Installing Lights in the Overhead Cabinets

[pdemarest]

I'm thinking about installing some LED light strips inside my cabinets by tapping into one of the light fixtures that are mounted on the underside of the cabinets. Already converted all my interior lights to LEDs so I'm not worried about the additional load on the wiring to the fixtures but my question is how do I get under the cloth panel on the bottom inside of the cabinet to get to the light fixtures? It appears that the cabinets were completely built and finished inside prior to being installed so I'm looking for clues as to how to lift the cloth panel up without damaging it too much. Ideas?

Paul

[kdarling]

Umm, the overhead cabinets should already have lights. At least, in a Concourse. What model, and what year?

See this recent thread under the Electrical/Electronics forum section for info on lifting the cabinet bottoms to get to the wiring, if your cabinets really have no original door switches or lights.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=352

The thread was called "Removing flourescent light fixtures" or similar.

Besides how to access the wiring, it also shows my choices for LED replacements of the lights in the cabinets, and above the sofa and dinette.

Kevin

[Blue~Go]

As Kevin mentioned, all of the Concourses I have seen (which is 1998 and newer) have had rope lights built into the upper cabinets, which come on when the doors are opened. Or are you thinking of other cabinets? (Under sink or etc.)

Anyway, in case they are already there but disconnected or something, open the upper cabinet doors and look above the hinge area (i.e. up along the ceiling above the door on the inner edge) and you may see plastic rope lights there. They are powered (in my '99) by brown wires and 90º "flag" connectors. The switches are little round white "plungers" on a diagonal section of the door opening near the tops of the doors.

These are not LED, but the wiring and switches could be re-used for LED's.

[kdarling]

You've reminded me that my next project is to put door-switched LEDs in the cabinets under the sink and stove. Right now, I often have to use a flashlight to see everything

[pdemarest]

Hi all - my rig is a 2003 Chinook Premier. The original owner optioned it up with the V10 package, power steps, an oven, power driver seat, etc. No lights in the cabinets though so I'll head to that link to see how to get some light up in there. Thanks!

[pdemarest]

Hi again - great link on replacing the flourescents. My rig came with different lights and automotive type bulbs so switching them out to LEDs was easy. Now that I have the info on getting to the wires in the cabinets I have yet another project on my list. Great info, guys!

[Blue~Go]

It would be nice to have a spot in the Name, etc. area on the left for our rig type and year (I used the location spot, but then no location). Now that we know you have a Premier, that explains it. Well, the lights weren't LED anyway, so you can just start fresh with LED.

The wiring (at least in my rig, but no reason to think yours would be much different) that feeds these things goes up the wall corner (inaccessibly) between the shower and kitchen, and then into a horizontal "chase" that runs along the outer wall at the back of the upper cabinets (behind a carpeting section which is mentioned in the other thread). The wires that feed the lights that shine down onto the couch, etc. come from there into the false bottoms of the cabinets, so you have a few places to "find" a source wire. In my rig the cabinet lights are on the first circuit in the brown box, which is a 14 gauge brown wire with a 15 amp fuse. In my Concourse this brown wire feeds the following: Fluorescent lights mounted to underside of cabinets, cabinet/closet rope lights (door activated), valance lights (these are more rope lights that are behind the curtain valances), bathroom fan/vent/light, porch/awning/dump lights, step light, handle light.

[Scott]

It would be nice to have a spot in the Name, etc. area on the left for our rig type and year (I used the location spot, but then no location)

Howzabout the signature section? Lots of automotive forums do that, and some folks include a list of modifications, which would be fun (for me) to know what others have done!

[kdarling]

Howzabout the signature section? Lots of automotive forums do that, and some folks include a list of modifications, which would be fun (for me) to know what others have done!

Good idea. Added a signature under User Control Panel and it shows up even on old posts.

[Blue~Go]

Good idea! One thing I want to check on though: In some other forums I participate in, the signature block will only show up in the first post a person makes in a thread (so that people don't have to wade through long signatures over and over as they read). But if that's the case here, then we'd lose the model/year in longer threads (and who wants to go back to find it). Maybe that's not how it works here though -- I'll have to go look on some longer threads.