LED strip lighting in kitchen

[wombleboy]

I'm busy ripping out my kitchen prior to fitting a new one. I'd like LED strip lighting in various places (under and above the cabinets), but can't decide how best to hook them up, so interested in hearing how other people are doing it.

A lot of LED strip lighting kits come with a wallwart and remote. If I went down this route I'd need to get an electrician to put a few more sockets in my kitchen (the walls need replastering anyway, so I don't mind this). Then I'd need to work out how to turn the lights on and off: turning the ceiling lights on at the wall then ****ing around with 3 or 4 little remote controls each time I go into the kitchen would be a pain. The best solution I can think of so far is to take the remotes apart and solder the on/off buttons up to an extra wall switch (with the remote controls then mounted inside the switch housing.

Another option is to wire the strips into the downstairs lighting circuit (with appropriate transformers). I've researched this previously and it seems safe enough to do. The advantage here is that all my lights would be controlled by one switch; no crappy little remotes needed. Disadvantage is I wouldn't be able to have individual lights on: it'd be all or nothing.

Is there a good solution that I'm missing? Perhaps extra cabling on the lighting circuit, allowing me to control each LED strip via a wall switch? Incidentally, I'm not really fussed about being able to dim the lighting, and I don't need fancy RGB level mixing.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

A lot of LED strip lighting kits come with a wallwart and remote.

Don't buy any of those kits then.

The best solution I can think of so far is to take the remotes apart and solder the on/off buttons up to an extra wall switch (with the remote controls then mounted inside the switch housing.

¿Que?

That sounds like it's getting on for the worst solution anyone could come up with.

Disadvantage is I wouldn't be able to have individual lights on: it'd be all or nothing.

You need to decide how many individually switched strips you want, from 0 - n

That number will be the number of additional switches you'll need in the kitchen.

If you don't want dimming or RGB, what do those remotes you mentioned do? Just turn the strip on and off?

 

[wombleboy]

That sounds like it's getting on for the worst solution anyone could come up with.

And a better solution would be .... ?
It doesn't sound like a bad solution: it eliminates the need to put a lot of extra wiring in the walls so that strips can be controlled independently of the ceiling light. Essentially it's just changing the button on the remotes to a wall switch and mounting it on a wall.

You need to decide how many individually switched strips you want, from 0 - n
That number will be the number of additional switches you'll need in the kitchen.

I see

 

[winston1]

Another option is to wire the strips into the downstairs lighting circuit (with appropriate transformers). I've researched this previously and it seems safe enough to do. The advantage here is that all my lights would be controlled by one switch; no crappy little remotes needed. Disadvantage is I wouldn't be able to have individual lights on: it'd be all or nothing.

You haven't researched it very very well then. If you had you would know that LED strips do not use transformers. They use DC power supplies. Transformers are AC devices.

This (with DC power supplies, one for each strip you wanted to control separately) is the obvious way to do it with individual switches for each strip you want to control separately.

 

[wombleboy]

You haven't researched it very very well then. If you had you would know that LED strips do not use transformers. They use DC power supplies. Transformers are AC devices.

Many sources refer to 'transformer/driver'. Appreciate that transformers work on AC, and don't convert AC to DC, but presumably in moving from 240v AC to 12v DC part of the process is a transformer?

This (with DC power supplies, one for each strip you wanted to control separately) is the obvious way to do it with individual switches for each strip you want to control separately.

Yes, but presumably I then have a switch next to each strip, which means wandering around the kitchen turning each one on. Not the end of the world, but it would be nice if they were controlled from a single location (ie gang of wall switches)

 

[winston1]

Put the switches all in one location then. You said the kitchen needed replastering, just do the necessary wiring first.

 

[winston1]

Many sources refer to 'transformer/driver'. Appreciate that transformers work on AC, and don't convert AC to DC, but presumably in moving from 240v AC to 12v DC part of the process is a transformer?

Only part of it, so the whole device cannot be called a transformer.

 

[omega015]

You said your not bothered about dimming or RGB mixing but do you want to be able to choose the colour at any point in time if you fancy a change? Or are you wanting a specific colour now and forever? Do you want any automatic colour changing to be happening (this is important to know now)?

 

[ianniann]

The "kits" you describe are best avoided, for many reasons.

To recommend what you really need, we need to know:
1. do you need remote facilities or just manual switches;
2. do you need dimming or colour changing facilities, and how would you want to control them;
3. do you need to individually switch separate strips, or all-on all-off from one switch.

I suspect there is a much simpler solution than what you are thinking. You don't need a wallwart for every strip, you don't need a wallwart at all. You just need one, or possibly several, little driver bricks between the mains power supply and the LED strips, similar to 12V halogen lights. Fancy controls such as remote control, dimming, and colour changing have to go between the driver and the strip, but a simple on-off power switch can be on the mains supply.

Have you considered how bright you want the lighting to be? Not all strips are equal, they range from pretty dim to blindingly bright. The two most common strips found in the UK are either rather dim or plenty bright enough, for under-cabinet task lighting. You can always buy "rather dim" and run two or three strips in parallel until you're happy with the light level.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Fancy controls such as remote control, dimming, and colour changing have to go between the driver and the strip, but a simple on-off power switch can be on the mains supply.

Some are made so that the driver is permanently powered, and the control (wall mount standard switch size, or wall mount non-standard size, or handheld remote lost down the back of the sofa, or iOS or Android app) talks to it using wires or wireless and tells it what to do with the LEDs.

 

[phatboy]

If you want a single colour, then just buy LED strips, and the appropriate transformers (ignore winston1, he is the king of all pedants).

In my kitchen we have cool white LED strips above and below the wall units, switched separatly. At my parents place, I fitted cool white below (its best for food preparation), and warm white above.

Kits are probably not your best solution, simple transformer thats powered on and off via a wall switch will be best I reckon.

 

[winston1]

I

If you want a single colour, then just buy LED strips, and the appropriate transformers (ignore winston1, he is the king of all pedants).

HOW DARE you call me a pedant, and HOW DARE you to tell someone to ignore me. There are no appropriate transformers for LED strips as they require DC. Transformers supply AC as the OP has admitted he knows.

DON'T give out false information, it just confuses people. If you don't know, and you obviously don't, what a transformer is look it up.

 

[phatboy]

I


HOW DARE you call me a pedant, and HOW DARE you to tell someone to ignore me. There are no appropriate transformers for LED strips as they require DC. Transformers supply AC as the OP has admitted he knows.

DON'T give out false information, it just confuses people. If you don't know, and you obviously don't, what a transformer is look it up.

What's that? Pedantry.

Once you have written to each and every manufacturer and distributor of the 'not transformers' to correct them and had their co-operation, please come back and show us the error of our ways.

I'm not even sure why I am bothering to feed the troll though to be honest. I won't respond to you again though, as this topic still has some hope of remaining on point

 

[winston1]

What's that? Pedantry.

Once you have written to each and every manufacturer and distributor of the 'not transformers' to correct them and had their co-operation, please come back and show us the error of our ways.

I'm not even sure why I am bothering to feed the troll though to be honest. I won't respond to you again though, as this topic still has some hope of remaining on point

Manufacturers don't refer to DC power supplies as transformers, it is people like you who do.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Many sources refer to 'transformer/driver'. Appreciate that transformers work on AC, and don't convert AC to DC,

What's another word for "convert"?