LED Zeppelin
Flashlight Enthusiast
To cap off a recent kitchen remodel, I build some undercabinet lighting using a dozen Cree Q5 stars, fabricated housings, and a couple Xitanium drivers I got from the Shoppe.
The housings were fabricated from extruded aluminum shapes welded together.
I wanted sealed units to protect the LEDs from dirt, grease, and damage so I cut lenses from impact modified acrylic.
I experimented with different methods to soften the light and the multi-shadow effect. The acrylic comes with a protective layer of plastic film, one side clear the other translucent white. I left the white layer on to act as the diffuser, and in addition I used a yellow highlighter and colored in circles right under the LEDs. The yellow warmed up the tint of the WG emitters noticeably.
The lenses were attached to the housings with 3M aeromarine radio box tape, a waterproof clear tape used for RC models.
One Xitanium driver powers two lights (9 LEDs), and the other powers the light to the right of the sink with 3 LEDs. The switched 110V line was already in place under each cabinet from the removed flourescent fixtures, so I just had to run the wires to and from the drivers.
For serviceability, I used Dean's micro plugs at each housing so I could easily remove them.
In the above picture note the black electrical tape on the very left side of the lens. I masked the emitter next to the cabinet to reduce the glare off the wood. It was very bright due to the proximity.
The LED units are much brighter and give better coverage over the previous flourescents, not to mention the energy saved. Also I don't miss the flicker, hum, and heat of the old fixtures. Another improvement is that the lights are slim and completely recessed under the cabinet. The flourescent fixtures were thicker and protruded below the cabinet recess, and were in the line of sight.
The housings were fabricated from extruded aluminum shapes welded together.
I wanted sealed units to protect the LEDs from dirt, grease, and damage so I cut lenses from impact modified acrylic.
I experimented with different methods to soften the light and the multi-shadow effect. The acrylic comes with a protective layer of plastic film, one side clear the other translucent white. I left the white layer on to act as the diffuser, and in addition I used a yellow highlighter and colored in circles right under the LEDs. The yellow warmed up the tint of the WG emitters noticeably.
The lenses were attached to the housings with 3M aeromarine radio box tape, a waterproof clear tape used for RC models.
One Xitanium driver powers two lights (9 LEDs), and the other powers the light to the right of the sink with 3 LEDs. The switched 110V line was already in place under each cabinet from the removed flourescent fixtures, so I just had to run the wires to and from the drivers.
For serviceability, I used Dean's micro plugs at each housing so I could easily remove them.
In the above picture note the black electrical tape on the very left side of the lens. I masked the emitter next to the cabinet to reduce the glare off the wood. It was very bright due to the proximity.
The LED units are much brighter and give better coverage over the previous flourescents, not to mention the energy saved. Also I don't miss the flicker, hum, and heat of the old fixtures. Another improvement is that the lights are slim and completely recessed under the cabinet. The flourescent fixtures were thicker and protruded below the cabinet recess, and were in the line of sight.
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