's run on 24v?

[v12mac]

Can you run a 12v LED strip on 24v? Could I run 2 sets in series?
Ideas?

[Rubberhead]

Yes, most likely, as long as the strips are identical down to the part number/sku.

LEDs used for lighting have resistors that limit the current running through the LED. In series, these resistors create a voltage divider. If the resistance values are identical the voltage will be cut perfectly in half so there will be 12VDC across each strip.

However, resistors have tollerance values usually 10% so there might be some slop in the voltage split but it shouldn't be terrible.

If you are going to do this with more than a two strips you might want to try different combinations and pick combinations that give equal light.

[bumster]

You should put a resistor at the beginning of each strip to limit the voltage. Why not just get LED's that run on a 24 volt system.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Rubberhead

Yes, most likely, as long as the strips are identical down to the part number/sku.

LEDs used for lighting have resistors that limit the current running through the LED. In series, these resistors create a voltage divider. If the resistance values are identical the voltage will be cut perfectly in half so there will be 12VDC across each strip.

However, resistors have tollerance values usually 10% so there might be some slop in the voltage split but it shouldn't be terrible.

If you are going to do this with more than a two strips you might want to try different combinations and pick combinations that give equal light.

Some of the more sophisticated LED lights have voltage regulators, not simple dropping resistors. Wiring them in series will not divide the voltage.

The best plan, as suggested above, is to use fixtures designed for the available voltage. Second best would be to construct a voltage regulator circuit to provide 12 volts to the fixture. Of course, if the OP knew enough about electronics to do this, he wouldn't have posted the question in the first place.