SMD strips wires directly to a switch?

[Turtletom100]

Just after a bit of advice hopefully, painter by trade and am just in the middle of re decorating my kitchen and have decided to replace 2 fluorescent lights that are currently attached under the cupboards.

There is currently 2 fluorescent lights that are wired into a switch on the wall, I would assume these are into the light circuit, I have got a reel of waterproof smds and am now wondering how I would go around wiring these into that switch instead?
Can I legally do it myself or will it need to be done by a qualified electrician?
Will I need to use a driver of some description?

 

[bernardgreen]

SMD = Surface Mounted Device and is the latest buzz word for selling LED ( Light Emitting Diode ) lamps. It is cheaper to make SMD LEDs and cheaper to solder them to the flexible PCB ( Printed Circuit Board ) used in thes strips.

The vast majority of LED strips are 12 volt operation so it will require a 12 volt DC supply. This can be cofirmed if the strip has groups of 3 LED elements and a resistor between the points where it can be cut.

A power supply will take 230 volt AC power from where the present lights are connected and provide 12 DC power to the strip. Above all you do NOT want and LED driver which is a constant current supply.

 

[Turtletom100]

SMD = Surface Mounted Device and is the latest buzz word for selling LED ( Light Emitting Diode ) lamps. It is cheaper to make SMD LEDs and cheaper to solder them to the flexible PCB ( Printed Circuit Board ) used in thes strips.

The vast majority of LED strips are 12 volt operation so it will require a 12 volt DC supply. This can be cofirmed if the strip has groups of 3 LED elements and a resistor between the points where it can be cut.

A power supply will take 230 volt AC power from where the present lights are connected and provide 12 DC power to the strip. Above all you do NOT want and LED driver which is a constant current supply.

Thankyou for replying, I am trying to wire them to a switch that is wall mounted already and currently used to power the fluorescent lights though. Now if I remove the fluorescent lights and remove the wiring to them how would I connect the smds so the switch turns them on and off.

I have already got a strip that runs under the cupboards but that is connected via a 3 pin plug in a remote control socket that can be turned on/off with a remote but I am hoping to be able to make use of the switch if it is possible

 

[bernardgreen]

Simplest way, Take the wires going to the present lights and use them to feed a 13 amp socket ( Switched Live Neutral and Earth ) Then plug a 12 volt DC power supply into tha socket.

 

[flameport]

Far neater - get a 12V LED driver, connect to the wiring for the old lights.
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LALED12DRV12.html
Fix the driver to the underside of the wall cupboards so that it won't be seen.

 

[rsgaz]

a switch that is wall mounted already and currently used to power the fluorescent lights though.
... ...
I have already got a strip that runs under the cupboards but that is connected via a 3 pin plug in a remote control socket that can be turned on/off with a remote but I am hoping to be able to make use of the switch

If you already have all this stuff installed, have you considered just changing the fluorescent tubes to a suitable 230v LED luminaire?

I myself have ordered one of these from Germany the other day as a test before buying enough for the kitchen, because the T4 fluorescent tubes I have are irritating me, sometimes the lamp blows, sometimes it's the actual lamp holder that fails and they are becoming tricky(i.e. expensive) to find the right size replacements all the time, so I'm switching to LED. Just be aware there are various size and shape connectors for these type of 'link lights'.

Gaz