Simple Cabinet Led Light With Recycled Power Adaptor

Everyone has power adaptors that have no more use.

From old laptops, portable phones and all sorts of portable machines.

Don't throw them away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look for the 12volt and 9 volt adaptors.

We can use these as power adaptors with 12 volt led light strips.

An old working adaptor 12 volt or 9 volt is suitable.
Because we use led strips that need 12 volt, these will give a little less light with a 9 volt adaptor.
Even less with a 6 volt adaptor.

When you look at the data of the adaptor on the picture,
we see that the output is 9 volt 500 mA.

How do you calculate the adaptors maximum power :

9volt x 500mA = 9volt x 0,500 A = 4,5 Watt

you can buy lots of led strips, online, in an electro shop ...

just look for led strips 12 volt that you can connect easily.

With a wire at the end or as the one on the picture with two little metal pins at the end.

Remember the adaptors maximum power 4,5 Watt (500mA x 9V)

This particular led strip ( 0, 54Watt ) can be coupled, this means we can use no more than 8 strips coupled with this adaptor.

8 x 0,54 = 4,32 Watt

(To calculate this correctly we should use the resistance-value but this is more simple and safe too)

You can cut the wire of the adaptor at the desired length and connect it with the led strip by soldering.

Or with simple wire connectors, you can buy online, or in a shop. They cost less then a dollar for 10 pcs.

The one I used is a more advanced model, that fits the adaptors pin.

It is priced about 4 dollar. But I use these for other experiments too.

I don't want to add a lot of difficult explanations, but we need tot test if the led light is connected the right way.
We are working with 12volt DC so the direction of the current is important.

No worries, it's very simple : the first time you plug the adaptor into a wall socket and the light is not working,
unplug it asap and no harm is done.
This means that you have to switch the connection of the wires.
Then it's easy to use a connector that has screws.
My advice : test this before connecting definetively.