Forum Discussion

punomatic's avatar
punomatic
Explorer
Jul 29, 2017

DW is over the moon about this mod

I recently put some LED light strips in the kitchen cupboard, which is long and dark and has three doors. I wired magnetic switches in parallel. Now whenever you open any cabinet door, the inside of the cupboard lights up so that you can see everything in there...no guessing! :C I also put a dimmable LED strip in the dinette for mood lighting. DW likes it much better than the overhead incandescent.

Now, here's the one that made her say, "I'm never getting rid of this trailer." I put some LED light strip under the bed in the storage area, again with a magnetic switch. Now, when she lifts the bed to get out her shoes or the toaster or a bottle of wine, the storage space lights up and she doesn't have to go to the Fibber McGee drawer for a flashlight. I just racked up some husband points!! :B
  • lanerd's avatar
    lanerd
    Explorer II
    Jul 30, 2017
    I did something similar but used individual LED clusters that have a motion detector to turn them on. I fixed them to the ceiling of each cabinet with velcro. The clusters are powered by three AA batteries that last most of the summer (depends if the grand daughter leaves the cabinet door open or not)

    Ron
  • profdant139's avatar
    profdant139
    Explorer II
    Jul 30, 2017
    I gave my wife a headlamp to wear when she pokes into dark closets and cubbyholes. She was not real excited, though. Your solution is a lot better!!
  • punomatic's avatar
    punomatic
    Explorer
    Jul 30, 2017
    profdant139 wrote:
    I gave my wife a headlamp to wear when she pokes into dark closets and cubbyholes. She was not real excited, though. Your solution is a lot better!!

    My wife got a chuckle out of this. She says she is in full accord with your DW.
  • punomatic's avatar
    punomatic
    Explorer
    Aug 07, 2017
    CC-skipjack wrote:
    So are the LED strips hard wired in or battery?

    The bed is at the back end of the trailer, with an access door to the under-bed storage area, and the mfr. provided a light fixture inside that door. So, I tapped into the power there and ran a cable up to the foot end of the bed. I mounted the light strip on the underside of the bed platform and added a magnetic switch that completes the circuit when the bed platform is lifted up.
  • ependydad's avatar
    ependydad
    Explorer
    Aug 07, 2017
    Any chance you can share a link for the magnetic switches? I've got a variety of lights that I want to rewire to come on when doors open.
  • punomatic's avatar
    punomatic
    Explorer
    Aug 08, 2017
    ependydad wrote:
    Any chance you can share a link for the magnetic switches? I've got a variety of lights that I want to rewire to come on when doors open.
    I got mine here, which is not far from home for me. I also found them on Amazon. You want "normally closed" switches, so that when the magnet is placed near the switch (i.e., when the cabinet door is closed) the switch is open (i.e., no current flows to the light fixture), and when the door is open and the magnet is thus removed (I.e., normal condition of the switch) the switch is closed and current flows. Many magnetic switches, especially the ones used for alarm systems, are "normally open," so when a door or window opens, the circuit is broken, triggering the alarm. The easiest to use switches can be wired either as normally open or normally closed.

About DIY Maintenance

RV projects you can tackle on your own with a few friendly pointers.4,351 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025