Sale of power supplies and drivers made by Light Route

I think it's perfectly fair to call this post an advertisement. Yes, I decided to become, so to speak, a dealer for one of the Ukrainian companies. Though the reality is a little more complicated, but that's beside the point. Anyway, I've added some useful, high-quality devices to my OLX page.

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Let me start with a slightly different topic. I often see Russians write in their posts, “What is even made in Ukraine?” Well, things are made here, and in fact, the story is even more interesting. To back that up, I'll list only the companies whose products I've personally reviewed.
1. First, Light Route. Its mass-market products include power supplies, LED drivers, and LED panels; everything is designed and manufactured in Ukraine. The company aims to make products that are at least as good as, and ideally even better than, the well-known Mean Well.
2. Novatek-Electro. Based in Odesa, it makes a wide range of electrical equipment for distribution panels (and more), including power supplies, controllers, protection devices, automatic transfer switches, data loggers, and UPSs. Its products serve both the consumer and industrial markets. Before the war, some products were also made in Russia under license. They are most likely now made under a different brand and without a license.
3. DS-Electronics, better known in Russia for its Zubr and Rbuz protection relays. It designs and manufactures its own products, which are of very high quality. They can sometimes be found in Belarus now, but under a different brand.
4. Smart-ion is a very small company that essentially makes just one device, but it's also its own design: an eight-channel controller. Here's my review.
5. Owen. This one's more complicated. The company is Russian, but in Kharkiv it had not only manufacturing (which is still there), but also a design team. In other words, two teams worked on the designs and shared access to the design documentation. I thought about applying for a job there, especially since it's just a short walk from my place, but that was in February 2022, and then other things took priority.

I think a few other products from Ukrainian companies have come my way, though I can't remember. But note that these are companies that design and manufacture their own products, rather than slapping labels on Chinese OEM products or trying to pass off “chips from Milandr.”


So, I have a fairly close relationship with Light Route. I've also reviewed their products and noted their high quality, as well as—just as importantly—their responsiveness to my feedback. So I thought, why shouldn't I sell their products, especially since I could offer competitive prices? And I created a listing on OLX.
By the way, all products come with the manufacturer's warranty, so there's no need to worry about that.

For those who aren't familiar with these devices, here's a quick rundown of the models in question.

1. LRC-60-12 and LRC-60-24 power supplies, rated at 60 W, with 12 V and 24 V outputs respectively. Price: 525 UAH.
I've reviewed these power supplies here - link.

Key specs:
Input voltage: 175–265 V
Output voltage: 12 or 24 V
Output current: 5 or 2.5 A, respectively
Power: 60 W
Efficiency: 88% and 90% for the 12 V and 24 V versions, respectively.
Ingress protection rating: IP66



One thing I particularly like about these power supplies is their very low no-load power consumption, which can be critical, especially now that electricity prices have gone up. I've been using one of these to power my LED lighting for several years.


The 12 V model can actually deliver more than 70 W, although the protection on the 24 V version trips sooner, at around 65 W.


Since the power supplies are potted in compound, I had to struggle a bit to get inside during the review, but I think it was worth it.
I recommended these power supplies then, and I recommend them now.


2. LED panel drivers.
It’s no secret that LED panels usually need a current source rather than a voltage source, so they are powered by specialized power supplies called drivers. These stabilize the output current and operate over a wide output voltage range.
I have a review of the LRC-60-1050 and LRC-60-1400 series drivers.



Back then, I specifically highlighted an important feature: their ability to withstand high input voltage, something imported drivers lack. Given the current state of the power grid, that’s very important.


I also struggled with the IP66 protection back then—the unit is very thoroughly potted.


But in fact, the next generation of drivers is already on sale. Among other things, they also feature active power factor correction, so the power factor is close to 1. I talked about and tested these drivers about a year ago—link.
These drivers can also withstand high input voltage, as I demonstrated by applying more than 400 V to the input—437 V, to be exact.


This series includes a large number of variants with different power ratings, output voltage ranges, and currents.
Currently available:
LRC-40-700 - 558 UAH
LRC-60-1050 - 656 UAH
LRC-60-1200 - 656 UAH

The others will be added as needed. I think the price will scale with the power rating, so it depends only on the power.


3. Low-power driver with IP20 protection.
I haven’t had this kind of driver before. I may do a short review with tests later, but as I understand it, it’s essentially the same as the 40 W and 60 W models, just lower-powered and without potting compound, which also makes it cheaper. It still retains all the key features, namely active power factor correction and protection against high input voltage.


This series has four driver variants, all rated at 25 W. I currently have the version with a 40–80 V output and 350 mA current in stock (the other options are 300, 500, and 700 mA). This version costs 374 UAH, though I think the price is the same across the whole series.

The case is smaller here, and since there’s no potting compound, I couldn’t resist opening one up.


Inside is a small board, as shown in the photo on the manufacturer’s page. To be honest, the assembly could be a little neater—or they could at least secure the components with glue, as is usually done. I’ll have to write to the manufacturer about it.


Most of the components are on the underside. Even at a glance, you can see that this driver looks very much like the 60 W model I took apart.


As I was taking the board out of the case, I wondered why they’d used screwless terminal blocks. Then, while putting it back together, I noticed the clever part: you don’t have to take it apart to connect the wires. Just unclip the side covers, and the terminal blocks are underneath. The output terminal block is even color-coded to prevent reversing the polarity. This is genuinely well thought out—the same cover then holds the wire in place. Five stars. :)


4. New series of DC-DC drivers.
These drivers are still new, but I was sent a couple for independent testing and possibly a review. I haven’t looked into the price yet.
Here’s how they work: supply 4.5–45 V to the input of the smaller model or 4.5–60 V to the larger one, and you get the following output currents:
Smaller model: 300, 350, 500, 600, or 700 mA
Larger model: 700, 1000, 1200, 1400, or 1500 mA.

The current isn’t adjustable; it’s fixed. The input voltage must be at least a few volts higher than the panel voltage, since the driver is a step-down converter. Both drivers have a brightness control input. The specified dimming range is 1–100%, rather than starting at 10% like other common models.



That’s about it. I’d be glad to hear your suggestions, advice, and comments. Maybe I should somehow highlight the products I sell—for example, by doing an additional check and marking them accordingly.

And I think I’ll rephrase the slogan from a well-known ad: Kirich recommends to men what he’s tested himself.
If I weren’t confident in them, I wouldn’t get involved in selling them.