LED ribbon light under cabinets
#11
Hi

I am going to install some LED ribbon lighting under the cabinets in the bar area I am working on. I need to span the ribbon behind the wall between 2 cabinets. (see Pic).
The space between the two cabinets will be tiled backsplash.
I was thinking that I could run some 1 inch pvc pipe behind the wall as a chase for the ribbon to run through. That might make it easier to replace the lights in the future.

Is there a better way to do this?

Thanks


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#12
I ran led strip in our kitchen above and below the cabinets. I trenched the drywall and ran wire then filled the drywall. Backsplash went over the trench so no biggie to cover. In your case I'd probably do the same. You can either run the wire into the cabinet then back through the cab or just under the cab where you won't see it anyway. 

    I used plain old 15 meter rolls of led strip. Made a wood strip with a groove to mount the led strip into then screwed it to the bottom of the cabs. Then ran wire to all and soldered them together. When you have allot of strips don't daisy chain them run them in parallel. I have 30' of cabinets so allot of strip light. In fact it is our primary lighting in the kitchen. I puts out quite a bit of light and being indirect it's so much more comfortable than ceiling mounted lights. 
    I to have around 8 cans with 1100 lumen leds in them on a dimmer. So you can kick them on a little or bright as the sun...

     The only thing I would do different  now is to use the aluminum track and diffusers. At the time they were highway robbery prices but now they are quite affordable. The lights cost me just over $65 all said and done. The power supply is the biggest cost as I needed a 60 watt one. The strip lights were around $5 per 15 meter roll. I have bought some as little as $3 a roll when on sale on amazon. The only failure was the powersupply. It died about a year in but the replacement has been going over 2 years now. The lights run the time we get up till we go to bed.
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#13
There were quite a few posts about this subject last year. A copy of mine is below.
2017-04-27, 01:29 AM    Re: Knowledge Undercabine Lighting by Halfathumb (Please help an old o...)
I had to make custom length LED strip lights for a customer a few years ago. Stock sizes only came the same size as standard cabinets; I needed to install them on the bottoms which meant they would have to be an inch or so shorter. She got custom sizes for a little less and I made good money for my efforts. The first Amazon link is almost exactly what I purchased but they came in 8' lengths and were a lot more expensive back then. I painted them, and a few lengths of 1/4" pipe to conceal the wires coming from the wall "oil rubbed bronze" with a spray bomb. For power, I installed a receptacle in a base cabinet behind the top drawer, switched with a conventional dimmer beside the sink. I plugged in a 12v magnetic power supply and connected the 18ga fire alarm wires. (Fire alarm cable has dozens of approvals for routing inside the walls and ceiling.)

Here's what I learned during the process. Soldering the wires to the light strip is actually easy with a very small iron; keeping solid wire attached is not. I've made some since with stranded wire and it is quite resilient. The light strips can only handle enough current for about 15', and that's pushing it. I took care to have approximately the same lengths of wire and lights on each leg. The transformer was cheap enough to buy an extra, which I mounted right next to the receptacle, just in case. I used a frosted cover on the first set and a clear cover on the second. The reflections on a granite top looks like Christmas lights with a clear cover. These lights have been working fine for a few years now, so I think they will last well over ten.

What I would like to learn is where and when can I buy 15' of strip light for $2.00? If anyone knows of a supplier (not in China) that has reasonable or better pricing and still has some service and reliability, I would like to know.
Sign at N.E. Vocational School Cabinetmaking Shop 1976, "Free knowledge given daily... Bring your own container"
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#14
Right now amazon has it for $6 a 15 meter roll. I stocked up last year when it was on sale and have a bunch of rolls. Keep an eye out as I have seen them as low as 2.50 a roll recently.
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#15
If I were to channel out the drywall and then tile over it, I think that replacing the ribbon in the future would not be easy.
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#16
(04-16-2018, 04:18 AM)Dusty Workshop Wrote: If I were to channel out the drywall and then tile over it, I think that replacing the ribbon in the future would not be easy.

You run wire there not the light strip. Cut the led strip then solder on the wire. The strip is cutable  every 3".
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#17
you can get connectors too that you don't have to solder.
"Oh. Um, l-- look, i-- i-- if we built this large wooden badger" ~ Sir Bedevere
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#18
I installed these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FK...UTF8&psc=1

The power supply goes to the one with the switch and it controls all three units.  The dimmer is amazing.   It goes down to 5% brightness all the way up to almost too bright.  You can gang (I believe) three more on the same power supply.

I recommend it.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#19
(04-16-2018, 08:12 AM)Large Wooden Badger Wrote: you can get connectors too that you don't have to solder.

Yup those weren't available when I started using the stuff. I still solder it as its cheap and more reliable than a connector. 

       You can use these and cut off the connector and extend or there are ones that have screw terminals for the extension wires. Just make sure to get connectors for the type of leds on your strip. The strips are different width and number of terminals depending on led type. Some have double rows some have bigger leds, different colors etc.
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#20
(04-16-2018, 08:25 AM)Robert Adams Wrote: Yup those weren't available when I started using the stuff. I still solder it as its cheap and more reliable than a connector. 

       You can use these and cut off the connector and extend or there are ones that have screw terminals for the extension wires. Just make sure to get connectors for the type of leds on your strip. The strips are different width and number of terminals depending on led type. Some have double rows some have bigger leds, different colors etc.

The lights I got had USB connectors to run them in series.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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