Im in the process of renovating my kitchen. Almost done, just need to get the floor finished and the countertop installed. My original cabinets were about 12” from the ceiling and I had put some Sylvania Mosaic (example ) strips above the cabinets. We really got used to them being there but now our cabinets go all the way to the ceiling so I figured I would install them under the cabinets. I got to talking to a friend at work and was told about the amazing world of addressable LEDs. Im starting to understand how they work but now I just need to figure out what I need to get started. Hoping someone here can help, or is this is the wrong place to ask, maybe someone could suggest a more appropriate site/forum/subreddit.
I attached a picture of the new cabinet layout and drew a path in red to show where I was planning to undermount the strips. It should be just under 10ft of strip. From what I could find in my research it sounded like the data wire from the controller needs to be pretty short (like 2-3ft). My concern is the gap across the sink as there is a window there and I don’t have anything to undermount the LEDs to. I was just going to use the valance to hide the wire as I ran it to the other cabinets, is that possible? Same with the gap over the microwave. I was planning to power it from the outlet above the microwave.
Im an IT guy, I can program, but its not my forte. Most of what I have read about is using an Arduino to control it, while I like the challenge I want to start a little simpler. Could anyone suggest a controller that could be controlled from a phone via WiFi or BT?
Next, is there any difference between WS2812b and SK6812? Im pretty sure I’ll go with a 60/meter density but not sure what one to go for.
Finally, after getting a controller and picking a strip, whats the best way to power it? I do have a lot of room currently in the cabinet with the outlet, but I don’t want it to me massive. Can a controller itself provide enough power for ~10ft of strip?
This project is kinda going to be a proof of concept to talk my wife into letting me scale it up to line the soffits of the roof to have permanently installed holiday lights/landscape lighting.
I don’t think i can help much here since i’m asking myself about the same questions. I have yet to try simple white led strips… However, i’ve been keeping an eye on all those, whether one color, RGB or addressable and read a bit on the matter.
My first thought about your project is why use addressable leds to light up a kitchen counter? Simple, cheap and easy to manage white strips would probably be just enough. If you really want to have a special mood at times in your kitchen, RGB strips can go all over the rainbow… Do you really want funky light effects there? It seems like overkill…
I know it’s overkill but it’s really just a small scale test for the roof line. Also it doesn’t seem like it’s that much cheaper to go with a simpler solution.
The permissible length of the data controller line may depend on the controller you use. I have 6803 IC LED strips (133 stock programs) for Christmas lights mounted on the eves of my garage. I’ve also tried RGB, WS 2811, and RGBW lights. The RGB with a cheap 44 key controller work great for windows and would work for under-counter lights if that is your pleasure.
It is not true that you can’t run the data line more than a few feet if you use the right controller. I used three 5m (16 foot) strips for the 6803 strips on the garage. It uses a 4 pin data line and separate 2 lead power line. I have two controllers in the garage for the 3 strips. One of them has a data line at least 20 feet long leading to the third strip. For RGB the power for the lights is provided by the 4th wire in the data line. For RGBW it is the 5th wire in the data line. 6803 IC LEDs have 6 wires, 4 in a data line and two separate wires for power. With the RGB and RGBW strips the controller connects directly to the end of the strip and you only need the 12V power to the controller unless you want the controller to be located away from the end of the strip.
I like the 6803 IC LEDs best for decorative lights. The colors change in groups of 3 LEDs and allow you to have chasing lights and a lot of other patterns. One 133 program 6803 IC controller ($7) can control up to 1024 individual LEDs. With RGB and RGBW all of the colored lights light at once. Even a cheap $5, 28 program choice controller for the RGBW will let you light the white lights independently of the colored lights.
For under-counter lights I prefer just plain white bar lights. They are rigid strip lights with an aluminum enclosure and clear or white cover. Cheap, simple to wire up, power, and can use a remote control dimmer if you want. A 20” (50cm) bar light with enclosure and cover only weighs 66 grams (less than 3 oz) so are easy to install below a cabinet. I gave a bunch of them to my less LED inclined friends last Christmas.
Watch for a PM in the near future. I will send you some recommendations if you are willing to use overseas vendors. I looked at the Sylvania Mosaic lights you referenced. That’s an exorbitant price for 2 feet of lights. You can get a 5 meter RGBW waterproof strip, power source, and 40 key controller for $16.24 postpaid on eBay. That’s 150 white and 150 RGB LEDs. I paid $16 for just the 6803 LED strip and$26 for one with the 133 program controller. I use discarded power supplies from my local Goodwill store for power sources (12V DC 60W). Multi-lead wire and pre-wired connectors make life a lot easier when you go to wire up a lights outside. They don’t cost much but assembling everything you need from overseas vendors sometimes takes a bit of patience.
Sorry for my first comment, i’s not my business anyway, just felt like i had at least to mention it - lol
Now, if i may offer some modest advice, i don’t think using the kitchen as a test bench is the best piece of relationship engineering i’ve heard of… :person_facepalming:
That said, i’m also very eager to do ‘something’ with those ‘pixel leds’. They are amazing little piece of electronics that open quite a few doors, not mentioning we’ll probably see smaller and smaller versions in the future. There are a lot of inspiring videos on YT. Modern performance and TV stages are probably using similar chips to create virtual backgrounds that can even be synced with camera motion to simulate 3D effects. Can’t wait to see then sewn on cloth…
@VegasLedFan: Your id says it all! Thanks for posting! :+1:
I must admit that you got me a bit confused with those different references. I guess i need to get up to date and dig a bit more the subject.
Do not hesitate to post links to products on commercial sites. It is OK as long as you’re not trying to sell stuff - and very useful to everyone. Please share with us what you’re up to.
That looks pretty nice with music control and wifi.
A bit long. First 5mn about the setup. Real action starts after that. The background music in this video is terrible.
I knew I had seen products like this before on the Banggood website, a Chinese company often recommended at this site. The basic 9 key remote music controller for RGB is just $7. When you get into the IC controlled RGB lights like WS2811 and WS2812b coupled with a phone app it gets a lot pricier. Here’s a link to the Banggood search for “music LED strip” https://www.banggood.com/search/music-led-strip.html
