The cabinets are kinda dark, so I put in LED strip lighting to brighten things up, as you can find here in this short video.
It was pretty simple, actually, but a lengthy process. First, some parts.
I used these touch dimmers from Aliexpress:
Click HERE to order these.
Then I bought some flexible LED strip lighting:
Click HERE to buy the stips. I bought 2 of these in 5meter length.
NOTICE! There are a couple of things to consider, mainly the color and the type of LED. These are made with 2835 type LEDs. They are PLENTY bright. I think 5050 LEDs would be way too bright, and pull a lot more power. Also, these strips can be cut. There are 4 copper dots. Cut on the black line between the 4 dots as shown. Once the cut is done, there should be 2 copper dots on either side. This is where you solder the power wires once you cut. Use wire cutters to cut the strip, then carefully cut the cover about 1/6th inche with an exacto, and peel off the covering to expose the copper dots for soldering. The first one is kinda difficult because you are probably going to be too careful, but that's ok!
I got about 20 feet of 22gauge wire (black/red pair) to add power. Also ordered connectors from Amazon. They are 2.1mm power connectors and fit perfectly into the touch dimmer. You can order the female connectors here.
As an alternate, if you want to keep soldering to a minimum, you can order the connectors below from here. I like soldered connections, but I'm a trained solderer. (For realz!)
Just make sure you get your polarity correct!
Now to disassemble the 241. Behind the DVD player is a power source for the cabinets above the table. There's a ring around the faceplate of the DVD that pulls off. It's easy to remove, so if you are forcing it, you're probably grabbing the wrong thing. Once the ring is removed, you'll see 4 screws (mine had 2 screwed in). Unscrew those, and find the 12v + and - going to the DVD. You can tap in here with either crimp taps or just clip the wires, strip them all back and use a wirenut to connect them.
I drilled a slightly larger than 1/2 hole to get the plugs up from the corner of the cabinet (see video below), and then wired the power up. 1/2 sounds big, but the touch dimmer will cover the hole completely.
The LED strips are adhesive backed, so run your hand along the top board in the cabinet to brush off any junk or dust. Use the front board so the LEDs won't be seen. Hook everything up and bingo! Done. Button it all up, used the adhesive pad that came with the touch dimmer and mount it. PERFECT!! Looks factory.
On the other side, you'll need to drop the vent hood. It's four screws you can see underneath. Pull it slightly forward after removing the screws, as it needs to clear the exhaust vent. It's very light, so no worries. I then pulled the microwave (4 screws and pull out), and drilled another hole along the top board in front to move the wires through. I think I used a 1/4inch bit, but it depends on your wire size.
Next I had to drill a 1/2"+ hole in the front corner closest to the stove. This was again to move the touch dimmer connectors through. And then another 1/2"+hole going horizontal to get the touch dimmer connectors through the cabinet wall going into the microwave space (along the bottom of the cabinet, front board).
In our 241, the wiring was a little different to the hood vent. I dunno if this is standard, so make sure you check voltages. I tapped in to the wires going to the fan. White was neg. and black was positive, so colorcoded more like AC instead of DC. Anyway.. just check voltages.
Built my power connectors, plugged it in and bingo! It works. On the bottom shelf on the left side, I put the LED strip on the BOTTOM, so you can't see it but it still lights. If you put it on the top, you'll be able to see that short row.
Update: I did have to go back and add rubber cement to some sections of the light, so I recommend you do that to begin with. Just apply over the sticky backing and to the wood where it will attach. Works great!
Here's a video of the finished installation:
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