LED lit cabinets

[BWayne]

Hey folks. I am building some cabinets and I would like to put some led strip lighting on the inside to light them up. Seems easy enough, but I want to overcomplicate it a bit.

Each cabinet will have two doors, and there will be three cabinets - 6 doors total. I would like the lights to turn on when a door opens, turn off when the door closes, and only the lights associated with that door should turn on and off.

I was thinking I would drive it with something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078RTV41...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Sorry for the long link.

If that power supply would be okay to be left on 100% of the time then this would be pretty easy, but I don't think that would be a good idea.

I'm thinking each door will need two switches; one switch to power the driver, and the other switch to turn the lights on.

I might consider a dimmer, but other than that I'm trying really hard to avoid any manual switches. I want it all to be controlled by opening and closing the doors.

Truth is, I really don't know how to go about this. I'm hoping someone can visualize what I'm trying to do and tell me what to do.

This is going in a new room in my basement and I will tie it straight in to the main power line. It won't be plugged in to an outlet.

Any help here would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[ratstar]

Magnetic sensors would be the best for this I think. Use a hall sensor.

Joke-> If you want to really over-engineer it you should put down solar panels on the sides of the box and charge back the battery when the lights go on, and transduce some of the energy back into the system. hehe =)

 

[bertus]

Hello,

You might want to use some door switches:
[url=https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&as_q=door+switch&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgsz=&imgar=&imgc=&imgcolor=&imgtype=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe=images&as_filetype=&tbs=]Door switches at google images[/URL]
Depending on the current and the way the door opens the type may differ.

Bertus

 

[BWayne]

Thanks for the replies. My thought has been to use magnetic/door switches. However my question is more along the lines of how do I wire it all up. If I'm not mistaken I'll need the main power hooked straight to a switch before it hits the driver and then another switch on the feed line to the lights. But can I put a switch right on the main power like that? And how do I rig it all up so that each of the main power switches work with each other. For instance, I don't want it to work like a three way switch - in which case if one door was open the lights would turn off when I opened another. The light at one door would need to power the driver, and when the second door opens it would act like it is powering the driver, but wouldn't really do anything since the first door was opened. But if the first door closed and the second door remained open then the lights would still stay on.

I guess if I'm using my terminology correctly, the three main power switches would need to be wired in parallel. When all switches are open then there is no power getting through, but when any combination of them are closed we get power to the led driver.

That brings me back to the question of being able to put those switches (magnetic, pressure, or otherwise) right on the romex coming from the wall. Can I do that?

 

[Martaine2005]

You only need the drivers switched.
But connecting directly to the lighting circuit will still require a fused spur (country regs dependent).
You would be better off getting smaller drivers for each cabinet and one switch on each door.
You want 6 non latching push to break switches. Each cabinets 2 switches will be wired in parallel.

Martin

 

[bertus]

Hello,

I would switch the low power side. You do not want the mains to be at the front of the cabinet.
The powersupply could be mounted on the rear of outside the cabinet.
I assume the ledstrips are 12 Volts, wich is much safer to wire inside the cabinet.

Bertus

 

[ratstar]

Each cabinets 2 switches will be wired in parallel.
Martin

Would that make an or gate?

 

[BWayne]

I am not opposed to getting separate drivers for each cabinet, but I'm not sure I need to. If I do one switch per door then and wire each cabinet in parallel then I believe I would end up with the lights turning on on both sides of the cabinet instead of just the side the door is opened on.

I intend to mount the driver on top of the cabinet where it will be ventilated and easy to access.

You'll have to excuse my poor electronics knowledge and my poor drawing skills. I have attached a schematic which I believe illustrates my intended goal. If this doesn't make sense, isn't possible, is a terrible idea, etc, please let me know. My electronics experience is limited to what I learned in a years worth of college physics and what I pick up on the internet here and there.

The source on the drawing is the romex wire coming from the wall. I'm not sure what rating the fuse should have, or the rating the switches after the fuse should have. Feel free to let me know what you think.

https://imgur.com/a/Vq05JHj

 

[bertus]

Hello,

Your image does not show, because it is to large and linked to an external site.
I have downloaded the picture and resized it:


I would only switch the outputs to the led strips and not the input of the power supply.

Bertus

 

[BWayne]

Thanks for doing that. I wasn't sure what the issue was there.

It would certainly be easier to just switch the outputs. However, my concern is having the driver constantly powered. Would that not be bad to have a constant input on the power that never turns off? Would the driver burn out or something?

 

[Martaine2005]

Would that make an or gate?

I suppose it would.
If one or both switches are high (on) then the output is high (lights on).

Martin

 

[ratstar]

Thats the right idea, but what about the details

If I do one switch per door then and wire each cabinet in parallel then I believe I would end up with the lights turning on on both sides of the cabinet instead of just the side the door is opened on.

Yeh thats right, If theres is 2 sets of lights in each cab, then u want to have them separate not on the same power, yes. I didn't understand.

The tricky thing is you need more power the more doors that are open, if all the lights are off except one they could overload, thats why you need that driver I guess.

 

[BWayne]

Yeah I'm trying to keep them on separate power so they turn on and off independently.

 

[Bluejets]

Cabinet light drivers are mains powered constantly, no requirement to isolate the mains side other than have them "plug in" at the standard "access panel".
The latter being essential to replace drivers in the event of any unit failure.
Cabinet makers on many occasions, bury the low voltage switching cabling in troughs in the timber or otherwise which is fine for low voltage, not so for mains cabling, simply not allowed for obvious reasons.

 

[ratstar]

Cabinet light drivers are mains powered constantly, no requirement to isolate the mains side other than have them "plug in" at the standard "access panel".

hehehe nah we need to dive into discrete details, but sorry unless its DC I'm just not experienced enough to fix the load hogging issue, It would be nice if someone solved it here tho, ppl never talk about it.

 

[Martaine2005]

UK regs require or at least DID require an isolating fused point with switch or separate switch. Either a standard wall switch or under cupboard switch. This is for the lighting circuit.
For the 30A ring main, a fused spur is required with a switch and a separate switch for convenience.
So the tranny/driver would be switched.

Martin

 

[ratstar]

UK regs require or at least DID require an isolating fused point with switch or separate switch. Either a standard wall switch or under cupboard switch. This is for the lighting circuit.
For the 30A ring main, a fused spur is required with a switch and a separate switch for convenience.
So the tranny/driver would be switched.

Martin

Does that help with it all blasting down one line thats closed, rest open? how do we fix that problem?

 

[Martaine2005]

Does that help with it all blasting down one line thats closed, rest open? how do we fix that problem?

Not sure what you are asking here.
A lighting circuit is radial (6A) and each room individually switched. Adding to a circuit requires further switching unless it’s simply adding or changing the light fittings.
Adding lighting to a main circuit (30A) will require a fused spur (socket, receptacle) with a 5A or similar fuse.
If however it has a fused plug, you can simply plug into any socket outlet.

Martin

 

[ratstar]

I see, I think I know what u mean.

Say its dc.

so if i have 4 capacitors going off in order, if i close the switch for the appliance, i do so on the capacitors discharge loop, so i still iterate through the capacitors, that would time the lines, but then my problem is if the capacitor fills, it takes it out of the time sequence, so it only works for a limited time, I need to discharge the open switch capacitor that has filled up into the capacitors with their switches closed somehow, but I dont know how.
if i just let loose a spark gap, I lose the energy, what a waste of power. id be paying for all the lights constantly on even if they were off.

 

[Martaine2005]

Sorry @ratstar I am completely lost.
I am sober, so that doesn’t help.

Martin