Nucleo supplies four distinct strip technologies on a common 24V IP20 platform, so the electrical and installation side stays identical no matter which one is chosen — only the chip, the channel count and the controller change.
The specification mistake we see most often
Designers frequently specify "RGB strip" when the actual requirement is a strip that shows both colour and a good-quality white. Pure RGB strips generate white by running all three channels together — the result is a dim, slightly blue-grey white with poor CRI, not the crisp warm white shown in a render.
If white quality matters anywhere in the brief, the correct starting point is 4-in-1 (RGB+WW) or 5-in-1 (RGB+CCT) — not RGB with a white channel added later.
Controller compatibility
CCT tunable needs a 2-channel CCT controller or DALI DT8. RGB needs a 3-channel RGB controller. 4-in-1 needs a 4-channel RGBW controller. 5-in-1 needs a 5-channel RGBCCT controller or DALI DT8 in extended colour mode. The strip and controller must be ordered together — contact Nucleo to confirm the matching controller for your chosen strip type.
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One Decision Tree, No Guesswork
Four chip types mapped directly to four project outcomes — colour only, white only, or both together on one or two strip runs.
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Common 24V Platform
Every type in the range runs on standard 24V constant-voltage supply — up to 10m per run without power injection, so electrical planning stays consistent regardless of which strip is chosen.
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2200K–6500K Coverage
From candlelight warmth to gallery daylight, plus a narrow-band 2200K–4000K option for briefs where cooler whites should never be selectable.
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DALI DT8 Ready
CCT tunable and 5-in-1 RGBCCT strips integrate directly with DALI DT8 drivers and building management systems for centralised scene control.
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5mm–12mm PCB Widths
Narrow-profile channels through to open cove installations — every profile width in the Nucleo aluminium range is served by a matching strip.
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CRI 80+, Binned for Consistency
Every strip in the range ships CRI 80+ minimum with colour binning across production batches — critical when specifying long, continuous runs.
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Hotel Guest Rooms
CCT tunable cove for circadian presets; 5-in-1 for bedside mood scenes combining colour and white from one strip.
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Bar & Lounge
RGB or 4-in-1 behind the bar, booth perimeters and back-lit displays, with warm ambient switching on 4-in-1.
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Flagship Retail
5-in-1 for window-display colour scenes; CCT tunable for shelf lighting matched to product category and season.
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Luxury Residential
CCT tunable for living and bedroom coves; 5-in-1 for feature walls and media rooms on a single controller.
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Healthcare
CCT tunable white for circadian protocols — cooler tones for procedure areas, warmer tones for recovery rooms.
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Auditorium & Events
RGB and 5-in-1 for stage wash, perimeter colour and DMX-driven scene transitions during live events.
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Fine Dining
The 2200K–4000K narrow-range strip for candle-warm to dining-hour colour temperature, without cooler tones ever being selectable.
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Spa & Wellness
5-in-1 RGBCCT for chromotherapy zones — deep blues and violets for relaxation, warm whites for recovery protocols.
How do I decide between CCT, RGB, 4-in-1 and 5-in-1 for a project?
Start with what the space needs to do. If the requirement is white light that shifts warm to cool for mood or circadian purposes, specify CCT tunable — it gives the cleanest white output of the range. If the requirement is pure accent colour with no white role, RGB is sufficient and the most economical. If a single run needs to serve as both a colour feature and a warm ambient source, choose RGB+WW 4-in-1. If a single run needs full colour plus independently tunable warm and cool white, choose RGB+CCT 5-in-1 — it replaces what would otherwise be two separate strip installations.
Why is CCT tunable white better than mixing RGB to get white light?
RGB strips generate white by mixing red, green and blue LEDs at full output, which produces a white point with visible colour cast and low CRI — unsuitable for general illumination. CCT tunable strips use dedicated warm-white and cool-white LED channels, so the white output is a true white light source with CRI 80+ at every colour temperature between 2200K and 6500K. Any application where white light quality matters — hotel rooms, retail shelving, dining spaces — should specify CCT tunable or a 5-in-1 strip, not RGB alone.
What controller does each strip type need?
CCT tunable strips need a 2-channel CCT controller or a DALI DT8 driver. RGB strips need a 3-channel RGB controller. RGB+WW 4-in-1 strips need a 4-channel RGBW controller. RGB+CCT 5-in-1 strips need a 5-channel RGBCCT controller, or a DALI DT8 system configured for the extended colour mode. Control formats available include RF remote, wall panel, DMX512 and Zigbee, depending on the project's building management requirements.
What is the difference between 4-in-1 and 5-in-1 LED chips?
A 4-in-1 chip (RGB+W) packages red, green, blue and one white LED — either warm or cool — into a single package, giving colour output plus one fixed white tone. A 5-in-1 chip (RGB+CCT, also called RGBCCT or RGBWW) packages red, green, blue, cool white and warm white LEDs together, so the white output is independently tunable across the full colour temperature range in addition to full RGB colour mixing. 5-in-1 is the more capable and more expensive option.
What colour temperature range should be specified for hospitality projects?
Most hospitality specifications sit in the 2700K–4000K band — warm enough for guest comfort, adjustable enough for daytime housekeeping and service use. Nucleo also supplies a narrower 2200K–4000K tunable strip for high-end hospitality and residential briefs where the cooler end of the spectrum (5000K and above) is never required and would be a design liability if accidentally selected on site.
Can RGB and CCT strips run on the same 24V power supply as single-colour strips?
Yes, the entire range runs on standard 24V DC constant-voltage power supplies, the same class used for single-colour LED strips. The difference is on the control side, not the power side — a CCT, RGB, 4-in-1 or 5-in-1 strip still needs a 24V driver sized to its total wattage, but it additionally needs the matching multi-channel controller sitting between the driver and the strip to route the individual colour channels.
