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Dutch Star Don · 03-01-2016, 03:36 PM

My Dutch Star came with two LED under cabinet puck lights that shine down primarily onto the sink. The rest of the kitchen countertop is very dark. The microwave has an additional light, but doesn't provide that much lighting.

Before lighting:

I decided to add three more LED puck lights under the cabinet. I ordered them from Newmar ($58.00).

After lighting:

On both sides of the microwave are two 110 volt outlets. I dropped both of those down (left them connected). I also dropped the LED light closest to the microwave. They have a spring clip and require that you pull down hard to get them to release.

The area behind the microwave, where I installed two of the new LED's is hollow and open. I measured and cut two 2 1/4" holes where I wanted the lights to go behind the microwave.

Here is probably the only difficult part and requires a long drill bit, about 6" -8" long 1/8" or 3/16". (I have an extension that a drill bit fits into.) From the 110 volt outlet on the sink side of the microwave, I drilled a hole (through the outlet opening), through some 1"x1" frame (inside the outlet hole) and back toward the rear of the microwave. This allowed me to feed wire from the LED puck light Newmar installed to the 110 volt outlet, past the outlet into the hole I drilled and into the cavity behind the microwave.

On the other side of the microwave I did the same thing. I dropped the outlet and drilled back toward the cavity behind the microwave. I also added a third LED puck hole to the left of the microwave. By dropping the two outlets, drilling the two holes toward the cavity and using a 2 1/4" hole saw to make the new LED puck holes, I could now feed wire from the original LED to the three new ones.

Here is where I placed the new ones:

Capt. Kirk · 03-01-2016, 04:28 PM

Thanks Don!

Based on others comments on this forum I requested additional under counter lights similar to those you've described During construction of my recently ordered DS 4018.

Thank you for willingness to share your upgrades with the rest of us, it's super helpful!

lostinfla · 03-01-2016, 04:38 PM

Don, I really,really wish you would stop this quest to find new projects for me. This looks like a good one, as usual.

CapuTech · 03-01-2016, 04:38 PM

Don, I really look forward to your mods and have copied several of them. In this particular case, I had the factory add the additional lights as a special.

Next on my list is the KIB switch for the kitchen you did. That is a nice convenience for certain. I also really want to install the hydraulics on the front hood, but that one may be a bit beyond my capabilities!

Thanks very much for sharing your work and ideas. I for one very much appreciate it!

lakebuster · 03-01-2016, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

My Dutch Star came with two LED under cabinet puck lights that shine down primarily onto the sink. The rest of the kitchen countertop is very dark. The microwave has an additional light, but doesn't provide that much lighting.

Before lighting:

I decided to add three more LED puck lights under the cabinet. I ordered them from Newmar ($58.00).

After lighting:

On both sides of the microwave are two 110 volt outlets. I dropped both of those down (left them connected). I also dropped the LED light closest to the microwave. They have a spring clip and require that you pull down hard to get them to release.

The area behind the microwave, where I installed two of the new LED's is hollow and open. I measured and cut two 2 1/4" holes where I wanted the lights to go behind the microwave.

Here is probably the only difficult part and requires a long drill bit, about 6" -8" long 1/8" or 3/16". (I have an extension that a drill bit fits into.) From the 110 volt outlet on the sink side of the microwave, I drilled a hole (through the outlet opening), through some 1"x1" frame (inside the outlet hole) and back toward the rear of the microwave. This allowed me to feed wire from the LED puck light Newmar installed to the 110 volt outlet, past the outlet into the hole I drilled and into the cavity behind the microwave.

On the other side of the microwave I did the same thing. I dropped the outlet and drilled back toward the cavity behind the microwave. I also added a third LED puck hole to the left of the microwave. By dropping the two outlets, drilling the two holes toward the cavity and using a 2 1/4" hole saw to make the new LED puck holes, I could now feed wire from the original LED to the three new ones.

Here is where I placed the new ones:

Are you retired? I barely have time to use our MH, do maintenance and keep it clean. Good going Dutch Star Don. All I wish for is more time!

Algoma · 03-01-2016, 06:08 PM

Maybe Newmar finally got the message as the 2016 model I saw had the extra lights. I am thinking of adding a strip of LED lights instead of installing the ITC puck lights.

slabman · 03-01-2016, 07:53 PM

The LED strip lights are my favorite way to add light...just did this very thing in my cargo bays. Now I can really see my tools, etc. down there at night.

BTW...I think I'd just drop that microwave and you have great access to the large cavity behind there. Not hard to do...only about 4-5 screws to remove and it tilts down for removal.

Dutch Star Don · 03-01-2016, 08:03 PM

I debated about dropping the microwave. I already replaced mine and knew how it was installed, but it was really a toss up to remove all the microwave screws and deal with the weight.

lucyh · 03-02-2016, 05:40 PM

I've been wanting to add more light to mine, too. I might see if our dealer is up for adding the LED puck lights. It certainly looks great and would be wonderful having them on the same switch as the existing ones over the sink. But, if the dealer won't do it or quotes a fortune, I'm curious about what LED strip lights Slabman likes. Thanks, everyone.

slabman · 03-02-2016, 08:47 PM

These are the lights I added to my basement, installed over the door openings.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Note these are the newest, larger-sized 5630 LEDs, said to provide approx. 40 lumens per diode. Previously, I've used strips with 5050 sized LEDs, which I understand put out some 30 lumens, so this is a significant upgrade.

I cut them into strips which spanned the width of the opening. Because the sticky backing isn't very "sticky" with most of these lights, I used double sided tape as below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After cutting into strips, I used these connectors to wire into my existing basement lights, which I had earlier converted to LEDs. Unlike many other connectors using a friction connection, these utilize two "sharps", which penetrate through the waterproof coating, making a permanent connection to the strip.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I left my existing basement stock lights in place, but, honestly, they are a big waste of power since these strips overpower the inadequate illumination they provide.

As to an application under a kitchen upper cabinet, it would be a very simple process to run a strip long the back of the cabinet and wire to a puck light.

lucyh · 03-03-2016, 10:36 AM

Thanks so much, Slabman. Your links are very helpful. I understand how the connectors connect to the LED strip being added but want to make sure I understand how they'd link to the existing wiring/puck lights. Would connect them as intended by the product to the new LED strip light and then strip the other end of the wires to connect them to the existing wiring with a regular twisting/wire nut type connection?

slabman · 03-03-2016, 06:33 PM

Yup. Just cut the connector and use the other end for another application and tie into a puck light, being careful of polarity. If you guess wrong, just reverse the wires. BTW...each LED strip comes with a single socket connector, intended to receive power from a transformer. If you're only doing one project, simply cut this socket off, strip the wires and connect to a puck.