LED cabinet lighting

Advantages of LED lighting

LEDs are specific conductors that produce light during the passage of electricity. The chemical composition of the LEDs can be different, and the brightness of the light emitted by them directly depends on this. The installation of cabinet lighting by the LED strip is not always carried out directly, due to the fact that the tape can crack or overheat. In this case, you should definitely use a voltage regulator.

LED strip is a kind of bar of flexible material, one side of which is able to be glued to the surface of the base( cabinet, mirror, ceiling, floor, etc.).On the second side there are LEDs with resistors. On any tape there are 5 cm segments, on which there are 3 LEDs and a special marking showing where it is possible to make cuts. All LEDs are connected in series.

Advantages of LED cabinet lighting:

1. The tape is resistant to minor mechanical influences, and therefore it can not be afraid of accidentally catching clothes, a hand or a hanger.
2. Durability - high-quality LED tape with correct operation and the presence of a voltage regulator is able to work more than 10 years in 15 hours a day.
3. A diverse color palette of lighting - LEDs can burn white, yellow, red, green, blue, purple and other colors. You can choose the backlight for any interior. Also on sale there are infrared and ultraviolet light-emitting diodes which will perfectly look in modern interiors in style hi-tech.
   
4. Bright lighting.
5. LEDs do not need time to warm up - they immediately start to work at full strength.
6. Low cost - even the highest quality LED products are available in price.
7. You can use LED strips with different angles of radiation.
8. This is an environmentally friendly product.
9. The tape is absolutely safe, so it can be installed even in children's cabinets.
10. The LED strip is capable of operating at any room temperature( within reasonable limits).

Helpful Hint: If you plan to use RGB tape to illuminate the cabinet, keep in mind that it has 4 outputs: the main mass for red, blue and green colors.

How to choose the LED strip

In most cases, SMD LEDs are chosen for lighting, which differ in the number of crystals( from 1 to 4 pcs.), In size( from 1.06x0.8 mm to 5x5 mm) and in the glow pattern( monochromeor color).Before buying a tape, determine the type of lighting you want. So, for LED lighting for the kitchen under the cabinets, it is best to choose SMD 50x50 with three crystals, since this tape gives a bright and uniform light flux. It looks very beautiful such a backlight under the bottom of the lockers, if a glossy coating is laid on the kitchen floor - the light reflects off the surface and creates the effect of "soaring" furniture.

If you want to make the backlight more decorative than functional, then use a ribbon with single-chip SMD 35x28 LEDs.

Depending on the frequency of placement of LED elements on the tape are the following varieties:

• for 30 pcs.for 1 m linear;
• for 60 pcs.on 1 m;
• for 120 pcs.on 1 m;
• for 240 pcs.per 1 m.

Accordingly, the more LEDs are dispersed per 1 m of tape, the higher the cost of the product. Also, the power of the power consumption and the degree of brightness of the light flux depend on this.

Also, tapes are classified by their ability to withstand humidity. Products marked IP20 are not able to withstand high humidity, so for the kitchen they better not use. Tape IP65 is characterized by an average level of moisture protection and is suitable for kitchen cabinets. But the marking IP68 means that the tape is not at all susceptible to moisture, so it can be used to illuminate aquariums, lockers in the bathroom, swimming pools, etc.

Power Supply

You should select the power supply only after you have determined the power and characteristics of the LED strip. Blocks come in different sizes and capacities. It is necessary to calculate the optimal variant, so that the transformer's power work is enough to fully work the tape, but it is important that it is not too powerful.

To calculate the appropriate power of the power supply unit, let's take the example of a 5 m long tape with SMD 5050 12 W.Multiply the power of the tape 12 W by its length of 5 m - it will be 60 W( total power).But if you buy a 60W power supply, this will not be enough, so you should always consider a small stock. Multiply the total power of the tape by a factor of 1.25 and we get 75 watts. It is this transformer in this case that is needed.

Mounting the LED backlight

Before doing the LED backlighting of the cabinet, kitchen furniture or any other, it is necessary to carry out certain preparatory work. Even experienced masters do not work "by sight".Think about where you can place the LED strip so that it gives the most effective lighting, but it does not interfere with the use of the cabinet? Where do you plan to place the switch, because it should be in a very convenient place, but preferably hidden from the eyes, so as not to violate the integrity of the design of the cabinet. And maybe the backlight will turn on automatically when you open the door, like in a refrigerator? And, most importantly - how do you plan to bring the power of the tape to a common 220 V network?

Helpful Hint: It's best to place the LED ribbon on the back of the shelves, that is, at the top. This is the safest place, which rarely undergoes mechanical stress and does not create any inconvenience. LEDs at the same time give good illumination of the entire shelf.

The switch can also be hung under the shelf or at all, hidden between the wall of the room and the end of the cabinet. If you like automatic lighting, you can purchase a set of LEDs equipped with motion sensors - when you open the cabinet, the light will light up independently.

As for connecting the tape to 220 V, then you need to know the basics of the electrician. Since the LED strip operates at 12 V, it requires connection to a transformer power supply. It, in turn, is connected to the outlet, but if desired, you can lay a separate cable for lighting the shelves of the cabinet. If you decide to do so, then the wiring should be open and pass through the wall to the cabinet. To aesthetically disguise the cable, you can use the cable channel in a tone with a wall finish.

Only when you solve all the above issues, you can draw a detailed scaled lighting scheme, calculate the required amount of materials and send them to the store.

How to make the lighting in the closet yourself:

1. Measure out the required amount of LED strip and cut it according to the special marking. It is not necessary to mount the lighting for all the shelves or the perimeter of the cabinet with a single piece of tape. In the process of work, it will consume more power and will quickly become unusable. Small segments last much longer.
   
2. At the intended location, fix the plastic corner, placing it on a heavy-duty universal adhesive or liquid nails. Dimensions of the corners are different, but it is better to use a minimum, for example, 10x10 mm. This is enough to hide and protect the LED tape. Plus, the plastic corners are presented in a wide color range, so you can choose the option in tone with the shelves of the cabinet.
   
3. Slide the electrical cable into the cabinet. To do this, make a hole in the most inconspicuous part of the body with a special bit-crown on the drill. If the wall of the cabinet is made of chipboard, then to make the hole smooth and accurate, first drill a bit to a depth of 5 mm, and then complete the work from the back side.
   
4. How to make the lighting in the cabinet for all shelves? Just at the furthest corner of each of them, drill holes for the wire.
5. Pull the wire through the holes in the shelves and hide it in a pre-prepared cable duct. Plastic cable ducts in the cabinet are best attached using liquid nails.
6. Attach the LED strip to the corner from the back.
   
7. Connect the ribbon to the power supply.
   
8. Attach the switches in the pre-designed locations, connect them and conduct a test test.

Here, in fact, and all the wisdom. As you can see, making lighting the doors of the cabinet, shelves and housings is not difficult. To do this, you do not even need to be able to use complex tools and have the professional knowledge of an electrician.

The future appearance of furniture directly depends on the location of the LED tape. So, if the shelves of the cabinet are made of glass, glue the tape directly to the ends. When the LEDs turn on, they will brightly illuminate the whole surface of the shelves and effectively divide them in space.

Very original look LEDs in combination with mirrors. Reflecting in them, they not only create a visual illusion, they also provide a brighter illumination. On this, you can save a lot - put a tape with a rare arrangement of LEDs and a small number of crystals, and the mirror will automatically "double" the result.

Cabinets with LED backlighting look very stylish and neat, even if they take up a lot of space in a small room. With the help of light techniques, you can divert attention from a modest quadrature and emphasize the interior items. By the way, in this again can help mirrors - LEDs can make the effect of "infinity", visually expanding the space.

Backlit cabinets: photo

We tried to paint in all the details how to connect the lighting to the cabinet, and now it's up to us to figure out where to adapt it. Such beauty can afford anyone, especially since there is a LED ribbon quite a bit. Everything is limited only by your own imagination, and to make it "stir" a bit, we have prepared a small photo collection of stylish lighting solutions for furniture.