I'm not the engineer who designs power supplies. I'm the one who orders them, installs them, and gets blamed when they don't fit. I've been handling lighting and power-supply specs for about eight years now—seven or eight, honestly, I'd have to check—and in that time I've personally made and documented at least 15 avoidable mistakes. Maybe 20? The spreadsheet says 17.

If you're here because you searched for 'mean well 24v 10a power supply model' or 'mean well lrs-350-24 power supply 350w 24v,' you're probably in one of three situations. There is no universal answer. The right Mean Well depends on whether you're replacing a failed unit, building a chandelier, or wiring a control panel.

Quick reference before the scenarios

Some fast anchors, basically just to decode the numbers:

  • Mean Well LRS-240-24 is the 240W 24V supply. It provides 24V at 10A.
  • Mean Well LRS-350-24 is the 350W 24V supply. It provides 24V at 14.6A and has a built-in fan.
  • LED modules that say constant current, like 700mA, need a constant current LED driver—not a 24V power supply.
  • LED strip that runs on 24V uses a constant voltage supply.
  • For a normal light switch, neutral does not go on the switch. For a smart switch, it does. More on that below.

That's the short version. Now the details.

Scenario A: You're replacing a failed Mean Well

This is the most common trap I see in our own orders. The old supply dies, you want the project moving again, so you grab a bigger supply because it's in stock. In 2019 I swapped a 150W unit for an LRS-350-24 on an LED sign. It ran for about an hour, then the inrush current tripped the breaker every time we powered it up. The surprise wasn't the price jump. It was how much inrush current a bigger power supply can pull when its input capacitors charge.

Before you order a replacement, check three things:

  • Voltage: if the load is 24V, keep it 24V. Do not cross voltages.
  • Current: add up the actual expected load. If you truly need 24V at 10A, the LRS-240-24 is the correct model. The LRS-350-24 can also handle a 10A load, but it's bigger, has a fan, and may not fit the original mounting pattern.
  • Driver type: if the fixture uses an LED driver and a constant current input, check that before doing anything.

Oh, and if your fixture has a dimmer, verify whether the old driver was constant current or constant voltage. I once put a 24V constant voltage supply on a constant current LED module and turned a bamboo chandelier into a flickering mess. That wasn't a Mean Well problem. It was a reading-the-label problem.

Scenario B: You're building a nursery chandelier or bamboo chandelier

Chandeliers confuse people because there are two very different ways to make them:

Nursery chandelier with individual LED modules. Most LED modules are constant current. If the label says 700mA, the current is the fixed value, and the voltage lands in a range. For this, use a constant current LED driver like Mean Well LPC-60-700. A 24V power supply is the wrong tool.

Bamboo chandelier with LED strip. LED strip is usually constant voltage. If you're using 24V strip and the total load is 10A, that's the answer to your 'mean well 24v 10a power supply model' search: LRS-240-24. It gives you 10A. If you need extra margin, the LRS-350-24 gives you 14.6A, but the built-in fan can be audible in a quiet nursery. I have mixed feelings about oversizing: on one hand, more headroom feels safer. On the other, fan noise and inrush current are real downsides.

If your chandelier has dimming, look at Mean Well's 3-in-1 dimming option (resistor/PWM/voltage). It's flexible, but it has to be wired correctly. I only believed in triple-checking the dimming wires after I miswired a PWM pair and the chandelier stayed at full brightness no matter what the controller said. Roughly $800 of fixtures, one dumb mistake.

Per FTC Green Guides, an environmental claim like sustainable or eco-friendly has to be substantiated. Source: ftc.gov/green-guides.

I should add: I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice. But if you're selling a bamboo chandelier as eco-friendly, keep the material documentation in the same folder as your purchase orders.

Where does the neutral wire go on a light switch?

This question usually comes up at the same time as chandelier wiring. For a standard single-pole light switch, the neutral doesn't go on the switch at all. The switch is installed on the hot wire, and the neutral wires are spliced together in the switch box.

For a smart switch or a smart dimmer, the neutral (white) finally has a job. It connects to the switch's neutral terminal, usually marked N or Neutral. If the switch box has no neutral, you can't just attach white to ground. You need a no-neutral switch, or you need to run a neutral conductor. I've made this mistake in a customer's house and had to explain why a dimmer didn't work. Not fun.

Scenario C: You're wiring a control panel or machine cabinet

If the 24V supply is going into a panel with PLCs, sensors, or relays, don't force a chassis-mount LRS into a DIN rail layout. Use a DIN rail supply like Mean Well's HDR series. I learned this after ordering 50 LRS units for a panel job. The project manager asked why I didn't buy DIN rail supplies, and the answer was because I didn't think it through. The labor cost to drill and tap every panel was way more than the price difference.

For control panels, the neutral wire follows panel convention, not fixture logic. On a light switch, neutral doesn't go to the switch. In a panel, neutral goes to the neutral bus or the supply's neutral terminal, and the disconnect switch opens the hot side. If you switch neutral instead, you can have an energized circuit even with the switch off. I didn't appreciate this until I got a shock in 2021. That's a lesson you want to learn from someone else's experience, not your own.

Which scenario are you in?

It's actually pretty simple:

  • You have an existing unit with a burnt label: Scenario A. Match the model or verify an equivalent before ordering.
  • You're designing a luminaire with LED modules or strip: Scenario B. Decide constant current vs constant voltage first.
  • You're building a panel or machine cabinet: Scenario C. Choose DIN rail and switch the hot side.

At least, that's been my experience. Our team switched from email threads to a shared spec sheet two years ago, and we've caught 47 potential errors since then. That saved a ton of money and one very awkward customer visit.

This article was accurate as of Q1 2025. Mean Well's lineup changes, and prices and part numbers move. Verify current specs on meanwell.com before you order. The neutral wiring rules are older than me, but driver selection is a moving target.