Wiring remote 12v to existing light

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 10:35 AM

1st time posting.. so hope I do it right. I've attached a wiring diagram I made to show how I hooked up a 12v remote control to an existing light switch in my motor home. I want this because currently you have to go through the bedroom all the way to the rear bath to turn the bedroom lights on.
Anyway... I must be getting old or something because I cannot get this to work. When I connect the wires from the remote control as shown in the diagram, I can hear the "solenoid" engage and disengage when using the remote, but the lights do not turn on... and yes, the existing light switch is in the ON position. I figured the control box simply acts as an on/off switch and all I did was cut the 12v lead to the existing switch and place the control box "12v in wire" and "12v out wire" as shown.
I don't understand why there are (2) ground wires, but I connected both to the negative wire from the existing switch to the lights. Like I said, I can hear the solenoid inside the control box turning on and off when activated by the remote transmitter. Also I tried bypassing the existing switch altogether but it made no difference.
The unit came with no wiring instructions except to name the individual wires as "12v in", "12v out", (2) grounds, and the antennae wire.
I'm driving myself crazy as I thought this would be a simple job.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts any one has on this.

uhduh camping · 03-16-2016, 10:42 AM

How many wires do you have going into switch FROM factory? Diagram does not show power feed to switch only leaving switch. Did you tie into the right wire?

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 10:47 AM

Thnx for getting back so quick.
Just two wires going into switch. When I put meter across them, one shows positive 12v and the other ground.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 11:02 AM

ekuhlman, much of what you have posed doesn't make sense.

The 12v red wire that feeds the remote box can't be connected to the same wire that goes to the 12+ side of the light. It is just a feed wire to the box to make it work.

I'm guessing you have two grounds because one is the 12- for the box and one is the 12- that would go to whatever you would be controlling (along with the 12+ white) In your case you wouldn't even need the ground side as that is done at the light.

Also at your switch, if you only have two wires it can't be 12+ on one side and 12- on the other. A single pole switch (two wires) only breaks one side of the light circuit.

I don't know what brand controller you have to be able to look it up but all you should really need to do is power the controller with 12 volts via the red in and probably one of those grounds. Disconnect the wires from the switch and hook the 12+ out (white) to whichever wire was connected to the load side of the switch.

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 11:39 AM

Sorry... didn't know this was going to be this difficult.
1. The existing light switch in the MH has two wires connected to it. If I check for voltage using a multimeter, I read 12v across the two switch terminals, regardless of which way the switch is thrown. The positive side is noted in my diagram as (+)"to 12v lights".
2. So I cut that wire and connected it to the "12v in" wire on the controller to get power to the controller.
3. I then connected the "12v out" from the controller to the load side of the switch.
4. I didn't know what to do with the (2) ground wires, so I connected them both to the other side of the switch.
5. As I said, I can then hear the controller "click" on and off when activated by the remote device, but power is not getting to the lights.
It would have been nice to have some wiring directions for this device, but I have searched the internet and cannot find any. As I said earlier, the unit came with no wiring instructions except to name the individual wires as "12v in", "12v out", (2) grounds, and the antennae wire.

fonzie · 03-16-2016, 11:47 AM

If the switch was wired previously to the 12 v + and - wires shown above then just disconnect the two remote negatives from the - leads shown above and connect them to an actual negative/ground wire.....the - lead shown would be the + feed to the light from the switch.

TimVWulp · 03-16-2016, 12:23 PM

Hi ekuhlman who manufactured this switch and what model is it so we can look it up and get instructions on the internet. There is most likely information on how to wire this there from the manufacture. We can guess all day long not enough information.

Hope this helps Tim

**Bama Rambler** · 03-16-2016, 12:26 PM

The 2 ground wires are soldered to the same place on the board in the unit, so it doesn't matter which you hook to the negative feed from the battery. You can even hook both to it if you want.

The '12V in' has to be hooked to a positive feed from the battery that's hot all the time.
The '12V out' gets connected to the positive side of the light.

You said that you hooked the two 'Ground' wires to the load side of the switch. Unhook that and hook them to a known ground, then hook the '12V in' to one side of the existing switch and the '12V out' to the other side of the existing switch and it will work as long as the existing switch is off.

If you leave the existing switch in the circuit then it or the remote will turn the light on, but both will have to be off in order to turn the light off.

Kenny kustom · 03-16-2016, 12:27 PM

Could it be a three way switch ?
Its odd, theres not another switch for the bedroom.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 12:52 PM

Well it is really not difficult but again, what you have described, simply doesn't make sense. I'm not being sarcastic just trying to help.

Think about the switch... you said you have two wires and measured 12v across the switch. Maybe I'm reading incorrectly what you are saying when you read 12v "across the switch."

To get a 12v DC reading on a multimeter, you have to have one lead from the meter hooked to ground (-) and one side hooked to a power source.(+) Think of the posts on the top of a battery. If you hook one lead to the - post and one lead to the + post you read voltage but if you hook both meter leads to the + post you won't get any reading at all. Same thing if you hook both leads to the - post. No reading.

So... if you are reading 12v at the switch by touching one lead of the meter to one side of the switch and the other lead to the other side of the switch and it shows 12v, BE CAREFUL! If you flip the switch to the ON position there would be a DEAD SHORT between the two wires (positive and negative) and sparks will fly! Do you see why I'm saying some of this makes no sense?

You have also said you have 12v on BOTH sides of the switch no matter which way the switch is thrown. So that doesn't make sense either.

A single pole light switch (two wires) is designed to break one side of the circuit. Either the positive or the negative. In the case of light switches in a RV it is 'usually' the + side.

If you are testing the switch with the - lead of your meter hooked to chassis ground somewhere other, and only using the + lead to 'read across the switch', moving it from one pole to the other and you have 12v on both sides, that means the switch is bad.(makes connection all the time no matter the direction of the switch)

I'm guessing the switch worked OK before you tried to install the controller and I don't know when you were testing the voltage at the switch (before or after hooking up the controller) so without better information, I can't tell you what is going on here.

If you simply have 12+ coming into the original switch and back out to the light, (when the switch is thrown) remove the wire from the load side of the switch (which feeds the light) and hook your white wire (12v out from the remote box) to that.

Take the 12+ wire that goes into the switch and hook that to the red (12v in) on the box.

Find chassis ground (12v-) somewhere and hook the white wire on the box to ground (I can't say which one, you'll need to experiment) This is only needed to make the controller box function.

It should then work to turn on your light.

All you are doing is supplying 12+ to the light via the controller instead of the existing factory switch and wires. The 12- side of the light circuit is done at the light itself by the wires that hook to it.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenny kustom

Could it be a three way switch ?
Its odd, theres not another switch for the bedroom.

Not with just two wires.

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 01:05 PM

The remote has "LOGISYS" on the box.
12V, 15 Amps, Heavy Duty Boat and Car Universal Remote Control Kit by iMBAPrice
The Product Number is RM02.
It can be found on Amazon and several other web sites for around $16.

The wall switch can't be a 3-way switch... only two wires, and no other wall switch for bedroom lights.

The attachment is all that came with the device. I read about it because some other RV'ers have used and recommended it, but I couldn't find anyone who described how to install it. I thought it would be a "piece of cake".

To clarify... the two wires described in my diagram that refer to "To 12V lights (+) & (-)" are the two wires that initially connected directly to the wall switch. The one marked (+) is the one I cut and spliced the remote contro RED wire to. The WHITE wire I connected to the wall switch that the "(+)" wire initially connected to.
The ground wires I spliced to the "(-)" wire for ground.

Maybe I have to install this device near the actual lights rather than the wall switch...???

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 01:09 PM

Fonzie... You may have something there... I will try that.
Hard part is finding a ground and running it thru the walls.
But just to try, I can run a length of wire thru the MHand attach to a good ground.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 01:13 PM

Here is a VERY CRUDE drawing of how it should work.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekuhlman

To clarify... the two wires described in my diagram that refer to "To 12V lights (+) & (-)" are the two wires that initially connected directly to the wall switch. The one marked (+) is the one I cut and spliced the remote contro RED wire to. The WHITE wire I connected to the wall switch that the "(+)" wire initially connected to.
The ground wires I spliced to the "(-)" wire for ground.

Maybe I have to install this device near the actual lights rather than the wall switch...???

I think this is where some of your confusion comes from.
I think you 'assumed' they were + and - when in reality they are not.

Even though they may be different colors (usually black & white) the are in reality, both just the + side of the circuit.

The factory uses the same wire to feed the light switch as they do for all other wiring so they don't have to buy a different (both wires the same color) twin pair wire.

The wires at the switch are simply the + feed to the light. It comes in from the positive supply on one color and out to the light on the other color.

I would guess if you are mounting the controller near or at the switch, you likely do not have ground (-) anywhere near there. you'll need to run a wire from another location or find someplace to tie into chassis ground.

ekuhlman · 03-16-2016, 01:28 PM

5Picker and everyone else.
THANK You!
5Pickers' diagram is exactly what I needed.
My confusion was with the ground. I had it in my head that the one wire going to the wall switch is a ground wire... not so, and I see that now.
Thank you all for being so patient with me and my stupidity.
Like they say... a picture is worth a thousand words... thanks again 5Picker.
Ed

5picker · 03-16-2016, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekuhlman

Maybe I have to install this device near the actual lights rather than the wall switch...???

You could likely find + and - at the light to hook up the controller.
Might be easier than fishing a ground (-) wire through the wall at the switch.

5picker · 03-16-2016, 01:33 PM

No problem Ed,
This is one great forum and I was glad to have helped!

Kenny kustom · 03-16-2016, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5picker

Not with just two wires.

He said there was three?
Didn't he?

The remote had three.
Not the switch.
I re read it a few more times.

2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

5picker · 03-16-2016, 01:39 PM

Not to further confuse anyone... I see no reason why if you hooked the controller (12v out white) to the feed wire going to the light that you couldn't also leave the switch wiring intact.

That way you could turn it on with either if so desired.
Just remember hooked up that way, the remote would have no bearing on turning OFF the light if the switch was on and vice versa. Meaning, if you turned the light on with the switch, you'd have to turn it off with the switch. And same for the remote.

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