I'd rather use something like Philips Color Kinetics epower cove which is designed to be aimed, easy to mount and dimmable with electronic low voltage dimmer. They come in two different beam spreads.

The tape light may have an aluminum channel available that it snaps into for easier installation.

Jim,

I purchased the "ribbon lighting" for the inside of two kitchen cabinets with glass fronts. I have it partially hooked up and I can see that it will work well and will not be seen when I place it around the inside edge of the cabinet opening. I don't know about other commercial options, but I think your idea would work just fine. I would guess that other commercial options would also be more expensive than the method you are thinking of using. Placing the ribbon on conduit so you could adjust the aim by moving the conduit seems like a very good idea to me, and I assume that you plan on placing the conduit on either side of the 36" wide stained glass, behind the "frame" that will be built so that you do not see the beams of LED light unless you are at an extreme angle to the stained glass.

The question is whether you want it to be dimmable or not. Sounds like you are going to get the super bright ribbon, which is probably what you need for stained glass. If the light ended up being too bright, the ability to dim would solve this issue. However, being able to dim the light will cost you more (because dimmable transformers cost more and you need to add the cost of the dimmer), but give you more flexibility in how the stained glass looks. If you decide to dim, be careful to find a dimmer that mates perfectly with your transformer and lights so that you do not get any flickering, like I have experienced with my project. Good luck and let everyone know (post photo) of how it turns out.

Hi dim4fun & seekerinfo,

I looked at the Philips Color Kinetics epower cove and I couldn't convince myself that it would have been the correct choice for this application. The price was another reason I decided not to go this route.

I installed the LEDs the way I described. They seem to be very effective, but I won't know for sure until the glass is installed. I got 16.4'of LED ribbon, a power supply and dimmer all designed to work together for about $70.00 at the "auction site". If I would have gotten the exact same thing at our local supplier it would have cost about 10x that much! The power supply is regulated and is amazingly stable. The dimmer is a constant voltage type that functions using high frequency pulse width technology and I got it new for a buck + $5.00 shipping from Hong Kong. All this stuff is new from Hong Kong just like the stuff that's sold here. The price difference is due to the elimination of many middle men.

My only concern is a darker area down the center. I may have to add another 8' strip. When the window is completed I will try to post some pictures.

I hope you are plugging this light box into a receptacle. If you are doing permanent wiring in a church - a public building - you are most likely in violation of the law. That should be done only by a licensed electrician.

I'd also be very skeptical about your cheap direct-from-Hong-Kong parts.

I'm sure some of it is OK, but you really have to watch out for the poorly made, even hazardous, trash. Many of those no-name Asian manufacturers are what I'd call ethically challenged. Counterfeit UL markings are common. Components are often substandard. The units may fail in a few months or years, and with no support from the manufacturer you end up junking and replacing the whole system.

Better to stick with reputable brands, I say, even though they cost more. True, many of them are also made in China, maybe even in the same factories, but those "middlemen" you're cutting out have a purpose - they provide quality control and regulatory approval. They're also more likely to be there in 5-10 years to stand behind the products and help you when problems arise.

10 years later and still "0" problems!!!

Thank you for your posting. It's what I want to do for a stain glass window 19"x36" mounted in the peak of a victorian. It's framed but doesn't show on the outside at night.

Did you end up putting a strip down the middle? How does it look?

Sarah

Sorry it took this long to get back to you. For all the good it does you now, I didn't need the center strip. 12YEARS LATER AND STILL NO PROBLEMS!!!!!!!