I’m building out my theatre room in my basement and want to do LED strip lights around my soffit, riser edges, screen perimeter, and in the future, my columns (down both sides backlighting the columns).
I bought a set of 5050 ELDs off ebay, and a fibaro to play with and now am thoroughly confused.
Would love some assistance.
My questions are as follows:
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For the Fibaro, if I’m running the little amplifiers out to each set of LEDs past the first set, is the fibaro really seeing the full amp draw of all sets combined? I ask because Fibaro can only handle a few amps (I THINK?) and don’t want to have to buy multiple expensive Fibaro controllers if I can avoid it.
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For running the Red/Black wire to the little inline amplifiers, if I move the power transformer away from my seating risers, I could need 35-40 ft to reach the start of the first and each subsequent LED run. The calculator I found for 6 amps is telling me 10 GA wire. That seems ridiculous considering the little fibaro controller can’t probably accepted 10ga wire in the tiny screw ports. I’m having trouble even sourcing the large red wire. Can I use large CL2 rated monoprice speaker wire? I have a bunch of their 12 Ga stuff.
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The soffit set will be approx 60 ft of LED run.
The Riser set will be approx 35 ft of LED run broken into segments for 2 main risers and 3 steps. I’m guessing I’ll have to cut the little LED strips and use those clip on connectors to splice segments to run off one Fibaro, but maybe more than 1 amp? (if thats possible as my question above states?) -
Is aw another thread here a guy wrote about doing 65 ft of soffit Leds, but he left out a few details. In that thread, someone said it was possible to dim the lighting with either a fibaro, or a wall dimmer switch.
I currently have my wiring such that the transformer would plug straight to an outlet, and everything is powered off of that. I can add a smart outlet if that helps. I could also modify and make that outlet a regular outlet, that is wired to a Zwave smart dimmer switch. I originally had this in the plan, but after realizing the actual transformer needed the full 120 V i changed it to be a hot outlet, and the fibaro to do the smart decision. Am i missing a setup option here? Help appreciated as its not too late for me to adjust but it will be too late soon. -
As for these transformers, it seems mine says nothing about being UL listed. I imagine many from china are not. I’ve heard it can be quite a big deal if its not in terms of possibly having your homeowners not cover in case of a fire. I’m wondering if I should try to find small UL listed transformers (if not expensive) and recommendations? Or can I, should I use some type of enclosure to make it safe? Does the code maybe not define a “plugged in” transformer as “installed” and maybe then not subject to such?
I’m looking at a Type D enclosure maybe, or hooking the transformer up in some way that its not “concealed” if “Concealing” the non UL listed item is the problem?
For not concealed I could install them behind my screen wall (accessible by taking the screen down and walking through the framing hole), or inside my basement HVAC closet, or somehow inside my riser, visible through a floor register (register for heat dissipation not any ductwork hooked to it)
thoughts? -
As for possibly adding LED strips to the columns. This will be clear once a few questions above are clear, as I have 7 columns, and there’s no way I can buy 7 fibaros just to run LEds up and down each side of each column.
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I bought an 8 button battery Z wave controller off amazon. I was planning to set it up such that say pressing button 1, would set 3 of my dimmer switch to overhead can lights to say 50% bright, and set my riser lights and soffit lights to say red color at 40% bright, and once movie starts, i press button two, and soffit lights turn off, riser goes to 10% bright and all can lights off. Question here is what other piece of the puzzle am I missing to make this happen?
thank you for any input.