Boogey Lights® Low-Profile & Heavy Duty Surface Mounted LED Strips
General Information
- All Boogey Lights® Flexible LED products are native 12vdc. Optional 120vac to 12vdc power converters are available however we always recommend using 12vdc directly if you can.
- The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) for many (but not all) of our LOW PROFILE LED strips can be ordered in your choice of black or white PCB. See product details for available PCB color offerings.
- Unless stated otherwise in the product description or options, the power lead is hard wired, soldered and sealed at one end. No connectors - ever - as connectors are the most common single point of failure in other LED brands. We use 4-conductor power lead (red, green, blue and black) for RGB multi-color, 2-conductor power lead (black and red) for single color, 5 conductor power lead (red, green, blue, black and white) for RGBW / RGBA and 6-conductor power lead (red, green, blue, black, white, grey) for RGBWW unless otherwise indicated in the product configuration. For power lead lengths under 20' the LED strip will use 22awg cable. For longer lengths, it will use 20awg cable.
- Boogey Lights® LED strips attach to the mounting surface with 3M® double-sided VHB tape already applied to the back of each strip. 3M Adhesion Primer MUST be used when mounting these strips if you want them to stay stuck. Note: 3M adhesion primer is not included unless otherwise stated but it is an essential component of the installation process.
- Boogey Lights® RGB, RGBW, RGBA and RGBWW LEDs are common cathode LEDs. They share a common ground and will only work with positively switched controllers. Most third party led controllers are negatively switched controllers and will not work with Boogey Lights RGB, RGBW, RGBA or RGBWW LEDs.
- All Boogey Lights® Single Color LED strips are dimmable using Boogey Lights LED controllers/switches. While they will likely work with other manufacturer's dimmable switches, we cannot guarantee it.
- Boogey Lights® LED strips are completely sealed against the elements. They are heat resistant, waterproof and easily cleaned for maintenance free operation. LED strips are NOT intended for use in salt-water applications or to be submersed in water for extended periods of time. These are not marine grade LED lights which fall into another classification.
- RGB LEDs will display 7 pre-set colors using a Boogey Lights® LED Controller. Those colors are: Red, Green, Blue, White, Light Blue, Lime Green/Yellow and Magenta (Hot Purple). If you use a Boogey Lights® Bluetooth enabled LED Controller with our RGB LEDs, there are total possible combination of 16 million color combinations. The RGB component of the RGBW, RGBA and RGBWW LED strips will also display these same colors.
- Single Color LEDs will always be brighter than Multi-Color LEDs. So if you're looking for the absolute brightest LED, Single Color is what you want. Of course, you only get one color. All of our RGB and Single Color LEDs use a 5050 tri-chip LED. Each 5050 LED has three LED diodes. In a RGB LED those three diodes are red, green and blue. When combined with an LED controller the mixing of those three colors will produce up to 16 million different color combinations. For example, using an RGB LED chip mixing equal parts red + green + blue will produce WHITE (6000 Kelvin temp.) In a single color tri-chip LED there are also three LED diodes however all three of those LEDs are the same color. Because there are three diodes of all the same color, the light will be brigther. Of course you only get one color with a Single Color LED so there are trade offs. Important to note that 5050 LED chips are the brightest available. So even an RGB LED Chip will produce a very bright light. In fact, most people find they need to dim them. We rarely have a customer tell us the lights are not bright enough. And in the cases where they do, it's because they don't have sufficient power to support the amperage load (and the lights dim).
- Operating temperature range is from -20 (f) to 165 (f). At the higher end of this temperature scale, it's important the LED strip not be mounted to or touch the hot surface directly. We routinely mount these LED strips within inches of motorcycle engines, exhaust manifolds, turbos and exhaust stacks without issue.
- While LUMENS are not an accurate measurement of LED strip lighting brightness (especially multi-color), our WHITE LED Low Profile LED strips on full power brightness provide at least 450 lumens per foot at 12.5vdc power input. If your power source is hotter (e.g. 13vdc - 13.5vdc), that lumens number jumps to ~ 540 lumens per foot. The HEAVY DUTY LED strips will be a little less due to the additional epoxy covering that protects the LED Diodes. If you're concerned about brightness, rest assured you won't find a brighter LED strip designed for use on motor vehicles. We have yet to have a customer tell us the LEDs aren't bright enough. In fact, most have to dim them. When in doubt, we urge customers to dry mount the LED strip and power them up to see how bright they are. If they're not bright enough for your lighting application, return them for a refund in accordance with our refund policy.
LOW PROFILE LED STRIPS
Boogey Lights® LOW-PROFILE flexible surface mounted LED strips have between 3 and 300, hi-intensity 5050 super bright tri-chip LEDs depending upon how ordered. IP65 rated. There are 60 LEDs per meter (~ 18.29 LEDs per foot). Scroll down to see a conversion chart showing the # of LEDs to Length (in inches). See product configuration for available configuration options. RGBW, RGBA and RGBWW low-profile strips use a combination of 5050 chips for RGB and 2835 chips for the W, A and WW diodes. On the RGB LED strip, the color 'white' created by mixing equal parts Red + Green + Blue is a COOL WHITE with a 6000 Kelvin temperature. The color 'white' created by lighting the fourth diode on the RGBW strip is a WARM WHITE with a 2400 Kelvin temperature. The RGBWW led strips offer both a Warm White led chip (2400K) and a Natural White led chip (4500k). See photos below of these shades of white each of these led strips creates.
| LOW PROFILE STRIP TYPE | WIDTH | HEIGHT | AVAIL LENGTHS |
| RGB, Single Color | 3/8" (10mm) | 1/8" (3mm) | 2" to 16' (can be cut every 3 LEDs) |
| RGBW, RGBA, RGBWW, REDA, REDW, Dual Color | 1/2" (12mm) | 1/8" (3mm) | 2" to 16' (can be cut every 3 LEDs) |
Boogey Lights® low profile LED strips are thin; made for easy-to-conceal placement which make them ideal for accent lighting applications. They are IP65 rated. The RGB and Single color low profile LED strip width is 3/8" (10mm). RGBW, RGBA and RGBWW width is about 1/2" (12mm). Height is 1/8" (3mm). Lengths of the low profile LED strips vary based on the number of LEDs ordered. See product configuration. In all cases, the maximum length of a low profile LED strip is 16'. If you need to go longer you can add multiple strips. Important to note that the length listed is the actual LED strip that touches the mounting surface. There is an additional 1/2" or so of space required to make room for the power-lead that attaches to the LED strip. Make sure your measurements allow for this additional space.
The LOW PROFILE LED STRIP can be cut every 3 LEDs. See details on how to cut our LOW PROFILE LED strips here.
NOTE: Potential DOT issues notwithstanding, our Low Profile LED light strips should not be mounted on motor vehicles running at highway speeds facing foward unless they are mounted inside of an enclosure or have some other protective shield in front of them. The high wind speeds constantly beating against the strips coupled with dirt, rain, snow, etc will eventually pierce the epoxy coating and allow water to intrude inside the LED strip causing the strip to fail prematurely. Low Profile strips mounted and/or used this way are not covered under warranty.
HEAVY DUTY LED STRIPS
Boogey Lights® HEAVY DUTY LED strip configuration of these surface mounted LEDs are only available in these five fixed lengths: 15 LEDs (~12" long), 30 LEDs (~ 22" long), 45 LEDs (~ 32" long), 60 LEDs (~ 42" long) and 75 LEDs (~ 52" long). The Heavy Duty LED strips cannot be made in longer sizes or custom lengths. IP67 rated. They include a 36" 22awg power lead permanently attached to one end.
| HEAVY DUTY STRIP TYPE | WIDTH | HEIGHT | AVAIL LENGTHS |
| RGB, Single Color | 1/2" | 1/4" | 12", 22", 32", 42", 52" (cannot be cut or built longer) |
| RGBW, RGBA, REDA, REDW, Dual Color | 3/4" | 1/4" | 12", 22", 32", 42", 52" (cannot be cut or built longer) |
Boogey Lights® HEAVY DUTY LEDS strips attach to the mounting surface with 3M® double-sided VHB tape already applied to the back of each strip. Note too they include a screw hole on each end (see photos below). That plastic end cap where the screw hole is can be cut back if needed to fit in tight spots. You'll lose the screw hole of course but it will pick up 1" to 1.5" in overall length. Important to note that 3M Adhesion Primer MUST be used when mounting these strips if you want them to stay stuck. These Heavy Duty LED strips are IP67 rated and use the same LEDs and PCB as our low-profile LEDs however they're encased in rubber for more protection. This makes them wider and taller than our low profile strips. RGB and Single color Heavy Duty LED strip width is .50" wide and .25" tall. The RGBA (RGB + Amber) Heavy Duty LED strip width is 11/16" wide (almost .75" wide) and 1/4" tall. The length varies based on the configuration selected and the number of LEDs. The number of LEDs currently offered in our Heavy Duty strips are: 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75. Scroll down to see a conversion chart showing the # LEDS to length for these strips.
AMPERAGE DATA
Appropriately sizing the components in your lighting system is critical. Making sure your lighting system doesn't exceed the amperage ratings of each individual component is essential. Scroll down for our amperage data chart that details amperage draw per led for both our low profile and heavy duty led light series. We list amperage draws on two input voltages: 12.5vdc and 13.5vdc. If you're wiring your lights to a vehicle that has a charging mechanism (e.g. alternator), that input voltage will likely increase particularly as RPMs increase. It's not unusual for an alternator to charge the battery at a rate of 14 vdc depending upon the vehicle. Increasing the input voltage to the LED Controller/LEDs will also increase the amperage draw of those LEDs. We always suggest measuring actual amperage drawn for your particular installation to make sure it's fused and wired appropriately. If you are not familiar with DC electricity and how to measure both voltage and amperage draw, we urge you to seek the assistance of someone who does. Improperly sized circuits can cause fires and/or damage other electrical systems in your vehicle.
NUMBER OF LEDS PER FOOT
WIRING DUAL COLOR LEDS
The Dual Color LED configuration uses our RGBA LED strip but instead of pairing that LED strip with an RGB LED controller, we hard wire a combination of one, two or all three of the RGB diodes (red, green or blue) along with the AMBER diode to one three position switch (on-off-on) or two on/off switches. One switch operates the primary color diode(s). The other switch operates the amber diode. There are a total of seven Dual Color configuration options: RED+AMBER, GREEN+AMBER, BLUE+AMBER, MAGENTA+AMBER, YELLOW+AMBER, CYAN+AMBER, WHITE+AMBER. With a Dual Color configuration you don't need an LED Controller. Instead, you only need two switches (and relays); one to control each color. Here's a link to the wiring diagram for DUAL COLOR leds. You can also find it on many of our product pages.
WHAT LED COLORS LOOK LIKE
Customers will often ask us to describe what a particular LED color looks like. Truth is, it's not possible to accurately describe what a specific LED color looks like. Why? Because there are a number of factors that impact how a particular LED color appears to the human eye. For starters, it's important to understand that Boogey Lights® are accent lights. With only a few exceptions, our lighting systems are designed to be hidden from view. When installed properly, you'll never see the LED diodes/lighting fixtures themselves. You'll only see the glow reflecting off the surrounding surfaces coming from the LEDs. That means the color of the surface the LEDs are mounted to coupled with the color of the surfaces surrounding the LEDs will directly impact how the human eye perceives the color being reflected. A white surface for example will tend to brighten the color whereas a darker surface will tend to darken the color. Real word scenario: If the LEDs are shining downward on black pavement, the light reflecting off that black pavement will appear different than if on concrete which is a lighter material So for example, the LED color green will tend to look more like a "light green" when shining off of lighter color surfaces and more like a "dark green" when shining off of darker color surfaces. Same LEDs, same diodes but the human eye perceives the color reflected differently based on the color of the surrounding reflective surfaces.
When in doubt, dry mount. If you are looking for a specific color or are very picky about the LED color look you're trying to achieve, we strongly suggest dry mounting the LED strip in the location you're looking to light up and then powering up that strip temporarily with a 12vdc power source. That way you can see how the glow looks for your specific lighting product before committing to a specific LED color. It's really the only way to know how the light will appear.
A Word of Caution. The below photos are of our LEDs when viewed directly. With a rare exception, these LEDs will never be used in this manner. They're almost always mounted in such a way that you'll only see the glow from the LEDs reflecting off another surface. Keep this in mind when viewing the below photos.
The Problem with Photographing LEDs
It's not possible to capture LED color hues and brightness levels with a digital camera and then accurately reproduce those colors in a photograph the way the human eye sees and the brain interprets those same colors in person. To show a more accurate color hue, the brightness levels of the photos below have been severally restricted. In person, the light coming from these LED strips will appear significantly brighter to the point at which you should not look at them directly.
MAGENTA / HOT-PURPLE LEDS
Our single color Magenta (Hot-Purple) LEDs are created using RGB LED strips. The BLUE and RED power leads of the RGB LED strips need to be wired together. The GREEN power lead is not used and should be capped. Lighting just the red + blue diodes in the RGB strip creates the magent/hot-purple color.
WILL BOOGEY LIGHTS® LEDS / CONTROLLERS WORK WITH OTHER BRANDS?
The short answer is probably not. More importantly, we do not provide technical support on installations that use other manufacturer's components with Boogey Lights® products. All Boogey Lights® RGB (and RGBx, RGBxx) LED strips are COMMON CATHODE strips with the controller technology being POSITIVELY SWITCHED. This means that Boogey Lights® LED strips share a common ground. The controller switches on/off the positive (hot) side of the circuit similar to how every motorized vehicle in North America is wired. Just like your car, Boogey Lights® LED strips are only energized with power when they are in use. Without getting into the electrical weeds the advantage of this design is that it is more robust, more efficient, will last longer and provides a brighter glow. It also means there is less chance of the LED strip or controller shorting out, making it much safer. Of course it costs more to build a controller that switches all three, four or five of the positive channels of the circuit instead of the single negative channel. That's why most competitors use negatively switched controllers with common anode LED strips.
So if you're looking to pair Boogey Lights® LEDs with another manufacturer's controller (or vise versa), be sure you check with that manufacturer's specifications. It most situations it's unlikely they'll work with Boogey Lights®. Even if they do, be aware you're on your own in terms of technical support. Important to note too that attempting to use them with the wrong technology voids the warranty. Simply put, Boogey Lights® LEDs and Controllers are specifically built and designed to work with Boogey Lights® products.
A NOTE ABOUT RGBWW LEDS
RGBWW LEDs are designed to give the user the best of both RGB multi-color and a spectrum of white with the WW diodes on one single LED light strip. While the LED controller will allow you to turn on both the RGB and WW diodes together, the strip is not designed for both RGB and WW to be used together for prolonged use. When operating your RGBWW LEDs, we do not suggest turning both the RGB and WW leds on at the same time particularly on the brightest white setting possible. The reason is that with all 5 diodes lit on the brightest setting, the heat generated from the LED chips will burn the epoxy poly-urethane coating on the strip from the inside out giving the coating a yellow appearance which will in turn, give the LED colors a permanent yellowish tint which cannot be reversed.
CREATING ORANGE OR AMBER WITH RGB
You cannot create the colors ORANGE, AMBER or GOLD using RGB LEDs. If you want to know more about why, check out this page here on understanding the visible light spectrum and led technology. So what's the solution? To get something that looks more like orange (gold/amber) to the human eye using just RGB LEDs you need to mix equal amounts of RED + GREEN (actually just a bit less green since the human eye is more sensitive to green wavelengths). This will give you the color YELLOW. Then, increase the intensity of the RED just a little (or, pull back the green). This will essentially add a little red to the yellow to effectively mix a color that has an orange tint. It's not perfect but it's as close as you can get to the color orange using RGB led lights.
If you really want orange, a better option is to use our RGBA LED strip. By mixing the Amber chip with the Red diode, you'll get a rich orange color.
DOT COMPLIANCE
The AMBER and RED single color LED strips are DOT COMPLIANT. They conform to applicable provisions of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requirements.
THE PROBLEM WITH PURPLE LEDS
With only a few exceptions, we do not offer PURPLE LEDS for most of our light kits. The reason is that Purple LEDs are really ultra-violet LEDs. As such, they're not very bright and quite disappointing in terms of brightness. For those products where we do offer true PURPLE LEDs you'll see we warn customers about this issue. A good alternative to UV/Purple is MAGENTA (some call it a 'hot purple') which looks similar but has a brighter, pinkish tint. Magenta is available by mixing 100% RED + 100% BLUE which is what our single color Magenta is. You can also mix magenta using our RGB LEDs and an LED controller.
KNOW YOUR STATE LAWS
Installing accent lighting on your vehicle is not illegal. It's just like having a mobile phone with you while driving. Where and how you use either of these devices while driving may be restricted by law. We remind customers to check their local laws when it comes to driving or riding with accent lighting turned on. Keep in mind too that the laws for motorcycles, cars and trucks (or larger vehicles) are often different. More details here.
PACKAGING
Here are some photos of how Boogey Lights LED strips are packaged.