Take the length of the room and subtract 60 to 80 centimeters at both ends for the distance to the wall. If you land between two sizes, combine two tracks. With 3-phase, every layout needs one power connector, and an end cap on every open end.
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Working out the length
A track does not have to run from wall to wall. The spotlights need to be above where you want light, and that is rarely right into the corners.
A practical rule: keep 60 to 80 centimeters from the wall at both ends. A spotlight hanging too close to a wall mainly lights that wall, and in a shop you want the light on the products. The reasoning behind that distance is in How far should a spotlight be from the wall?
For a five-meter room that gives you about 3.5 meters of track: five meters minus twice seventy centimeters is 3.6 meters. If you actually want to light a cabinet or painting at the wall, move the outer spotlights closer, to 30 or 40 centimeters.
The sizes available
In 3-phase there are tracks of 1 meter, 1.5 meters, 2 meters, 3 meters and 4 meters.
If you need a length in between, join two tracks with an I connector or an internal coupler. So 3.5 meters is 2 plus 1.5, and six meters is 4 plus 2 or 3 plus 3.
In 1-phase there are tracks of 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 meters, and the power connector and end cap come in the box. That saves working things out, and it is one of the reasons 1-phase often turns out simpler for a home.
The parts list for 3-phase
For one straight four-meter track you need:
- 1x 4 meter track
- 1x power connector, in the left or right version, depending on where the earth runs
- 1x end cap for the open end
- the spotlights you hang on it
The power connector usually sits at one end, but it can also go in the middle. For that you use the I connector, which has a power connection as well as joining tracks. Handy when the cable from the ceiling happens to come out in the middle of the room.
Where the power comes in matters
The power connector and the I connector are rated up to 16 amps. If you feed a long track from one end, all the current for all the spotlights runs through that one point and through the first stretch of track.
With a normal shop layout of LED spotlights that is no problem, because they draw little. With a long track full of powerful spotlights, feeding from the middle is neater: the load is then split over two sides.
Do not forget
Every open end gets an end cap, including after a T or X connector. With 3-phase it does not come in the box with the track.
If a stretch of track stays empty, close it off with a one-meter cover strip. That keeps the track calm and dust-free.
And draw out the shape before you order. Which connectors go with which shape is in Which 3-phase track connector do you need?
Everything is in track lighting.
How many meters of track do you need for a five-meter room?
About 3.5 meters, for example a 2 meter and a 1.5 meter track joined together. Keep 60 to 80 centimeters from the wall at both ends, otherwise the outer spotlights mainly light the wall instead of what is below.
How many power supplies does a track system need?
One power connector per continuous track layout. If you join two tracks with an I connector or internal coupler, it stays one whole with one feed. With a long track full of spotlights, feeding from the middle is neater.
Is the power supply included with the track?
With the 1-phase tracks it is; the power connector and end cap come with them. With 3-phase you order the power connector and end caps separately, and watch the left or right version.