Novice needs help!! Under Cupboard Lighting

[Manchesterguy]

Help!!!
After trawling the web for LED under cupboard lighting and getting totally confused, I thought I would join the forum to see if anyone can suggest my best options.
I have 2 runs of cupboards on opposite sides of the kitchen,each measuring 1.4mtr. At the moment I have a 221mm S15 LED 5w 250 lumens tube and a S15 LED 5w 360 lumens tube under each run which are connected to a mains socket by a 3 pin plug.
Ideally I am looking to replace them with lights which through out a brighter whiter light but are dimmable. I bought a 2mtr run of 3014 SMD LED lights which have a dimmer and are powered the same way. Unfortunately at 720 lumens they are not bright enough.
I don’t have a big budget although I am willing to spend upto £40 for all I need.
I would appreciate any advice you can give
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

I've no idea what the output levels are but we have these under our overhead cupboards and shelves and they're plenty bright enough to work by:

Products - Discover Our Full Range Of Furniture And Homeware

Browse our full range of products from dressing tables to complete modern kitchens. Click here to find the right IKEA product for you. Shop online and in store today.

www.ikea.com

 

[Manchesterguy]

Help!!!
After trawling the web for LED under cupboard lighting and getting totally confused, I thought I would join the forum to see if anyone can suggest my best options.
I have 2 runs of cupboards on opposite sides of the kitchen,each measuring 1.4mtr. At the moment I have a 221mm S15 LED 5w 250 lumens tube and a S15 LED 5w 360 lumens tube under each run which are connected to a mains socket by a 3 pin plug.
Ideally I am looking to replace them with lights which through out a brighter whiter light but are dimmable. I bought a 2mtr run of 3014 SMD LED lights which have a dimmer and are powered the same way. Unfortunately at 720 lumens they are not bright enough.
I don’t have a big budget although I am willing to spend upto £40 for all I need.
I would appreciate any advice you can give
Thanks in advance.

I've no idea what the output levels are but we have these under our overhead cupboards and shelves and they're plenty bright enough to work by:

Products - Discover Our Full Range Of Furniture And Homeware

Browse our full range of products from dressing tables to complete modern kitchens. Click here to find the right IKEA product for you. Shop online and in store today.

www.ikea.com

Thanks for the info. They probably would have been ideal but it seems that all Ikeas LED strips are only warm white in colour.

 

[DefyG]

There are lots of led strip (12&24v) that would do the job but check on prices as probably exceed £40.

 

[Manchesterguy]

That’s it there are, although most which I have looked at seem to have low lumens and are not daylight/bright/dimmable.

 

[DefyG]

There are,
I know of one brand that’s over 2000lm/m in cool white and dimmable but outside your budget!

 

[Manchesterguy]

There are,
I know of one brand that’s over 2000lm/m in cool white and dimmable but outside your budget!

Would you mind telling me please?..I may have to increase my budget

 

[299Lighting]

I'm sure you've completed your install by now, but this may have info useful to others in your situation.

First off, colour temperature is completely separate from brightness. You can get bright warm white, you can get dim cool white. You need to look at the lumens per meter value. If this isn't available, then look for the watts per meter electrical load. The higher the number, the brighter the light!

Dimming - all LED strips are dimmable, you just need the right LED driver! Don't bother with mains dimming - trying to get a dimmer compatible with your driver which works with your exact load can be a nightmare. 1-10V (old school), DALI or TouchDim is really the way to go. There are also wireless control systems now which make life easy!

Top tip for increasing life span - always put your led strip in an aluminium profile - especially if it is high output! LEDs do produce heat, and by sticking the tape in an LED profile, it acts as a heatsink and will increase the life span of your fitting. Some cheaper LEDs are known to experience thermal runaway - the LEDs get hotter, which increase their current draw, and they get hotter because of the additional current, and then their current draw increases again...until they burn out.


Hope this helps anyone else in the situation!

 

[telectrix]

bit late now but these guys are experts. they can manufacture LED strip lighting to your spec. and they're Manchester based.
http://www.tagra-lighting.co.uk/