LED Transformers come in two Voltages, 12Volt & 24Volt, they are both classed as Low Voltage, you will get some drop in Voltage depending on how much cable and how many lights you are using.
Some lights are 24Volt and some are 12Volt, you cannot put the two together, the 24Volt needs a 24Volt transformer and the 12Volt Lights need a 12Volt transformer.
General rule of thumb is as follows, calculate how many Lights you want, then multiply that with the Voltage of each Light, so if you are using 5Watt garden Lights and you want 10 of them, you have 10X5, which equates to 50Watts, then Calculate the amount of cable you will need, again a generally rule of thumb would be as follows:-
• 10 X 5Watt LED Spike Lights = 50 Watts
• 50 Metres of Cable (approx.) = 25 Watts (.5 Watts Per metre)
• Cable Joins (2 Watts Per Join) = 20 Watts
So this equates to approximately 95 Watts in total
You would need a larger transformer than you need, so for 95 Watts, we would suggest getting a 150 Watt Led Transformer, this would give you additional voltage for any loss or miss calculation, you can also add lights later on, without changing over the transformer MeanWell Outdoor LED Driver 150W IP67 – SA Outdoor Lighting
Low Voltage Cable (Actually classed as Extra Low Voltage in SA) does not need to be buried or put in conduit, it is quite safe to put above ground.
It is best to install the lights to the cable using solder, then putting a heat shrink over each join, when cooled down you can tape both together (Black and Blue go together & Red and Red go together) do not get the joins mixed up
DO NOT connect new lights to old ones or old cable (this will create problems and the lights will not work properly)
DO NOT connect new lights to old transformers, the lights may blow up if too much voltage is put through the lights
How do LED transformers work? Basically the lights draw what power they need, so the lights as above, would only draw 80 Watts of power from the transformer. Halogen transformers work differently to this, the send out all the Voltage, which will damage LED Lights
