LED tape for under kitchen cupboards - what power?

[nebjamin]

Hi folks,

I have some old deteriorating flourescent tubes under my kitchen cabinets at the moment that light the work surface.

Thinking of replacing them with LED tape.

Does anyone have any experience about which size and density (e.g. 3528 vs 5050, 30 LED/m 60LED/m) would work best in this scenario?

Bit concerned that 5050 60 LED/m might be a bit too bright.

Thanks
Ben

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Get a dimmable one.

 

[nebjamin]

Yeah that option crossed my mind. Not overly keen on a dimmable one if not necessary because:

1) Need to install a dimmer switch - at the moment they are powered off an FCU. Makes it more complicated.. can you get an FCU dimmer?

2) Don't like the buzzing sound made by dimmer switches. I'm just anal like that.

 

[JohnW2]

1) Need to install a dimmer switch - at the moment they are powered off an FCU. Makes it more complicated.. can you get an FCU dimmer?

Not that I've seen or heard (although that doesn't prove they don't exist!). However, if you used a grid switch frame/plate, you can get fuse and dimmer grid modules (although you'd have to look to see if there are any grid dimmers suitable for LEDs).

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The dimming (and colour changing if you have that) is a function of the driver - you don't use a normal dimming light switch.

Start looking into dimmable, or dimmable RGB, LED strips and you'll see. If you're geeky as well as anal you can get drivers which can use a smartphone app to control.

 

[nebjamin]

If you're geeky as well as anal you can get drivers which can use a smartphone app to control.

Check and Check. Already got half the house wired up with Lightwaverf... not keen on introducing another system to confuse the Mrs!!

Anyways... maybe I'll just buy a metre of each and see what looks best. Don't need to dim the units, just don't want to have to wear sunnys when chopping me veg!

Thought maybe someone who has installed these before might have an opinion.

 

[JohnW2]

Anyways... maybe I'll just buy a metre of each and see what looks best. Don't need to dim the units, just don't want to have to wear sunnys when chopping me veg! ... Thought maybe someone who has installed these before might have an opinion.

To be honest, even if you did get opinions, they'd necessarily be pretty subjective [one (wo)man's 'bright' is another's 'dim' ] - and also markedly influenced by factors such as the colour and reflectivity etc. of walls and work surfaces - so, in the final analysis, to 'do the experiment' is probably the only way to ascertain what seems right to you,a nd in your kitchen!

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

For me the brighter the better for under cabinet lighting.

I normally fit 5W per meter warm white LED strip. If it's not bright enough for you, just run another strip alongside the first one.