How to install a led strip controller to existing led strips

[sterile pewter]

Hi 👋 I've recently got an HA yellow and making my home smarter! I have integrated most of the lights, some climate sensors and the thermostat. Everything is working as expected!

The last bit thing that I want to make smarter is the existing led strips that I have in my kitchen. They were installed before we bought so don't know much about the previous installation.

I can see that all three strips go to the top of the cabinet and are connected to a 12V power source, I've got myself a ZigBee led controller but I'm a bit lost on how to connect it, I suppose I need to cut all three cables and attach them to the controller and I need to do have a cable from the controller to the power source as well.

Do you recommend any guide/tutorial on how to do it? I have never done anything like this before so I feel a bit inexperienced to cut cables etc..

Thanks!

[void dome]

i have been looking to do something similar and have only partly researched but i believe you can can adaptors which are cable to a connector block so you can plug in the connectors you have

or splitters which you could cut a connector off to make such an adaptor

[sterile pewter]

Thanks! Do you have any pointers on how those options look like?

[void dome]

to be clear I am not sure if this is the correct connector but it shows what I am getting at - https://www.downlights.co.uk/12v-channel-splitter-6-ports-2-pin-clip-black-integral-led.html

some drivers like this one - https://www.tlwglobal.com/product/driver-8w-12v-led-driver-with-4-port-micro-plug-connector/
seem to come with them

I think there are different types of connector too so i cant be sure

if/when you come up with a working solution feel free to ping me though as i would love to know

[void depot]

Also interested in this topic 🙂

[sullen ermine]

this will work but wouldn't do it sins its no point controlling it this way, im guessing the led you have today cant change coolor? its looks like basic 2 wire version, the zigbee one you got is suppose to be mounted after a psu and is for analog rgb 5 wire, and ground to - if you like to turn al on at the same time you connect them to the same + and - on the secondary side, but if i were you il ither put a standard relay on the prime side of the psu you have today, or replace the lids with analog rgb strips instead but then the wite cooler is bad. honestly i wouldn't use this at all, check out quinled.info and get a quin-dig instead with digital rgb from bft-lightning on aliexpress, like sk6812rgbww then you have normal white and can control everything from HA with wled, you can even ad buttons for easy on/off or small ir sensors. and shift coolers like you want + you get al the safety stuff like overload, fuses and so on. looks like this in HA (you even update the firmware directly in ha)

[void dome]

@sterile pewter I have further investigated this and i got some stuff to see what worked
the above linked ADAPTOR seems to be the way to go and just chop off the connector and wire to terminals.
I recorded my investigation and thought process here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEVHQ1BQHBQ
hopefully helps you out. I plan to replace my transformers at some point in the future and now have a plan 🙂

[sterile pewter]

oh wow thank you!