Upgrading under cabinet lights to LED

TheGreenFrog

I want to upgrade my flush mounted undercabinet lights to LED.  There seem to be suitable replacements available but I am not sure of the wiring.  The transformer for the existing lights is on top of the cabinet and I can easily replace with an LED driver - but the wiring to the lights themselves runs behind (and probably through) the cabinets and ideally I would be able to use this wiring for the LED lights.  Is that possible?  Taking the cabinets off the wall is too big a job and not sure I would want to try a pull through of new wiring.

grumpy_codger

I don't see any problem especially if the output voltage is the same (i.e. the current can be only lower).

rob7475

If you take the light cover off one of the lights, I think it may just be a G4 bulb in there. You could change the bulb for a G4 LED possibly but you may have to change the driver.

WIAWSNB

Could we have a pic of that existing transformer, please?

I've done this recently, and simply replaced the 12V (or posisbly 24?) halogen G4 bulbs with LED equivalents. Works perfectly.

Pretty sure you can get them in AC type too, if the transformer outputs that way.

It'll largely come down to whether the transformer can output a small enough amount to trigger, but chances are it will.

sheenas

It not a complex job. The transformer you have is unlikely to work with LEDs. The LEDs lights come with a new transformer and pre made cables with connectors. I would not recommend cutting these cable and would look to pull the new cable behind the cabinet using the existing cables. Simply tap them together and pull them though. Another consideration is hole size for the lights, you will need to carefully measure the old light and find new light that fit nice within the existing holes. 

TELLIT01

The LED cabinet light we have came prewired so using existing cabling would depend on that.  There appears to be room behind the cabinets to feed the cables.  The lights themselves were attached under the cabinets with adhesive tape.

TheGreenFrog

rob7475 said:

If you take the light cover off one of the lights, I think it may just be a G4 bulb in there. You could change the bulb for a G4 LED possibly but you may have to change the driver.

The LED bulbs I looked at were a lot bigger - but maybe they had the electronis in them.  Will look again

TheGreenFrog

WIAWSNB said:

Could we have a pic of that existing transformer, please?

I've done this recently, and simply replaced the 12V (or posisbly 24?) halogen G4 bulbs with LED equivalents. Works perfectly.

Pretty sure you can get them in AC type too, if the transformer outputs that way.

It'll largely come down to whether the transformer can output a small enough amount to trigger, but chances are it will.

Pic of transformer attached.  Replacing bulbs would be ideal but I had assumed they would be too big to fit as there is not much room for anything bigger than a standard G4.
  

TheGreenFrog

TELLIT01 said:

The LED cabinet light we have came prewired so using existing cabling would depend on that.  There appears to be room behind the cabinets to feed the cables.  The lights themselves were attached under the cabinets with adhesive tape.

I am not sure how the cables go from behind the cabinet into the light - because there are no cables visit on inside or underside.   Maybe there is a small hole drilled through the wood/chipboard.

WIAWSNB

TheGreenFrog said:

WIAWSNB said:

Could we have a pic of that existing transformer, please?

I've done this recently, and simply replaced the 12V (or posisbly 24?) halogen G4 bulbs with LED equivalents. Works perfectly.

Pretty sure you can get them in AC type too, if the transformer outputs that way.

It'll largely come down to whether the transformer can output a small enough amount to trigger, but chances are it will.

Pic of transformer attached.  Replacing bulbs would be ideal but I had assumed they would be too big to fit as there is not much room for anything bigger than a standard G4.
  

That has a ~12V AC output, 20W minimum. Appears to be dimmable, too - a nice touch.

A Google has it appearing on most retail sites as an 'LED' transformer, and I see no reason why it cannot be, provided your LED lamps add up to around 20W. How many cabinet lights are there?

The output is AC, so make sure you choose G4 LED lamps that include AC. Most will be around 3W, and these are not much larger than the wee halogens. You can get more powerful, but they tend to be physically larger too, so less likely to squeeze into your existing fittings.

And you need to choose between 'warm' and 'cool'/'cold' light colour. Halogen is usually more towards the former.

The nightmare now begins - there are countless LED G4 out there, and choosing the best ones is going to be a hellish task :-)

They are pretty cheap these days, so you could always try and see - you can just replace a one or two so you can check and compare the light outputs with the remaining halogens, and fitting size too.

TheGreenFrog

Thanks all.  Have decided to install LED strip at the back of the cabinets instead.  Far easier (maybe!).