Caséta User Looking to Build Under Cabinet Lighting System

[Fraser]

H there, I currently have a Caséta system with Smart Hub that controls a number of Caseta Diva and Claro switches to control a number of lights around the house.

We are looking to add under cabinet lighting in our kitchen and potentially bar area but need a nit of help with the design.

Ideally I would love to keep it all in the Caseta family, but not sure if it’s possible.
Need to figure out how to power them, but thats a story for the electrician I guess. We have only really had experience with an IKEA Tradfig system in our old closet, which was fairly simple (Plug in transformer/driver, connect to LED light strips, and pair remote).

We were wondering if we can do something similar with the Lutron Caseta family.

I think I understand that we need an LED Driver of some sort (does Lutron sell these?) that is connected to power as an input, and then output to either LED strips or Light box thingies. However do we need to hardwire from the Driver to a Caseta Diva (DVRF-6L) for instance or can we pair with just a Pico remote or Pico Paddle?

Any guidance on what we would need would be extremely helpful.

[Brandon W.]

Hello Fraser and welcome to the forums!

Utilizing undercabinet lighting in Caseta is very much possible. The way this configuration would appear is Caseta dimmer > LED Driver > Under cabinet lighting. However, certain LED drivers may need a specific dimmer (e.g. Caseta ELV+ PD-5NE) depending on their dimming protocol. Our drivers are typically centered around commercial applications; however, our LED Driver Selection Tool can be found here: LED Driver Selection Tool (lutron.com)

If you happen to have a model on a specific LED driver, please provide it and we would be happy to look into its performance! One recommendation from our testing results is the Commercial Electric Tape Light Model # C421511.

[Jeffhay]

I'm modifying my undercabinet lights and have some similar questions. I don't mean to hijack Fraser's thread so please let me know if I should start my own.

I currently have a hardwired system with 2 lines of 24v LEDs, 22W total, 200 lumens per foot. On a Diva DVLV-600P (magnetic low volt) dimmer and a magnetic transformer/driver. I will be adding 3 more lines on some floating shelves. I want all 5 of them controlled by one Caseta dimmer.

I believe I can replace the magnetic dimmer and driver with a DVRF-6L dimmer and a Hi-lume 1% 2-Wire LED Driver Forward-Phase Control driver, as they are supposed to work together.

My question is, if my total wattage of the LEDs across 5 lines is more that 40w, can I wire 2 of the Hi-Lumes to the same dimmer? Most likely the original two lines (22w) into one, and the three new lines into another? If there is a say, 60w version of the Hi-Lume, that would be ideal as I could use one for all five lines?

[Joy L.]

Hello Jeffhay, thank you for your question. Unfortunately our Hi-lume 1% 2-Wire drivers are obsolete. The simplest solution for this we would recommend would be to leave the current magnetic driver and use a Caseta PD-10NXD, which is a neutral-based LED- and magnetic low voltage-rated 250W dimmer.

Alternatively, you can change to an ELV (electronic low voltage) driver that supports 24V LED and use a Caseta PD-5NE. Unfortunately no low voltage application will work with the DVRF-6L. See the below spec sheet for specification differences between the products:

https://assets.lutron.com/a/documents/369987_eng.pdf

We hope this helps!

[Jeffhay]

Hello Jeffhay, thank you for your question. Unfortunately our Hi-lume 1% 2-Wire drivers are obsolete. The simplest solution for this we would recommend would be to leave the current magnetic driver and use a Caseta PD-10NXD, which is a neutral-based LED- and magnetic low voltage-rated 250W dimmer.

Alternatively, you can change to an ELV (electronic low voltage) driver that supports 24V LED and use a Caseta PD-5NE. Unfortunately no low voltage application will work with the DVRF-6L. See the below spec sheet for specification differences between the products:

https://assets.lutron.com/a/documents/369987_eng.pdf

We hope this helps!

Aesthetically, I need a Diva as it resides in a 3-gang with two other DVRF-6Ls. Page 3 of the asset document says the DVRF-6L works with the HI-Lume, so that's where I got that idea. I guess I'll just wait until Lutron releases a Diva style dimmer that is a neutral-based LED- and magnetic low voltage-rated 250W dimmer.

[jbailer]

I'm so excited to find this forum! I have more questions than answers and was feeling overwhelmed, hoping I can get some help. I want to install under (and over) cabinet lighting in my kitchen and can't figure out what I need.

I currently have a bunch of the Caseta Wireless devices that make up most of my home automation solution after a lot of research and LOVE it!:
L-BDG2 Hub
PD-6WCL many of these dimmers
PD-6ANS several of these
PD-FSQN several of these
PD-3PCL 2 of these
Still well under the limit.

I've been using these for a little over 2.5 years in my new house and they've worked flawlessly and since I already have the hub and confidence, I'd love to stay with Lutron Caseta for the solution.

What I'd like:
I have 1 switch on a separate circuit braker the electrician labeled as "Low Voltage". The switch goes to an outlet above my kitchen cabinets. If possible, I'd like to use a PD-6WCL switch I have to control turning the lights on/off and dimming manually or through Apple Homekit. If I can only do white, I'd like to do a cool white LED solution. If possible, I'd love to be able to do cool white at certain times and change it to blue other times expecting I would have to change colors from the app. If it works, I like this solution BTF-LIGHTING RGBCCT 5 Colors in 1 LED 5050SMD RGBWW RGB+Dimmable Tunable Color Temperature 2700K-6500K 16.4FT 60LEDs/m 300LEDs Multi-Colored LED Tape Lights IP65 DC24V unless there is a better recommendation).

I don't understand how it will work or what is required. If you can recommend part numbers to order, that would be a big help. I figure the PD-6WCL switch will control the AC on/off to a 24VDC power supply but does it reduce the AC voltage for dimming and that wouldn't work? Should I be looking at a different AC switch? Then I guess I need a controller but not sure what I need. Again, my LED preference is RGBWW but if I have to, I'd settle for cool white if I have to. Thanks SO much for the help, I had no idea where to go.

[Joy L.]

Hello jbailer, welcome to the Forums. RGB/color-changing lights can be difficult to find in a line voltage-dimmable protocol, as many of these color-changing lights rely on smart/app-based control or a remote control to be dimmed or color-changed. In other words, they are seldom capable of being dimmed by a standard in-line dimmer such as the PD-6WCL, since they already have built-in internal dimming mechanisms meant to communicate with another digital control like a remote or proprietary app. That does appear to be the case with the lights you mentioned in your post, upon reviewing their specs.

That being said, we have begun testing some strip lights with our dimmers: see our Compatibility Tool below for potential options:

https://www.lutron.com/en-US/Pages/L...atibility.aspx

In regards to using the PD-6WCL for strip lighting like this, sometimes a Caseta PD-10NXD or PD-5NE model is required instead, as the PD-6WCL is not often designed to be able to control low-voltage tape lighting that runs off of low-voltage drivers. As long as the driver powering the tape lights runs off of an AC input and DC output, and is compatible with TRIAC/forward phase/leading edge dimming, then the PD-6WCL is within spec for that and is worth a shot, but for max versatility and putting yourself in the best position to succeed, something like a PD-5NE can be better since it will be able to do both types of phase-cut dimming technology (forward and reverse phase) as well as is compatible with MLV (magnetic low voltage) and ELV (electronic low voltage) drivers and has a neutral wire connection for added stability.

https://assets.lutron.com/a/documents/369987_eng.pdf

We hope this helps!

[jbailer]

Thanks Joy! It took me a while to digest the information and search for a solution. I'm very thankful for the guidance. The Compatibility Tool didn't really help but it did list 1 LED tape light that I could at least take information from to find what I'm looking for. I ended up purchasing 2 x Armacost Lighting 861200 120-Watt Dimming LED Driver 24-Volt DC Power Supply and 2 x Armacost Lighting RibbonFlex Pro LED Tape Light, Bright White (4000K), 120LEDs/M, 32.8' (10M) 24V, (156250). If I understood correctly, I should be able to control these from Apple Homekit with my existing PD-6WCL Dimmers. If not, I'll get a PD-5NE.

[jbailer]

Just giving an update on my installation, the solution with parts I mentioned above worked very well. The LEDs are very bright, brighter than I actually needed. At 100%, I don't need any other kitchen lights. Plus, I can dim it down to 1% which if anything, is brighter than I thought it would be. I am so impressed with the reliability of the Lutron Caseta switches. In the almost 3 years of having these switches for lights and fans, I've never had an issue. LOVE IT! I use Apple HomeKit and the scenes and automations are SO convenient. The cost is a bit high for the switches but since they are compatible with all of the major home automation assistants, it's a great investment in the house for resale. For the record, I used the PD-6WCL dimmer that I already had.