LED System
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| Name | LED System |
| Long Description | Illuminate Your Bookshelf with a Hardwired LED System Measuring the Space for Flexible LED Strip When it comes to lighting up your bookshelf, there are two main methods to consider. You can either run the LED strips horizontally across each shelf or mount them vertically, going up each column. The choice ultimately depends on your personal preference. We recommend mounting the LED lights wherever there is a lip to hide them behind. For the best bookshelf lighting, we used our Normal Bright Flexible LED strips, which provide a nice accent and can cover longer distances.
To ensure consistent light output, we mounted the LED strip on the lip of the shelves, facing towards the back of the bookcase. This illuminates the entire shelf below it. For a continuous run of the LED strip, you can drill a 5/8″ hole between each separator. This prevents any shadows between separations. Simply use the adhesive on the back of the strip to mount it securely. Before installation, make sure to clean the area with a cleaning solution for a strong hold. Installing the Transformer Before connecting the cables to the LED strips, you need to install the transformer. This device steps down the line voltage from your house to 12VDC. We used a 100w magnetic transformer to power all the LED strips. It’s best to mount the transformer in a location that won’t be visible. In our project, we placed it on top of the bookcase. >>> Read more: Illuminate Your Bookshelf with a Hardwired LED System An electrician ran high voltage from the switch location to the top of the bookcase, where we connected the high voltage lines to the transformer. From there, the low-voltage cable can be run from the transformer to the LED strip locations. Ensure that a licensed electrician or contractor handles the installation of your transformer. Running Cable to the Flexible LED Strips Before making any connections to your transformer, turn off the power. For this system, we used standard Interconnect Cables to connect the transformer to the LED strips. Cut one of the connectors off the Interconnect Cable and expose a small amount of copper using cable strippers. Look for white writing on one side of the cable, which indicates the positive lead. The side without writing is the negative lead. Splice the positive lead to the red lead coming from the transformer, and splice the negative lead to the blue cable on the output side of the transformer. Cap the splices with wire nuts to secure the connections. You should have as many cables coming from the transformer as best LED light strips in the system. Run a cable to each LED strip and test the lights by turning them on!
The perfect LED lights for a bookcase depend on your personal preference. Rigid LED bars of 12 inches or more are popular for standard-sized bookcases. These bars are durable and provide even lighting. However, mounting an LED bar requires drilling holes into your bookcase and attaching mounting brackets. You’ll also need to hide the wires leading to the power source. >>> Read more: How Can I Conceal the Power Supply for My LED Strip Lights? If you want to illuminate your bookcase without drilling holes, LED tape lights are a great option. They are easy to install and can light up every edge of your bookshelf without the need for tools. How do you light a bookshelf shelf? The lighting you choose for your bookshelf shelf depends on the ambiance you want to create. You can choose warm or cool lighting based on the color temperature. Lower numbers on the Kelvin scale indicate warmer lights, while higher numbers indicate cooler lights. Choose a color temperature that blends seamlessly with the contents of your bookshelf. How do you light the top of a bookshelf? There are several ways to light up the top of your bookshelf:
Can you put a lamp in a bookcase? Yes, you can put a lamp on a bookshelf to make it stand out. However, you’ll need to consider the issue of wiring. To maintain a sleek appearance, you’ll need to hide the wires. If you don’t want to drill holes in the side of the bookcase, you can opt for battery-powered led light strip instead. For more tutorials and information, check out our related blogs:
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