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Topic: LED lighting modification for JENSEN Range Hood (Read 367 times) previous topic - next topic
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LED lighting modification for JENSEN Range Hood
The work light provided in the stock Jensen Range Hood is woefully dim.  We eliminated the stock single bulb incandescent light and replaced it with a much brighter DIY LED strip light.

Design Decisions :
a.   Targeted 400 to 800 lumens for good task lighting.  Thus the 385 lumen / foot LED selection resulting in about 600 lumens.
b.   Be battery power friendly by reducing electrical current used.  Thus the choice of LED as the light source.
c.   Avoid blueish and yellowish LED light color.  Thus 4000 – 4500K selection for white color LED light.
d.   LEDs needed to be protected from cooking splatter & vapor and easy to clean.  Thus selection of aluminum channel with available acrylic lens to protect the LEDs....

For those that are not familiar with this type of LED lighting.  The LEDs come pre-mounted on a long strip of ribbon that has adhesive tape on the back side.   This LED ribbon is then wound onto a reel.  The reel that I bought came with 16 feet of LED tape.   The LED tape may be cut at any of the pre-marked cutting intervals, every few inches or so.  One may cut the tape to a length matched to their application.  One can then solder a wire harness to the end of the strip of LED tape that they have cut.  Assuming that you selected 12volt LED tape, you may then connect your wire harness directly to a 12 volt power source.

One may select from various brightness levels of LEDs.  Knowing the brightness per foot of the selected LEDs, one may calculate the resulting brightness of the light fixture based on the total length of LED tape that will be used in the light fixture.

Before and after specs :
                          Illumination   Current
Jensen stock       ~ 10 lumens   ~1.0 amp
LED light strip      600 lumens   0.4 amps

Supplier and Parts used :
"http://www.glowbackledstore.com/"

Aluminum channel selection = Aluminum Profile “A” with Clear protective Lens
LED selection = Commercial LED Strip 5630 60/M IP23 WHITE 16FT (386 Lumens/ft, Pure White 4000-4500K)

Note : There are many good supplies out there.  Glow Back LED Store has a nice selection of aluminum channel with matching lens covers.

Step by step :
1)   Decided to install the light strip recessed under the front edge of the range hood.  Measured and cut aluminum rail and acrylic lens to desired length.
2)   Drilled hole in back side of aluminum channel to feed wire harness out back side of channel to help keep the wire harness hidden from view.
3)   Soldered wire harness to end of strip of LED tape.
4)   Measured and cut LED tape to my desired length.
5)   Assembled an end cap to one end of the aluminum channel.
6)   Peeled protective tape from the back (sticky) side of the LED tape.
7)   Fed the wire harness through the hole in the aluminum channel and applied the tape into the bottom of the aluminum channel.
8)   Installed remaining end cap and the length of lens material covering the length of the channel.
9)   Drilled holes in the range hood to feed the LED wire harness to the source of power.  Be sure to deburr the holes so as to reduce the risk of abrasion of the wire harness's protective insulation.
10)   Fed the LED’s wire harness through the range hood and screwed the aluminum channel LED light strip in place.
11)   Made sure power to the stock light socket was off.  Cut off the old light socket. Connected the LED strip light wire harness to the power wires for the original light socket.
12)   Added rubber caulk to holes to both stabilize the wires and eliminate air leak from the hood exhaust fan.
13)   Reassembled hood to cabinet.

Photos :
2002 M-23 Twin King & 2016 Subaru Forester tow car