Project "Illumination"

Talk about a long break from blog updates....  almost nothing for the entire month of February.  Time to get back to it.


So with the conclusion of project "Drafty", which was a huge success, it is time to move onto Project "illumination".  Project illumination is focused on installing new under cabinet lights in our kitchen.  I installed some LED strips over a year ago, but sadly underestimated the amount of light it would produce.  Needless to say, it wasn't enough to make much of a difference in terms of functionality.

The trick with this though is that I want something that will not cost an obscene amount of money but will increase the amount of illumination on the kitchen counters.  Our kitchen does not receive much natural light, especially under the cabinets - lots of shadows and poorly lit areas.

The first step was to get a sense of what I wanted to accomplish.

Criteria 1:  
I want LEDs.  LEDs pull very little wattage, they do note generate a lot of heat and the bulbs will last for a really long time.  So that is definitely the option I want.

Criteria 2:
The LED strips would be best suited if I could adjust the length of the strips.  This can be accomplished with LED strip lights.  These are flexible strands of LEDs that are affixed together along a ribbon that has points where the ribbon can be cut to form smaller LED strips.  The best part is that these ribbons have an adhesive backing, so very little hardware is needed to install the strips - just peel and stick.



My shopping list consisted of:

 - One 5 Meter White LED Strip
 - One Transformer (more on this later)
 - A roll of 12-24 gauge wire (black/red)

I did my shopping for the LEDs online at Amazon.  Quite a hefty selection depending on what you want.  I opted for:


 Flexible Light Strip 300 SMD White LED Ribbon 5 Meter or 16 Feet By Ledwholesalers, 2026wh
 

 

The ribbon comes in a 5 meter length for a whopping $13.88.  The trick will be to see how workable it is with the cut points.  The ribbon is fashioned in such a way that it can be cut to smaller lengths.  Here is an example of a cut point.  You con see where the positive and negative are notated on the ribbon with the small contact points for solder. 

 Another key thing is the ensure that the ribbon is being properly powered.  Ever tried plugging in a device with the wrong plug and it didn't work?  In the US, most wall outlets put out 110 volts of electricity, but the LED ribbon only requires 12 volts.  Without getting too technical, it is important to have the transformer to power the LED ribbon because the voltage needs to be converted from AC to DC wattage and the ribbon requires a component to control and regulate the voltage being transmitted.  I found this one on Amazon for $14.25. 

Ledwholesalers 30 Watt LED Power Suppply Driver Transformer 120 to 12 Volt DC Output, 32074

Other items I still need to procure include 12 gauge red/black wire, some solder (I already have a soldering iron) and I will probably keep some electrical tape nearby.  

My initial plan will be to run 2-3 strips of ribbon under each cabinet spaced a few inches apart allowing for better light coverage across the countertop.  I am aiming to duplicate a design similar to this image:

   

 So now I simply wait until the materials arrive in the next week or so.  Then I can check back on my progress.