How to connect the light in the closet. Illumination of shelves with LED strip do it yourself

20.07.2020

A large closet always needs additional lighting. Otherwise, finding the right things on deep shelves can be quite difficult. You can make such lighting for the wardrobe with your own hands. This job will not require serious financial costs. The whole system is mounted literally in one evening. And in order to make not only effective, but also beautiful lighting, special knowledge and skills are not needed.

Fluorescent lamps always remain cold, even if the owners forget to turn off the lights.

Preparatory stage of installation

Previously, halogen lamps were often used to illuminate the wardrobe. But their main drawback was that during operation they heated up quite strongly. Therefore, it was possible not only to get burned on such a lamp, but also to damage the clothes stored in the closet. In addition, it is not safe to use them, because modern furniture made from flammable materials.

Therefore, fluorescent lamps or LED backlights are now used. Such lamps remain cold, even if the owners forget to turn off the lights.

You can install lighting only inside the closet.

But furniture can also be illuminated from the outside by embedding lamps, for example, in the upper cornices.

Image 1. Backlight connection diagram.

Then this piece of furniture will also become a real decoration of the room.

Before proceeding with the installation of the backlight, it is necessary to draw up detailed diagram connections.

If you are not sure of your knowledge, then it is wiser to involve a specialist in this stage. An example of such a scheme is shown in image 1.

In modern stores you can buy ready-made kits designed to illuminate furniture.

Usually the set includes from 3 to 5 lamps. But sometimes a standard set may not be suitable for some parameters to a particular cabinet. Then you have to assemble the system yourself.

Necessary materials and tools

If you decide to use halogen lamps for illumination, then you definitely need to purchase a transformer. When choosing, consider the following parameters:

Rated power. With its help, you can calculate the total power of the fixtures that can be connected to this device. So, you can determine the number and personal characteristics of the lamps. But remember that the power of the transformer itself must be 5% higher than the sum of the power of the entire connected backlight.
Output voltage. It must be equal to the operating voltage of the fixtures that you want to use for the closet.
Type of transformer (winding or electronic). When installing lighting for furniture, it is preferable to use option 2.

Fluorescent lamp device.

In addition to the transformer, you will need the following lighting components:

electrical plug;
wire (two-core section 0.75);
household switch;
connecting terminals.

When planning cabinet lighting, remember not to use a wire longer than 3 m. Otherwise, power will be wasted. When choosing a place for a transformer, do not forget that, unlike lamps, it heats up during operation. Therefore, it must be attached at least 15-20 cm from the heat source. When calculating, it is necessary to take into account central heating batteries, which are often located close to the walls of the wardrobe. Do not place the transformer in too narrow cavities.

To mount the backlight, you will need the following tools:

screwdriver tester;
a set of screwdrivers (it is more reasonable to prepare tools with flat and cross tips of different calibers);
drill;
special nozzle-cutter (crown).

The cutter diameter must match inside diameter lamps. Otherwise, you will have to expand the holes manually.

Furniture lighting installation

Table of characteristics of fluorescent lamps.

First you need to prepare the sockets for the fixtures. To do this, it is wiser to remove the panel on which the lamps will be attached. Before forming holes, it is necessary to mark their location. And both on one and on the other side of the furniture board.

The nest is drilled to a depth of 7-10 mm. Next, the panel must be turned over and finish forming the hole on the other side. If this is not done and immediately drilled through, then there is a high probability of damaging the sliding wardrobe part. Especially if your furniture is made of chipboard.

The luminaires are installed in the sockets intended for them and are connected to each other. In this case, it is more reasonable to use a parallel connection. Then one lamp that has become unusable will not disable all lighting. The transformer is connected last.

All backlight elements are interconnected using terminals or terminal blocks. Modern pads are an aluminum plate with contacts. Such features allow you to connect wires with aluminum and copper conductors.

This cabinet lighting is controlled by a switch. It can be located outside the closet or inside it. Sometimes chains are used as a switch, which give the furniture an original look.

Installation of LED lighting

Installation work of LED lighting.

To illuminate the wardrobe with LED strip, you need to purchase:

power supply (it can be replaced with an open type transformer);
a strip with LEDs (if you buy an RGB strip, then you will be able to customize the color of the lighting as you wish);
controller (now you can find inexpensive models that come with a control unit);
connecting terminals or blocks;
electric wire;
fork.

When purchasing a tape controller, pay attention to models with infrared sensors. They can be controlled not only with a special unit, but also with a conventional remote control designed for a TV. If you prefer single-color diodes, then the cabinet lighting control panel is not needed.

At the first stage installation work it is necessary to connect all the elements in series in a single circuit. To do this, the power cable is connected to the power supply. The controller is connected next.

As a rule, the wires intended for connecting this element are quite thin and short. This makes it difficult to work with them. Therefore, it is more reasonable to first clean them from the insulating coating, freeing the ends by about 1 cm. To thicken the contacts, solder is applied. Thanks to such a simple manipulation, contact becomes much more reliable.

It is very easy to connect the tape to the controller due to the fact that manufacturers mark the corresponding connections with different colors. That is, you just need to connect wires of the same color together. You can connect them using terminals or by soldering contacts. If you are using soldering, be sure to insulate the joints. If you decide to use terminals, then add solder first. Otherwise, the contact may not be reliable enough.

Before the furniture lighting is finally mounted, test the LED strip by connecting it to the mains. If you used RGB diodes, then test their work in different light. If the result completely suits you, then the tape can be glued inside the wardrobe. Usually it is fixed on the ceiling of the compartment and on the back walls. But part of the tape can be displayed on the front panel. Then your furniture will become original decoration interior.

A modern wardrobe is a huge piece of furniture with many compartments and shelves hidden behind sliding doors. In order to neatly arrange everything on the shelves, and then quickly navigate among the piles of things, you need to turn on the light in the room every time. But there is another, more original way of lighting. Cabinet lighting will help you quickly find the right thing, as well as save time due to automatic start and turning off the light. But how to make a backlight with your own hands so that it becomes a reliable assistant for many years? Let's figure it out.

What is the best way to light up?

You can make lighting inside the cabinet on different sources lights: halogen, fluorescent, LED. Assembling the backlight on halogen lamps is the most time-consuming task, as it requires a special tool and knowledge of installing spotlights. During operation, halogen lamps get very hot, have a small working resource and consume a lot of energy. The lighting in the cabinet on a fluorescent tubular lamp is more economical and easy to assemble by one person. But the flask of a fluorescent lamp is a thin glass, inside of which there are poisonous mercury vapors. Therefore, such lighting for a closet is not suitable.
Most reliable way to illuminate the contents of the cabinet is to use light sources based on LEDs. They are safe in operation, almost do not heat up and are easily mounted on any type of cabinet. For general cabinet lighting, it is better to use an LED strip or ruler, installing it along the entire interior space.
To illuminate individual shelves and compartments, ready-made LED modules are ideal, which are compact in size and operate from + 12V.

In the closet, where spotlights are already built in, you can replace the voracious halogens with LED lamps of a similar form factor.

What will be needed?

In this article, we will dwell on the LED lighting of the cabinet in detail. This option is easily implemented with your own hands in a closet, both compartment and swing type. For this we need:

LED strip with a power supply (60-200 rubles / m + 200 rubles);
aluminum profile (optional) (150 rubles/m);
limit switch (50 rubles);
wire type ShVVP 2x0.75 (15 rubles / m);
switch (100 rubles).

Now let's look at each component separately. It is advisable to purchase an LED strip of neutral white light so that the shade of the illuminated things is less distorted. If it is assembled on LEDs, then any material (cabinet chipboard, plastic) can be used as a basis. To remove heat from chips of greater power, a small heatsink in the form of an aluminum profile is required.

In the very simple version the LED strip is glued directly to the chipboard ceiling sheet behind the top rail on which they slide sliding doors. But there are guides that do not completely hide the luminous flux and part of it enters the field of view and blinds a person. In this case, you should use a plastic corner, on one shelf of which the LED strip is glued, and the other prevents the light from passing out. For greater effect, a vertical corner shelf with inside covered with reflective tape.

Anyone who puts the aesthetic component in the first place should use an aluminum profile with a diffuser as the basis for the LED strip. It simultaneously performs a useful and decorative function: it prevents the rapid degradation of crystals and harmoniously merges with the design of the cabinet. A microswitch (limit switch) is required to turn on / off the light when the doors are opened. In the closet, it is convenient to install two limit switches symmetrically on both sides in order to divide the backlight into two parts. Each of them must withstand the maximum load current. For a cabinet up to 3 meters long, the consumption of a powerful LED strip will not exceed 5A, 12V.

The required amount of wire depends on the distance of the junction box/socket from the cabinet. To control the lighting, you can use both a wall and a push-button switch on the wire.

Backlight wiring diagram

Before proceeding to the assembly, it is necessary to have on hand a diagram of all future electrical connections. Approximately it looks as shown in the figure. The only difference from the standard connection of the LED strip is the presence of a microswitch. Its contacts are connected to the break of one of the power wires along the + 12V circuit.

So that the power supply is not constantly under mains voltage, the microswitch should be installed in the break of the phase wire going to it.

Assembly

The first stage of assembly begins with the preparation of the LED strip. To do this, it is cut to the desired length and, on one side, wires about 20 cm long are soldered, so that later you do not have to stand with a soldering iron under the ceiling. The tape is glued to the profile, and then the entire assembly is attached to the cabinet liquid nails.

At the second stage, they determine the place for the power supply and the method of laying wires. Most The right way- this is to bring the network cable at the repair stage, providing for an additional shutdown of the backlight from the wall switch. You can also lay the wire behind the cabinet, and bring it to the power supply and tape through the hole in the side wall, providing a push-button switch. Wire laying inside the cabinet should be carried out in a cable channel.

At the final stage, a microswitch is connected to the gap of one of the wires so that its contacts are open when the button is pressed, that is closed door. Then the circuit is checked for operability and, with a positive result, the microswitch is fixed on the side wall of the cabinet through special holes in its body. By the way, the trailer has bare leads, which after assembly must be hidden under a heat shrink tube.

It is worth noting that the backlight of any lockers is assembled in the same way: kitchen set, chest of drawers, wardrobe. In this case, the required length of the LED strip will be small, which allows the use of a compact power supply and a microswitch for a lower current. The result of labor will be stylish lighting, which will help you find the things you need every day.

Step 1 - Preparing for installation

So, before you start creating LED cabinet lighting with your own hands, you need to consider a few important points:

Where will the diodes be most effective for illuminating the shelves, and at the same time they will not create inconvenience?
How will the lights be turned on/off and where will the light switch be placed?
How will the LED lighting be connected to the 220 Volt home network?

We recommend placing the LED strip above the shelves as shown in the photo below. With this arrangement, the diodes are least affected mechanical damage and besides, the illuminated area will be well covered by the backlight.

As for the light switch, it can be neatly placed under one of the shelves or brought to the outer side wall of the cabinet. You can also make automatic lighting of the wardrobe - so that the LED strip turns on when the door is opened. There are ready-made sets of luminaires equipped with special motion sensors that only respond to the opening of the door. In our example, another alternative option will be considered - installing limit switches that will turn off the lighting in the closet when the door is completely closed.

Well, the last question is the connection option. Since the LED strip operates on 12 volts, it must be connected to a power supply. The latter, in turn, is plugged into an outlet, but you can also output a separate cable to illuminate the shelves in the cabinet. In this case, it is recommended along the ceiling and wall to the place where the cabinet is to be installed. Having solved all the preparatory questions, you can sketch the lighting scheme, buy everything necessary materials and proceed to the creation of LED lighting.

Step 2 - Main Process

To make it more clear to you how to make the lighting in the closet yourself, we will provide step-by-step instructions with photo examples of each installation stage:

Measure the required length of tape and cut a suitable piece. Do not forget that it is allowed only in specially designated areas, as shown in the picture below.
Fix a plastic corner 10*10 mm in the place where the LEDs are to be installed. With it, you can make sure that the tape does not spoil general form shelves
To run the cable into the closet, make a hole in the most inconspicuous and convenient place using a special crown. An important point is that so that the chipboard sheet does not tear out, and the contours of the hole are even, first drill a hole with a crown no more than 5 millimeters deep, then drill the input from the back side.
If you decide to highlight all the shelves inside the cabinet, be sure to drill small holes in the corner, as shown in the photo below. This is necessary in order to be able to lead the cable to the very top.
Pull the wire and hide it in special cable channels, which are best attached to liquid nails.
Pour the diode tape over the corner and connect to the power supply. About that, we have already talked about.
Install the limit switches yourself in the appropriate places, connect them to the backlight and check if the lighting you have created works.

That's all the installation instructions. As you can see, it is not at all difficult to make the illumination of the shelves inside the sliding wardrobe with your own hands, and besides, the diode tape in this case will be the most the best option lamp. By the way, if you want to organize such a lighting option in a kitchen or bookcase, or on a shelf under a mirror in the bathroom, then in this case the tape can be glued along the end of the shelves, which will create a more original appearance furniture. Glass shelves in this case will look something like in the photo:

How to place lights on the ceiling

Glass shelves are a great interior decoration. Everything that is on them is visible at a glance. And if they are also highlighted, the room takes on a luxurious, but, at the same time, mysterious look. Sometimes the owners have a question: where to get such furniture? Now we’ll talk about how do-it-yourself shelves are illuminated with LED strip.

What are LEDs?

Do-it-yourself illumination of glass shelves with LED strip looks, of course, great. But what are LEDs and why is it better to choose them? Any such element is a conductor. A current passes through it, electrical energy is converted into light, the lamp glows. The brightness depends on the chemical composition.

Important! Sometimes shelves are illuminated with other devices - halogen or incandescent lamps. But it is very inconvenient and to some extent even dangerous.

The advantages of LED strips are obvious:

the lighting system is absolutely safe;
works equally well both at room temperature and in a hot or cold room;
LEDs are much less sensitive to mechanical stress than other lamps;
such a backlight will serve for years - the tapes practically do not burn out;
on sale you will find lamps of the most different colors and shades;
the lighting is bright, and the maximum power is achieved immediately after switching on - the LEDs do not need to warm up;
if desired, infrared and ultraviolet lamps can be used;
there are options with four outputs, when you can get the main, red, blue or green color from one lamp;
you can position the lamps at different angles;
affordable price.

Important! In order for the tape to serve for a long time, it must be properly maintained, in particular, a stabilizer must be installed.

Choosing lamps

Before you make the backlight in the closet with your own hands, you need to buy the LED strip itself. The most popular option is SMD LEDs. Their choice is quite large, and the following points should be taken into account:

number of crystals;
dimensions;
the nature of the glow.

With the number of crystals, everything is relatively simple - there can be from one to four. As for the size, then the situation is somewhat more interesting. In the assortment of almost any electrical goods store you will find tiny diodes ranging in size from 1.06x0.8 mm, and giants 5x5 mm.

Glow can be of two types:

colored;
monochrome.

Why are you backlighting?

Before heading to the store, decide what you need the tape for. Illumination of shelves with LED strip with your own hands can be:

decorative;
functional.

Important! Of course, light bulbs, attached just for beauty, give light. But its brightness in this case is not so important. Therefore, you can choose SMD 35x28 diodes with a single crystal. If functionality is more important, it is better to buy more powerful light bulbs - for example, SMD 50x50 with three crystals. This will be enough.

What are the tapes?

LED strips differ from each other not only in the quality and brightness of the lamps, but also in several other ways:

the number of LEDs and their installation step;
relation to humidity.

How many lamps are on the tape?

After reviewing the assortment of an electrical goods store, you can see that the number of light bulbs on the tapes is different. The number of pieces is calculated per one running meter and you can see the following options:

Two words about humidity

LED strips are now used to illuminate the most different rooms, including those where there is always a lot of water vapor - for example, kitchens or bathrooms. By the way, nothing prevents you from making a glass shelf with lighting in the bathroom, since there are also tapes on which water does not have any effect.

Be sure to read the label:

IP20. Luminaires on which you will see the inscription IP20 are not suitable for either the bathroom or the kitchen. They can only be hung in a completely dry room.
IP65. Tape marked IP65 can be attached to the shelves of the kitchen cabinet, it has an average level of protection against moisture.
IP68. The IP68 marking means that the lamps are completely insensitive to moisture and can even be placed in an aquarium.

Choosing a power supply

Having decided on the power of the lamps, you can begin to choose a power supply. There are a lot of such devices on sale, and you need to make accurate calculations. The power should be enough for the correct operation of the lamp, but nothing more:

Decide how long the tape you will connect to this power supply.
Multiply its power by its length - as a result, you get the total power.
Multiply the result by a factor of 1.25 - this is the indicator you need for the power supply.

Let's talk about glass

In order for a do-it-yourself illuminated shelf to turn out beautiful, you first need to take care of the object itself, to which you will attach the LED strip. Glass as the main material is now extremely popular. Transparent inserts have not gone out of fashion for many centuries, but glass cabinets in apartments appeared much later - twenty years ago they could be seen almost exclusively in medical institutions and museums.

Making shelves

Furniture stores, frankly, do not indulge lovers glass cabinets and shelves. Manufacturers are not very willing to produce such products, which is very easy to understand, because the risk of breaking or damaging such a locker during transportation or even directly in the cabin is extremely high.

Therefore, there are two options:

order a cabinet in a specialized workshop;
make it yourself.

Shelves to order - reliable and high quality, but expensive. Self-manufacturing it will be much cheaper, but some skills in working with the tool are required. However, a person can only learn something through practice, so why not try?

Cooking Tools

Working even with such a fragile and, at the same time, hard material like glass, will go better if you worry about it in advance. good tool. You need:

high-quality glass cutter;
belt sander;
skin with grain 120 units;
ruler.

Test work

Glass cutter is better to buy oil. To begin with, you will need a few more unnecessary large fragments on which to practice. The most cardinal thing is that during the cutting process, your hands should not tremble, even if you do not feel very confident.

Important! Keep in mind that the incision must be made immediately - a second one will only hurt the case. The glass is cut once, then broken along the intended line.

Practice in the processing of slices. Your product should not pose a danger to you or the rest of the household. In addition, uneven cuts look ugly. Grinding is performed using a special machine. You can, of course, do this just with a sandpaper, but it takes a long time, and besides, it's easy to cut yourself.

After you practice a little, you can start making the shelf. The first product can be simply in the form of a rectangle of given dimensions. Most important point- Make sure all corners are square.

Important! During grinding, the surface is moistened with water so that there is no dust. For the same reason, it is better to grind in a respirator.

Fasten the shelf to the wall

After the rectangle is cut out and all its sections are smooth and shiny, it's time to hang it on the wall. You can do this in two ways:

on special holders;
with an aluminum profile.

Holders are a more convenient and versatile option. In this way, glass of any thickness can be fixed. As for the backlight, it serves as a frame.

Important! If you are going to make the backlight with LED strip so that the light comes from the inside of the structure, the profile will be more convenient, because the tape can be mounted directly on it. The same applies to cases when you need to insert LEDs into the wall with your own hands.

We put the holders

Special holders look quite simple. They consist of two parts:

basic;
top.

The main part is attached to the wall, a shelf is laid on it, and all this is covered with an overlay on top. For work you need:

level;
dowels;
drill.

Separate the parts of the holder.
Using a level, mark the position of the two holders on the wall.
Drill holes in the wall according to the number of holes in the main part.
Secure the main body with dowels.
Put down a shelf.
Attach the top pieces of the holders.

Important! For a short small shelf, two holders are enough, but if the shelf is long, there may be three, or four, or even more.

We fix the profile

When buying a profile, it is important to pay attention to the fact that it matches the thickness of the glass:

Cut the profile to the desired size.
Remove burrs.
Mark a strictly horizontal line on the wall or cabinet wall - this is done by a level.
Mark the position of the shelf on it.
Mark the position of the holes on the profile.
Fix the profile with self-tapping screws and plastic plugs.

Important! Do not remove the plastic inserts that are in almost any aluminum profile - they will still come in handy.

Making the backlight

So, the profile is fixed, it's time to make sure that the shelf glows beautifully.

Important! If you are interested in do-it-yourself lighting in the closet, the work procedure will be the same, only long ribbons are needed. In general, the use of LED strips makes it possible even for a novice designer to make something beautiful and interesting. For example, you can decorate the shelves with ribbons of different colors.

Inserting a tape into a profile is not too pleasant, but the result is worth the effort:

Plastic inserts are needed so that the tape does not touch metal parts - this will largely protect the electrical network from short circuits.
If this is your first shelf, make sure the ends are left open so that the tape is easier to insert.
If the ends are closed, you will have to use improvised means - something thin, but not too sharp. For example, a nail file is suitable. With its help, the tape is pushed into the groove of the profile. A thin plastic ruler is also suitable, it is even more convenient - you can tuck the tape along the entire length at once.
After the tape is inside the profile, insert the glass.

Important! Get ready for the fact that the glass, which you seem to have measured correctly, cannot be inserted immediately. You can try to drive it in with a wooden hammer, but you need to do it carefully, strictly perpendicular to the cut, the blows should not be strong. It remains to connect what you got to the power supply.

Illuminate the shelf in the closet

LED strip is a wonderful thing, which does not have to be inserted into any grooves. One side of it perfectly sticks to any surface, be it glass, plastic, wood or metal. Therefore, it will not be difficult to issue a paycheck on the holders in this way.

You need:

the tape itself, preferably without a silicone shell;
power supply unit of rated power;
wires (you can take the usual ones that connect household speakers);
soldering iron;
rosin;
solder;
insulating tape;
drill;
drill.

Before soldering the tape, you can practice on something else. But if you are confident in yourself and know how it is done, you can start right from the tape, in principle, there is nothing wrong with that:

Consider the tape - it must have segments 5 cm long, on which there are 3 light bulbs and there are icons where the tape can be cut.
Cut the ribbon into desired lengths.
Solder the lamp of the desired configuration (if you want the LEDs to be located around the perimeter, you can simply try to bend the tape in the right places).
Connect what happened to the power supply, and check.
Mark on the wall of the cabinet above the shelf or below it the places for attaching the tape.
Drill holes for the wire.
Insert the wire into the holes.
put up a shelf
Stick the tape on the cabinet wall.

footage

The modern model of the closet is furniture of impressive size, in which a variety of compartments and shelves for storing many things are made. In order to quickly find the necessary things in this furniture, you will need to approach the switch each time in order to turn on the general light. This is not always convenient. There is a more original solution - to make LED lighting directly in the furniture. Consider how to make LED lighting in the closet when you open the doors with your own efforts, so that it is always light in it and it is easy to find the necessary things.

To make the interior of the furniture much lighter, you can choose one of the many lighting options and you can implement it with your own efforts. Among the variety, LED lighting is the most popular.

This is a very convenient and practical option. Having mounted just such a backlight, you can be sure that it will not be difficult to find the necessary things in the closet, because it will always be light when you look into it.

LED lighting is safe, the risk of fire is minimal. The whole installation process will take a little of your time, but the result is worth it.

What will be required

In order to do the lighting in the closet with your own hands, you need to prepare some materials:

Having prepared all the items from this list, you can independently assemble the desired lighting scheme in the closet. This is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

Before proceeding to the assembly stage, it is necessary to consider this point. You must have circuit diagram to make future connections. In the picture you can see how it should look like. Its main difference from the usual circuit is the presence of a microswitch. When connecting, be careful not to confuse anything.

IMPORTANT. In order for everything to be safe and work properly, follow the diagram when connecting.

Assembly - the main process

First of all, you will need to prepare the LED strip itself. Cut off the section you need and, on the one hand, solder the wires about 20 cm long. Do this exactly at this stage, so that later you do not stand with the soldering iron in an uncomfortable position.
The tape is glued to the profile, after which you can proceed to fasten the entire structure. To do this, you can use liquid nails. This process is very simple.
The next step is to decide where the power supply will be installed. You can lay the wires behind the cabinet and make a hole in the cabinet wall.

REFERENCE. It is best if you think about laying wires at the execution stage. repair work. This is the most rational solution.

Connect a microswitch to one of the wires on the break. Its contacts must be open when the button is pressed.

IMPORTANT. In the cabinet, the wire must be laid in a special cable channel.

Check your creation for performance. If everything works well, you can fix the microswitch on one of the cabinet walls. Now it will be easy to find the necessary things in your chest.