My solution to awning lights

[Ontherock]

Originally Posted by Wayne & Kimmy

Ur most welcome!

Good luck with the mod, and give us an update on how it turns out. Feel free to PM me if I can offer any more hep!

Thanks for all the info! I installed the lights yesterday (daytime) but I'll have to wait until this weekend to see them in action in the dark. I lucked out with the electrical connection though - directly on the inside of the trailer where I mounted the outside electrical box is the Winegard 12v electrical plug. I just put a cigarette lighter plug on 18" of cable and used that to power the LED controller. The Wineguard plug is rated for 8 amps and I'll only be drawing 4.5 amps max. I'll get some photos on the install this weekend and post them for all to see. Again - thanks for all the help!!!

[Wayne & Kimmy]

Originally Posted by Ontherock

Thanks for all the info! I installed the lights yesterday (daytime) but I'll have to wait until this weekend to see them in action in the dark. I lucked out with the electrical connection though - directly on the inside of the trailer where I mounted the outside electrical box is the Winegard 12v electrical plug. I just put a cigarette lighter plug on 18" of cable and used that to power the LED controller. The Wineguard plug is rated for 8 amps and I'll only be drawing 4.5 amps max. I'll get some photos on the install this weekend and post them for all to see. Again - thanks for all the help!!!

Ur most welcome, and I'm glad the power solution worked out so well for you! I can't wait to see and hear how they work out for you when you do the nighttime test this weekend. Ur gonna love playing with them and get lots of compliments from neighbors!

[Mrs Evans]

I have really enjoyed reading through all the postings in this thread and decided to install some LEDs on our little TT too! Here's what we chose:

1) Supernight LED strip

2) Klus Channels

3) Clear Lens Cover for the channels

4) Cooligg Wifi Wireless RGB LED Strip Controller

Also bought supplies like cable to run it to our porch light for power, some 3M mounting/molding tape and some pop rivets to secure the channeling to the trailer.

I really like the channel idea because it will make it a lot easier to replace the LEDs in the future if needed.

Will post pics when the project is done and thanks again everyone for all the awesome ideas!

[PHS79]

I put lights on our old Grey Wolf 26BH about 3.5 yrs ago. In June we traded for a "new" camper, so now I get to install them onto this camper also. On our new camper we have 2 awnings (10 ft and 16 ft), 2 entry doors and an outdoor kitchen with no light inside it. I am planning on buying 2 full kits, one controller will run the light under both awnings and if I can run the wires like I hope the outdoor kitchen will get ran off the awning controller. The second controller will run the lights at both entry doors.

[FreddyCamper]

just ordered the lights to do the same, hope is not too complicated to join with the current light strip (look similar). Thanks for your ideas!!!
Amazon.com: SUPERNIGHT® 16.4ft 5M Waterproof Flexible strip 300leds Color Changing RGB SMD5050 LED Light Strip Kit RGB 5M +44Key Remote+12V 5A Power Supply: Musical Instruments

[RollingDownTheHighway]

Originally Posted by FreddyCamper

just ordered the lights to do the same, hope is not too complicated to join with the current light strip (look similar). Thanks for your ideas!!!
Amazon.com: SUPERNIGHT® 16.4ft 5M Waterproof Flexible strip 300leds Color Changing RGB SMD5050 LED Light Strip Kit RGB 5M +44Key Remote+12V 5A Power Supply: Musical Instruments

I installed these under my awning last month. They're awesome. I'm going to do some 'custom' work with the cables in the off season. I got some 3M dbl sided tape and they went up in about 15 minutes. I put 12' under my awning, and the remaining 4' under my kitchen cabinets in my outside kitchen. The local camping store wanted $60 for the same lights, these were 30 and work just the same.

[Jimbobbucky]

I'm halfway through my second camping season with that set and it's acting up already. A lot of the time the strip will do 2 different colors at the same time (left side red and right side blue) . When you have it fade or jump colors a lot of the time the left side won't work at all. Just a heads up for you

[Summer2Go]

Mine is Tao Tronics, I love it so much, and it cost a grand $28 to do my 13' awning, and under the rv by my steps. I wouldn't mind doing it over every couple of years. We'll see the duration of my product......


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[Summer2Go]

Oh and it took a couple of hours to cut and stick up. No fancy Klus channels, looks good w/o.


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[Jillcookie]

Originally Posted by Mrs Evans

I have really enjoyed reading through all the postings in this thread and decided to install some LEDs on our little TT too! Here's what we chose:

1) Supernight LED strip

2) Klus Channels

3) Clear Lens Cover for the channels

4) Cooligg Wifi Wireless RGB LED Strip Controller

Also bought supplies like cable to run it to our porch light for power, some 3M mounting/molding tape and some pop rivets to secure the channeling to the trailer.

I really like the channel idea because it will make it a lot easier to replace the LEDs in the future if needed.

Will post pics when the project is done and thanks again everyone for all the awesome ideas!

Could you explain to me how you ran it to your porch light for power? That's exactly what I want to do, but I'm a clueless electrician. Thanks so much!

[Mrs Evans]

Originally Posted by Jillcookie

Could you explain to me how you ran it to your porch light for power? That's exactly what I want to do, but I'm a clueless electrician. Thanks so much!

We're actually going to do the install this next weekend - finally! Here's the plan:

First we're going to use one of these RGB extension cables


cut one of the ends off and run it down the awning arm (closest to the porch light) just enough to get it to the porch light.

Then since our 'pantry' is on the other side of the porch light, we're going to drill a hole through the back of the porch light in to the pantry area and continue to run the RGB cable into the pantry area where we will connect the cable to the wireless RGB controller that we'll install in the pantry with some industrial velcro.

Then we'll take some 16 gauge wire and connect that to the wireless controller and then connect the other end of that wire to the ones from the porch light.

Once we have everything in place, we'll test it out to make sure it works and then we'll clean it all up, filling holes and protecting connectors and all that jazz!

Ta-da! I ran the plan by my hubbie first to make sure I picked the right materials, because I am absolutely NOT an electrician. He says it should be good and I trust him. I would like to put it together for the most part, with his help/supervision

I'll be sure and take pictures

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by grege

I used the porch light housing, removed the bulb and socket, and attached power to that. I can turn them on and off using the porch light switch inside the camper. The controller is inside my porch light housing and the sensor sticks out the bottom. I got some very flat wire molding and went from the porch light to the bottom of the awning to run my wires to the lights.

Greg

Hey Greg,

I want to do this the same way you did.. Can you power these up in the middle of the run??

Thanks, Joe

[Garrette]

Great idea.


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[Mrs Evans]

Finally installed our LED lights!
I will say that the channel covers we bought were a tight fit over the LEDs that we chose - might end up changing that out at some point. Otherwise everything worked out quite well

Here are some pics:

Klus channel for holding the LED strip light


"Porch" light housing - we used the wires to power the wifi RGB controller


Hole that we drilled from the "porch" light housing thru to the "pantry"


The wires from the LED strip light connect to the white RGB cable behind the awning arm and then the cable runs to the "porch" light housing


Final look - already got a compliment from a neighbor and we're not even camping yet, lol!

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by bagged123

I installed these under my awning last month. They're awesome. I'm going to do some 'custom' work with the cables in the off season. I got some 3M dbl sided tape and they went up in about 15 minutes. I put 12' under my awning, and the remaining 4' under my kitchen cabinets in my outside kitchen. The local camping store wanted $60 for the same lights, these were 30 and work just the same.

How did you apply the new tape?? Over top of the old stuff??

Thanks, Joe

[RollingDownTheHighway]

Originally Posted by meganjoe

How did you apply the new tape?? Over top of the old stuff??

Thanks, Joe

When I opened the package over half of the "tape" that came with them was off, so I just pulled the remaining off and put the dbl sided tape on

[AquaMan]

I found mine on the ground the next morning. Put up the 3M, cleaned as much of the dirt off the old tape as I could and put them back up. That was 2 years ago, and still holding on!


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[kdp3078]

Would really like to wire in to my porch light. But the light is in the middle of the awning, not towards either end. So how do I wire up lights up the length of the awning but wire in to porch line, and have the wiring look clean.

Any suggestions?

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by kdp3078

Would really like to wire in to my porch light. But the light is in the middle of the awning, not towards either end. So how do I wire up lights up the length of the awning but wire in to porch line, and have the wiring look clean.

Any suggestions?

What's on the other side of the light on the inside of the camper??

I was lucky and there was a overhead cabinet on the inside.. I poked thru the back of the light , tapped into the light feed and ran a wire inside the cabinet down to the end to the hole I drilled outside for the end of the light string...

Joe

[kdp3078]

Originally Posted by meganjoe

What's on the other side of the light on the inside of the camper??

I was lucky and there was a overhead cabinet on the inside.. I poked thru the back of the light , tapped into the light feed and ran a wire inside the cabinet down to the end to the hole I drilled outside for the end of the light string...

Joe

Sorry, I should have explained better. Wiring in to the light I don't have a problem, it is getting some type of extension, or splicing in the middle of the strip, so I can go straight down from the LED Strip in to the light housing.

I don't want to have to run the strip all the way down, and then run an extension back 8 feet to go in to the housing if there is a better way.