# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Best place to have LED strip light transformer for overhead kitchen cabinets?

## Davidoff

Looking at doing LED strip lighting under the overhead cabinets in new kitchen being installed.  
What is the best way to do the cabling/transformer etc.   
Two ways i thought of was bringing the 240v into the highest shelf of one end of the cabinet, having the transformer up there and drilling down through the shelves for the DC to the strip.  
Or is it best to have it all in the roof, and have just the DC coming down into the wall and entering the cabinets. Only issue there is im not sure the cable will be long enough.

----------


## METRIX

Are you going to have it switched from the wall light switch, or a 3rd switch on the PPT ?

----------


## Godzilla73

We put it in the rangehood cabinet behind the flue box, you just need to have a switched plug base there.

----------


## Davidoff

I will be going back to the kitchen light switch but having it switched separately to the main lights.  
Other idea I had was on top of cabinets? Its getting covered by a bulkhead.

----------


## Davidoff

> We put it in the rangehood cabinet behind the flue box, you just need to have a switched plug base there.

  Is that like the false wall part? Behind there. That would be good actually because I need to do one strip either side of the rangehood. Is there a neat way of getting the cables from the transformer to the strip and concerning them? 
Or do you simply drill horizontally into the cabinets next to the rangehood then down underneath to the strip?

----------


## METRIX

You need the transformer somewhere so it can be serviced if a problem arises, trapped in a bulkhead is not acceptable. 
I route a channel into the bottoms of the cabinets, then back through one of the sides as the side cover panels will cover this the 12V cables can run in this
The LED strips are then put into an aluminium LED extrusion with diffuser, this gives a much nicer flush finish

----------


## Godzilla73

We have a separate underpanel with a rebate for an extrusion with a diffuser.  
We then route the wires into the rangehood cabinet, the system we use had an almost endless array of joiners and extensions.  
The picture is of an undermount setup but it also suits a slide out type.

----------


## Godzilla73

The board over the cut out for the rangehood is just there to stiffen the underpanel during transport.

----------


## Davidoff

Thanks metrix and Godzilla. What your explaining definetly sounds like what I want ... issue is Ive sorta had this as an after thought. Can what your explaining be done once everything is installed for example?  
Ive already paid deposit on a kitchen place to install etc and Im sure its all been made as install is next Monday.  
Is this something he could do (no doubt will charge me more thats fine) and not the 240v side I will do that (I am an electrician) 
Or will I just have to stick with the stick on strip lighting

----------


## Godzilla73

Do you know if the doors on your overheads are hanging down at all? 
If they are, you can still have an underpanel it just needs to be set back 20mm so you can still grab the edge of the door to open it. 
If not you can still have an underpanel I'd set it back flush with the cabinet edge and edged in the door colour.

----------


## Davidoff

> Do you know if the doors on your overheads are hanging down at all? 
> If they are, you can still have an underpanel it just needs to be set back 20mm so you can still grab the edge of the door to open it. 
> If not you can still have an underpanel I'd set it back flush with the cabinet edge and edged in the door colour.

  Yeah the overhead doors overhang to grab by 20mm or so. Ill bring it up with the kitchen guy tomorrow and see what he says - will probably push the job back though he might not want that. 😬

----------


## METRIX

> Thanks metrix and Godzilla. What your explaining definetly sounds like what I want ... issue is I’ve sorta had this as an after thought. Can what your explaining be done once everything is installed for example?  
> I’ve already paid deposit on a kitchen place to install etc and I’m sure it’s all been made as install is next Monday.  
> Is this something he could do (no doubt will charge me more that’s fine) and not the 240v side I will do that (I am an electrician) 
> Or will I just have to stick with the stick on strip lighting

  Depends on the company, it's usually best to do this while the cabinets are being made, with Godzillas system they are putting a 2nd bottom under the cabinets, so unless your doors have been made longer to accommodate this you can't do it that way. 
I install my own kitchens, I have the carcasses made, then will route these before I install to suit what I want, the guys may not be able to do this onsite economically, also if you don't have the extrusion or they don't have them it won't get done, plus they may not have factored in the time to do it onsite. 
Best off calling them before hand to see if it can be done onsite, as once the cupboards are installed you will have buckleys doing it. 
I am currently upgrading my ones from white, to RGBW and integrate them to my Google Home system so they can be voice controlled, and in any colour you want.

----------


## Godzilla73

It's a pretty easy thing to add later if they install the kitchen then measure up for the underpanel.

----------


## DaleBlack

> Depends on the company, it's usually best to do this while the cabinets are being made, with Godzillas system they are putting a 2nd bottom under the cabinets, so unless your doors have been made longer to accommodate this you can't do it that way. 
> I install my own kitchens, I have the carcasses made, then will route these before I install to suit what I want, the guys may not be able to do this onsite economically, also if you don't have the extrusion or they don't have them it won't get done, plus they may not have factored in the time to do it onsite. 
> Best off calling them before hand to see if it can be done onsite, as once the cupboards are installed you will have buckleys doing it. 
> I am currently upgrading my ones from white, to RGBW and integrate them to my Google Home system so they can be voice controlled, and in any colour you want.

  Metrix what brand and model of RGBW strip do you have? 
maybe this  High Output RGBW 12V Flexible LED Strip – Lighting Matters

----------


## METRIX

I get them from ebay, don't get the cheapest ones, I have had only one failure in 5 years of installing them, and that was one that was not inside an aluminium extrusion, the extrusion acts as a heatsink to keep them running cool, even though they don't really get hot, when trapped in a small router ed channel will shorten their life, since using the extrusions with diffuser none gave failed. You can get rgb, rgbw or rgbww depending on whst you want to do with them, appropriate controllers can also be purchased to suit the partucuksr strips you choose

----------


## DaleBlack

Hi Metrix 
a couple of questions 
1 
Does the LED strip kits come with pre attached wires or do you have to solder them on? 
In the case of wires already attached see below - then you just use connectors to add length   
Or requiring soldering as below   
Q2 
I want to avoid any holes, or minimise them. 
The bottom of the cabinet is going to have a Hafele extrusion as below   https://www.hafele.com.au/en/product...166e200030023/ 
Then there will be 30mm fillers either side of the cabinet, BUT.. the cabinet doesnt go all the way to the top as below   
So whilst I can presumably pass the wires from the extrusion back inside the filler at the base of the cabinet as below   
 the filler doesnt go all the way to the ceiling! and all those bare spaces, below and above the cabinets will be tiled soon. 
however, as per the red dotted arrow in the cabinet plan above, currently i have a chased channel with a 20mm conduit shoved in it for a GPO to be inside the shaving cabinet at the bottom. 
see below   
There is room for 12V wire to be run up that, the only tradeoff I can see is that i will have to have a small drill hole into the side of the shaving cabinet to pass it from the filler void back into the cabinet. PS. the hole i Assume can be very small, possibly with some sort of white coloured grommet?  
Basically it would be like this 
What do you think?

----------


## DaleBlack

Attachment 121682 
Solution, though with a small hole, is the above ?

----------


## METRIX

Does the LED strip kits come with pre attached wires or do you have to solder them on? 
In the case of wires already attached see below - then you just use connectors to add length   Yes they come with one set already soldered to one end, if you cut the strip to length you will have to solder another input on, you can cut them at every point where it shows a scissor mark, see below. 
You can get strips that have no silicon coating on top of them and you can put on a press to fit connector saving soldering, I prefer the solder type as it's a permanent connection and should never cause you a problem if done correctly.   
I want to avoid any holes, or minimise them. 
The bottom of the cabinet is going to have a Hafele extrusion as below   
Basically it would be like this 
What do you think?  Don't quite understand what you are asking here.  With your cabinets and the fillers will there also be a filler piece that covers the 30mm gap at bottom and top of the cabinet back to the wall (there should be). I never run 240 in the sides of the cabinets, the 240 has already been set up by the electrician to switch the transformer on. 
I route the channel into the bottoms, to hold the 12V LED, if it terminates next to a pantry, or wall the 12v cable will run in a routered channel on the side of the cabinet back into the wall (still 12V), then feed up the wall to wherever the transformer is, this transformer gets switched on by one of the wall switches in the kitchen / bathroom or wherever it is being installed. 
The pictures above, is the one with the conduit yours ?, bit of a rough job there.

----------


## DaleBlack

Hi Metrix 
The conduit that is run is primarily there for a GPO to sit inside the cabinet for hair dryers etc rather then install a GPO into the tiles. 
Later I thought of putting in a LED strip, it just so happens that conduit is there and I will probably have the 12V wire ran back up it into the roof space where the controller and driver will be. Can not run it up the sides as if you see the diagram again above you will note the cabinets are not to the ceiling. 
What is rough about the conduit and chasing? yes its my wall, that is what the sparky did, will end up covered by cement, then tiles and in part by the shaving cabinet

----------


## METRIX

Righto, the conduit is in a rendered wall, that explains why I thought it was rough as it looked like it was a piece of melamine, that photo now makes sense. it's a rendered wall then the sparky has done a very neat job, hard to tell from a small photo, that photo was why I couldn't understand what you were asking but make's sense now.  
You will have to ask the sparky if it's ok to run a 12v line in the conduit with a 240v line, not sure what the rules for that are, the other pics all look fine what you have done. 
Where will the switch be to turn the LED on? an alternate to running 12v back up the conduit might be to have the transformer in the cabinet and have a switched outlet just for it ?.  
It's always best to be able to switch the led on from the light switch at the door this way you tend to switch them on as you enter the room.
If they are switched on from somewhere inside the room or cabinet you tend to not use them.

----------


## FrodoOne

> You will have to ask the sparky if it's ok to run a 12v line in the conduit with a 240v line, not sure what the rules for that are, the other pics all look fine what you have done.

  Before reading AS/NZS 3000: 2018, I would have said NO.  However AS/NZS 3000: 2018 states : - *3.9.8.3* *Segregation of different voltage levels.*
Cables of low voltage circuits and cables of extra-low voltage circuits shall only be enclosed in the same wiring system where one of the following arrangements is employed;
(a) The low voltage cables are of a type providing the equivalent of double insulation.
(b) All conductors or each conductor of a multi-core cable are insulated for the highest voltage present.
(c) The low voltage cables are installed in a separate compartment of a common cable trunking system having fixed and continuous barriers between compartments. 
If the _(low-voltage)_ wires in the conduit were without a "sheathing" (double insulation), this would NOT be allowed, unless "All conductors or each conductor of a multi-core _(extra-low voltage)_ cable are insulated for the highest voltage present." 
Since, in the pictures shown, "The low voltage (230 V) cables *are* of a type providing the equivalent of double insulation.", it seems that under these (and existing) regulations, this is allowed. 
(Note that 230 V AC is "Low Voltage" and 12 V is "Extra-Low Voltage".)

----------


## DavoSyd

> It's always best to be able to switch the led on from the light switch at the door this way you tend to switch them on as you enter the room.
> If they are switched on from somewhere inside the room or cabinet you tend to not use them.

  we have our under-cabinet kitchen LEDs on PIR sensor... we only "use the lights when we are using them"  :Cool:

----------


## METRIX

> we have our under-cabinet kitchen LEDs on PIR sensor... we only "use the lights when we are using them"

  Got the same here for the bathroom exhaust fans

----------

