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08-29-2013, 03:37 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 49
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LED lights interfere with TV
I know I have read previous posts about this problem. Just cannot remember where or how to solve the problem. 2014 Windjammer 2809W. Getting ready to take our first trip in it this weekend. Noticed when we turn on lights over bathroom sink and ceiling lights by sink in kitchen, it causes horrible interference with our TV. Any advise or suggestions? Also, I'm assuming this happens whether the TV is connected to antenna, satellite or cable?
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08-29-2013, 03:49 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Southern Iowa
Posts: 226
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Will be interested in what your learn. We have a 2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS with LED's, and when bedroom or bathroom light goes on, flat screen TV in main area, and the one in bedroom, will both go black. Turn off the lights, and all is well.
__________________
Badlands
2016 Coachman Leprechaun, 319DS, Motorhome, Dodge Durango Toad
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08-29-2013, 04:00 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 49
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I hate to hear your having problems as well; though not surprised. It seems to be very common. Hope we get some suggestions!
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08-29-2013, 04:02 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Stromsburg, Nebraska
Posts: 1,682
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Either gotta leave the lights off, or I believe a few users have gotten manufacturers to pay for better LED lamps. Guessing that doesn't happen much, and when I've discussed with my dealer (RV wholesalers) they say turret haven't heard of this problem and didn't offer a fix.
Interested myself if others have found a cure
__________________
Joel and Teresa
2016 Sabre 34TBOK
2006 GMC 3500 CC LB DRW 4X4
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08-29-2013, 06:05 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: central PA
Posts: 978
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ours only affects the radio. we have the Starbrite LEDs. pricy but work.
__________________
2000 Cherokee 29BH with 6V batteries, LED lights & 400 watts of solar power, flipped axles and raised. 2007 Tundra 5.7L DC-LB with lots of mods. C-co, 8/158th AVN Maint.
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08-29-2013, 06:52 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Picton
Posts: 714
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I have the same problem...
Suggestion: if it's a romantic movie you're watching, turn the lights off
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Denis & Diane
* Happy Campers *
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08-29-2013, 07:53 PM
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#7
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itch'n to road trip
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: North Georgia Mountains-Jasper GA.
Posts: 957
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What the? Lights making a TV go black? What? We dont have a tv but do have sirrius radio... havent tried it yet. will keep y'all posted to what happens.
__________________
2012 Ford F-250 King Ranch Super Crew Cab 4x4
2014 Work & Play 25ULA
Paula Drake, Ken Cooksey, Sunny Delight, Valor & Scarlet Begonia
Jasper Ga.
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08-29-2013, 08:08 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 338
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There is a fix; it requires changing out the LED lights and fixtures; as the current LED lights produce an RF interference with the antenna. Rockwood is aware of the issue and we had ours replaced by the service tech's at the International Rally.
__________________
Ralph & Adrienne
2016 Flagstaff 8528CKWSA
2012 GMC Sierra 2500HD 6.0L
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08-31-2013, 12:20 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 869
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I've just replaced all of the light bulbs in my 2011 Georgetown with LEDs and suspect I know what's causing this problem. LEDs are sensitive to the voltage that is fed to them which can be a problem in an RV. If you're running on batteries, you should expect anything from just over 13V (fully charged) to 11V, the voltage you get from an almost dead battery. If you're plugged into shore power and have a multi-stage converter, you can easily have 14.1V on your DC wiring. To keep the LEDs at a constant brightness, there's a tiny voltage regulator built into the base of the bulb. These are usually DC-DC switching regulators which, if not designed to prevent RF (radio frequency) interference, can cause interference to TVs and radios.
I used 48 led flat panel replacements for my bulbs and installed a small voltage regulator in each fixture. I checked mine and found that they don't create any interference to the TV. The hardware for each fixture, two bulbs and a voltage regulator, cost me around $6 per fixture. Of course, this doesn't include my time to wire everything up.
Phil Sherman
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08-31-2013, 01:03 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Franklin County, MO
Posts: 2,652
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RalphieAdie
There is a fix; it requires changing out the LED lights and fixtures; as the current LED lights produce an RF interference with the antenna. Rockwood is aware of the issue and we had ours replaced by the service tech's at the International Rally.
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X 2
And it is only problem when you are on antenna, and only if you are some distance from the transmission tower. We noticed it right after we got our new Windjammer 3008W and were in a COE campground without cable hookup and some distance from any town. When we tried to replicate the problem at the dealer's lot, we were too close to the transmission tower and the lights didn't interfere with the signal.
FR techs replaced all of our LED fixtures at Goshen, too.
__________________
Mike and Yvonne
and Sophie, the little white dog
2017 Columbus 320RSC
2021 Chevy Silverado 3500HD DRW 4X4 Duramax
“It's not how old you are, it's how you are old.” ― Jules Renard
"It's not the years...it's the mileage." - Indiana Jones
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09-29-2013, 02:03 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmsherman
I've just replaced all of the light bulbs in my 2011 Georgetown with LEDs and suspect I know what's causing this problem. LEDs are sensitive to the voltage that is fed to them which can be a problem in an RV. If you're running on batteries, you should expect anything from just over 13V (fully charged) to 11V, the voltage you get from an almost dead battery. If you're plugged into shore power and have a multi-stage converter, you can easily have 14.1V on your DC wiring. To keep the LEDs at a constant brightness, there's a tiny voltage regulator built into the base of the bulb. These are usually DC-DC switching regulators which, if not designed to prevent RF (radio frequency) interference, can cause interference to TVs and radios.
I used 48 led flat panel replacements for my bulbs and installed a small voltage regulator in each fixture. I checked mine and found that they don't create any interference to the TV. The hardware for each fixture, two bulbs and a voltage regulator, cost me around $6 per fixture. Of course, this doesn't include my time to wire everything up.
Phil Sherman
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Details on parts please?
__________________
Gil a/k/a Captain Justice & Jenn
2022 Grand Design 320MKS 5th Wheel
F-350 7.3L gas
(formerly 2016 Georgetown 378XLF
Amateur Radio KA5GIL vhf/uhfonboard
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09-29-2013, 08:04 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 22
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Yes yes we need details please
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11-08-2013, 10:35 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 869
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainJustice
Details on parts please?
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Sorry for the delay responding but we had problems with the RV getting home (engine, furnace, toad wiring) and I've been trying to catch up with everything I need to do.
I can't give you full details because the vendors for these products change on a weekly basis. Both items used in the fixtures were purchased on eBay and direct shipped (free) from the Far East. These items are available in single lot quantities or bulk purchases of 2-10 items.
The voltage regulators are DC-DC LM2596 buck regulators. You feed power in (two wires) at one end of the circuit board and power comes out at the other end. There's an adjustment on the board to set the output voltage. If you're doing a number of fixtures, buy these from a vendor that's selling a 10-pack. I rewired the fixture so that the fixture's switch interrupted power going to the regulator, which eliminated all power draw when it is turned off. Mine are set at 11.2V, which has each two bulb fixture drawing just over 500ma, much less than the two incandescent bulbs. I also discovered that the ceiling under fixtures that had incandescent bulbs in them had turned brown from the bulb's heat. I'd prefer to set the voltage a bit lower to decrease power consumption but my travel companion insisted on the slightly brighter lighting at this voltage.
The light bulbs I used can be found by searching eBay on "48 LED panel". I purchased the cool white ones which are closer to daylight light than the warm white ones. Get the ones with the three attachments for different types of fixtures and you'll be able to use them anywhere. I was even able to put them in the round fixtures that had (very hot) halogen bulbs in them. This required a little bit of work to make connectors that fit the fixture.
The LED panels come with a double sided adhesive back. I found that they would stay in the fixtures only if the metal heat shields were removed because there isn't enough flat surface with the heat shields installed to hold the panels. Another cure for this problem is to tack the corners of the panels with hot melt glue. I used one panel without a voltage regulator and the adhesive pad shrunk and curled up because the LEDs were running very hot on 13.4V. That fixture now has a voltage regulator installed in it.
Phil
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03-25-2017, 09:14 AM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 88
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Could you supply parts list, sources and instructions for the dummies among us so we can benefit from your excellent solution?
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04-12-2017, 09:31 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 869
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geoff270ssf
Could you supply parts list, sources and instructions for the dummies among us so we can benefit from your excellent solution?
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As I said in my original post, an ebaY search on "48 LED panel" will give you a wide selection of choices. I purchased a few of 10-packs of panels that included all three types of connector. If you search ebaY for "buck voltage regulator", you'll get a large selection of them. The one you want is the little circuit board with the blue, rectangular, output voltage adjustment potentiometer. Today's search quickly yielded a vendor selling a 10-pack of LM2596S 3A buck regulators for less than $10. This is also apparently a vendor with a US stock of merchandise because their ad states that it's a US ship instead of from the Far East. Somilar prices are also available from Amazon sellers, and you may even find one that is part of the Amazon Prime system which will have the items delivered in just a couple of days.
Installation is quite simple. The - input to the regulator is wired to the - wire feeding the fixture. The + input to the regulator comes from the switch. The + output of the regulator is connected to the + wires feeding the bulb sockets which were disconnected from the switch. These regulators use a feed-thru ground so the - wire from the fixtures can be left attached to the - wire feeding the fixture or you can move them to the - output connection of the regulator. If you get the more expensive version of this regulator that includes adjustable current limiting, you have to move the - wires to the sockets to the regulator's output - terminal. DO NOT BUY a regulator with a voltage readout LCD. These will not fit into the pancake fixture and the display won't be visible once it's installed. All of the wires attached to the regulator will need to be soldered to the labelled connection points on the board.
You will need a decent digital VOM (Volt Ohm Meter) which should be part of your RV toolbox to set the output voltage. The output voltage should be set before installing the bulbs.
You can get these meters at Harbor Freight for less than $8 or usually free if you have one of their coupons offering the meter with any purchase. I've purchased a 25 cent screwdriver bit for my drill and obtained a new meter. Coupons are available in many magazines including Motorhome, Trailer Life, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, AARP magazine, Sunday newspaper ads, and others. If the meter isn't offered in this month's coupons, it will be within a couple of months.
Phil
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08-12-2020, 04:32 PM
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#17
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 2
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Cure for LED Lights causing interference to TV.
I realize this is an old thread, but I was having trouble with my LED lights in my camper blanking out the TV reception.
Being an Electronics technician, and holding an Extra class amateur radio license, I set out to find a cure.
Please note I have only tried this on the "Command" brand ceiling lights. I don't have any others to try.
In my case it completely eliminated the interference, and it only costs a few cents for each light to install the mod.
If anyone still need's this information please message me direct, or email me.
You must be able to solder one small component.
I will assume no responsibility whatsoever if you damage or destroy your light, your camper, burn your finger, or anything else.
If you do this modification, you do it at your own risk.
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