LED COB strip lighting 120V no drivers

[tomherrick]

I've discussed with an electrician the best approach for installing dimmable LED strip lighting throughout my house that is undergoing a total renovation. We agreed that it would be best to go with a product line that uses 120v with chip on board to do without drivers and a dotted-line appearance. I still have a lot to learn about these systems but here are some of the things I'd like:

• the proper type of dimmer with an option that incorporates a motion detector
• setup for hardwiring to the switch without a standard 120V outlet plug
• I'd like enough lumens to be able to see clearly to clean a room with the dimmer turned all the way up
• mounting system that would work for a custom-built valance with one strip washing the wall and the other reflecting off the ceiling

I'm sure there's more, but I'm just starting to get my feet on the ground with this technology. I've totally re-wired a 1904 knob and tube house and quite a bit of shop equipment, so I have some basic background with electrical systems, but that needs to be expanded.

Looking forward to learning from your responses. All the best...

 

[cybrdyke]

What have you got against drivers? 24V is far safer to use in residential than 120V. Also, with 24V, they make a dimmer & driver all in one device that looks just like a decora switch.
120V is almost always used outdoors where the runs are significantly longer.
LED tape isn't really for general illumination. It's more of an accent or specialty type of light. I wouldn't recommend using it to light a room to the level where you can do cleaning.
Wall washing is most easily done with an angled channel that's designed for wall washing, instead of the standard flat channel. They make dozens of channel configurations for all those types of applications.
Hope that helps some.
CD

 

[tomherrick]

I'm sure that strip lighting with drivers works well for some folks. For our house, all the LED wiring will be protected as well as the existing wiring for lighting, so 120V isn't a safety concern for me. Drivers are a significant extra cost. Drivers require a place to mount them that is accessible which would be a PITA for our situation. I've kicked this around with a particularly experienced master electrician and his recommendation was to blow off the drivers and go for COB.

 

[cybrdyke]

This is a 24v driver/dimmer. You can easily connect 24v COB tape to it. No big bulky box.

The safety concern isn't so much an installation concern, especially if you have a good electrician, it's more about use/abuse in toe-kicks, kid's rooms, kitchens with steam, grease, oil, and things like that.

For your dimmer, most 120v tape uses a common triac dimmer. Most any will do, but the most popular are Leviton, Lutron Cooper (Eaton) or P&S. Take notice of the limitation of LED load watts in your dimmer. Some are as low as 150w. Multiply your length of tape x the watts/foot to be sure you dont go over the limit.

If you want 120v, that's fine. It's just really uncommon. And with respect to your electrician, master or not, most of them are very good at installing things, but they aren't trained about the why/where/what of lighting and lighting products. I wouldn't take lighting advice from an electrician. If I was a skeptical man, I'd notice that 120v tape requires an electrician to install, while 24v doesn't. Thankfully, I'm not.

Good luck
CD

 

[BillK]

My biggest issue would be what happens if one of the fixtures fails 5 years from now. Personally I would use fixtures with replaceable "bulbs" so that if one fails (and it will ) it is an easy repair.

 

[djbmw]

Also plan for strip failures... and ensure they are easily replacable/removable. Take the hour ratings of the lights with a massive grain of salt. Also... test one out "on the bench" before you mount them. We've found that some have a strange "start up" where the driver makes them flicker for a second before they kick on. Others will flicker when dimmed... so check them out ahead of time before committing to the purchase of dozena of meters.

Edit: I just noticed BillK said the same thing a minute sooner

 

[cybrdyke]

My biggest issue would be what happens if one of the fixtures fails 5 years from now. Personally I would use fixtures with replaceable "bulbs" so that if one fails (and it will ) it is an easy repair.

This isn't an issue with LED tape. If a length fails, you simply replace it.
CD

 

[djbmw]

This isn't an issue with LED tape. If a length fails, you simply replace it.
CD

"Simply replace it" could be quite tricky if it has been mounted on a 12 ft high ceiling, in a recessed box, and each strip has 3m super sticky adhesive holding the 8 foot+ run in place. Try not to rip off the wall paint, or fall off the ladder, or damage any of the recessed box. Oh.. and how it connects with the next strip, or driver, can also be tricky depending on how big your fingers are and how much room you have to work in.

 

[tomherrick]

This is a 24v driver/dimmer. You can easily connect 24v COB tape to it. No big bulky box.

The safety concern isn't so much an installation concern, especially if you have a good electrician, it's more about use/abuse in toe-kicks, kid's rooms, kitchens with steam, grease, oil, and things like that.

For your dimmer, most 120v tape uses a common triac dimmer. Most any will do, but the most popular are Leviton, Lutron Cooper (Eaton) or P&S. Take notice of the limitation of LED load watts in your dimmer. Some are as low as 150w. Multiply your length of tape x the watts/foot to be sure you dont go over the limit.

If you want 120v, that's fine. It's just really uncommon. And with respect to your electrician, master or not, most of them are very good at installing things, but they aren't trained about the why/where/what of lighting and lighting products. I wouldn't take lighting advice from an electrician. If I was a skeptical man, I'd notice that 120v tape requires an electrician to install, while 24v doesn't. Thankfully, I'm not.

Good luck
CD

I've not run across a driver included in the dimmer. That would be a game-changer for me. All I've seen when searching were brick-like drivers that had to be hidden but accessible and they were quite expensive. I'll be looking into this. Thanks...!