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.