Awning Lighting

[Doug]

Well, the Federal Budget office approved the purchase today.
I guess we'll be able to find each other at the CG by looking for this Forum decal or the LED lights lol

Thanks for all the helpful posts.

Doug

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by james.l.devore

3'senough, I see that you said you hardwired to 12v and If I do this that is how I would do them. Can you explain?

I have a set of warm white, non color changing. It appears that most here are going with the color changing sets which have a different hook up than mine. I have + and - power only going to mine with two leads as opposed to the 4 leads that seem to be common with the color changing sets. My set has a DC Coaxial plug which I solder a male and female end on the 2 x 12 leads that run up my arms. There are 4" tag ends that I simply plug into one another and that's it, lights ready to go!

Should I or someone else hit the retract button they unplug themselves and no harm is done.

The wire is run down the arm and I drilled a hole at the base to run it into my unit and snaked up to a dimmer switch which is by a 12V supply. Toughest part was securing the wire to the arms without interferring with them and keeping it hidden.

[JaybirdDesigner]

You all are AWESOME! We were just at "that big retail camper place" over the weekend. After spending an HOUR trying to get someone to explain what was including in this set (see link) and what the actual cost was going to be, I decided to give up, come home, and look around the forum for any alternatives.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ight-kit/61626

Can you believe that price??? WOW! Thanks for this post!!! Definitely going for one of your suggestions instead. Has anyone mounted theirs on the awning arms?

[LongIslandCamper]

I just ordered two sets of these things and they should be here in two days. I can't wait to see them!

[TCNashville]

Oh honey, wouldn't those lights look great on our camper, no more lights hanging from the awning! I was perfectly happy hanging a few lights from our awning but NO, you guys had to open another can of worms. DW saw this thread and ordered them-Ok, I like them too. Still can't decide on a tube or trailer mount.

[Power247]

Originally Posted by TCNASHVILLE

Oh honey, wouldn't those lights look great on our camper, no more lights hanging from the awning! I was perfectly happy hanging a few lights from our awning but NO, you guys had to open another can of worms. DW saw this thread and ordered them-Ok, I like them too. Still can't decide on a tube or trailer mount.

HAHAHAHA!!!! So funny how that happens! LOL!!

[29BHS ECO]

Like others-- DW saw this post with the awning lit up & the order went in. I may get another set to mount on the TT & put on another sw. One set on for mood, second set on for making munchies or playing cards. GREAT IDEA / POST / MOD Larry

[Doug]

I ordered mine and they should be here Thursday.
I am assuming I have 1 connection at the end of the lights, then one at the controller.
The plug in will have to be on the side of my TT, sheltered by the cover.
What are you guys thinking about protecting the connections from water?
Just wondering out loud here as I anticipate installation.

I guess you could always tape everything up at the controller and just try to zip tie the connection at the lights so it's under the awning
I would like to get the connections waterproofed so I just have to pull out the wiring, snake down the awning arms and plug in.
I don't want to have to tape and re-tape each outing.

Doug

[Crabman]

I ordered one today too, using Amazon rewards to buy it, NOT crab revenue. :hihi: I just hope I picked the right one, there are several choices mentioned here and they all look alike to me.

[nevercominhome]

Hooked mine up last night. Camping today. Will try to post pics tonight of the lights in action!

[glsimms]

Never thought we'd be pimping out our travel trailers!! Mood lighting??? :hihi:

[nevercominhome]

Originally Posted by nevercominhome

Hooked mine up last night. Camping today. Will try to post pics tonight of the lights in action!

http://db.tt/HWK0ovrt

DW wanted to hang the "other" lights as well. Good for comparison I suppose...

[Power247]

^^^^Nice!!

[Jrmay25]

LED's have arrived. GOnna be another 3 weeks before I'm back at the camper to see how they look.

[LongIslandCamper]

Hey guys. I got my two LED light strips today and I made a little video overview of them in action. I hope it helps some people and explains some of the features.

[video=youtube;N6WCQWObyho]

[Doug]

Thanks cm11599ps for putting together the video.
Looks like a pretty straight forward installation.
Mine should be here tomorrow.

Best regards,
Doug

[Reichy]

I also have a set on the way thanks to the DW. I sent her the link while I am on a business trip and received a call from her saying they should be in next week. I guess she liked what she saw

[Doug]

Just got mine in the mail today.
They were the $26.00 set.
As far as I can tell, they are the same set and components.
Wiped the awning tube down with Acetone
Peeled off backing and started adhering to tube across the width, using the slot in the tube as a guide.
There was a solid line across the LED stripe every 3 LED's. I cut across the line as a test further down the excess strip to make sure I was to cut directly on the line. The remaining lights stayed on. So I then made my final cut to length.

The power cord just barely reached from my outside plug to LED plug.
I put a zip tie at each end of the LED strip to support the adhesive.
On the cut end, I covered the end with electrical tape and then made 1 wrap around the tube with electrical tape.

The RF sensor is a little weak, but it seems to work acceptably. I don't plan on doing a lot of changing of colors.

All done. Cool mod for $30 including shipping.

I'll wait for dark and see how it looks.

My awning style


Looking from under awning


End that is trimmed off


Plug end, just enough length :-)


Best regards,
Doug

[krackeer]

Just a note to everyone who is placing these on your awning tube. A friend of mine has had these on his awning tube now for nearly 2 years. he mentioned that the sticky tape didn't hold too well even after a good cleaning of the tube. He went out and purchased some clear shipping tape and placed it over the light strip. That was over a year ago and it is still holding up well he said. And his TT is stored at the beach so he gets salt air, high temps etc. just for everyones info if your sticky tape isn't holding like you want it to.

[Crabman]

I also ordered the 26.00 set on Amazon, supposedly has more LEDs per meter then some other sets? They all look alike to me...


Also on edit I have a 18' awning so not sure how the 16'4 set will do with that, gonna be a bit short!