going to install the strip of led lights under my awning and have them wired to my outside porch light.looking at the picture below, do i cut the black wire (right there) with the adapter connection (number 1 arrow ) so that i can connect to the light socket with the red and black wire (arrow number 2)to power the lights.and if so does it matter which wire is connected to which wire?thankshope u understand and if not let me know what u need.number 1 arrow is to the left u can just see the tip of it, not sure why it didn't show it or why its a little blurry.2nd pic is much betteri have a RGB control box which that plug (Number 1) gets plugged into which also has the IR remote control on it which all fits into the existing outside porch light. this all came in a kit.thats good about the wiring, I will just see which one or way lights them up. just one last question, that plug that i want to use and cut i DON'T HAVE TO INCLUDE THAT BLACK ROUND THING THAT IS JUST BEFORE THE PLUG I WANT TO CUT. LOOKS LIKE MAYBE some type of transformer.thanks again for the help*********************************************************************************************************************************************OK, TRIED TO hook up the lights in the trailer. i cut the barrel plug off like in the picture and wired it to the porch light adapter plug as shown in the picture. all ready to throw the switch and when i did only the blue colored lights lit up and the remote does not function with any button on it. can not even turn them off or change colors. so i must have power but thats it.any suggestions??????????????

If you get the rewires reverse polarity, no workee, no harm no foul. Switch the 12-volt wires and boiing the lights come on. Many of those power bricks are not 12.0 volt output. Try 12.3 to 12.8Why not just wire in direct into the rig 12 volt system and add a 12 volt LED dimmer which has an off switch?

LEDs are polarity sensitive, but nothing will burn up if the polarity is wrong. Just touch the wires together and see what works before making a permanent connection.As MEX said why not use the RV 12v system? It is already wired to the outside porch light.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:If you get the rewires reverse polarity, no workee, no harm no foul. Switch the 12-volt wires and boiing the lights come on. Many of those power bricks are not 12.0 volt output. Try 12.3 to 12.8Why not just wire in direct into the rig 12 volt system and add a 12 volt LED dimmer which has an off switch?i have a RGB control box which that plug (Number 1) gets plugged into which also has the IR remote control on it which all fits into the existing outside porch light. this all came in a kit.thats good about the wiring, I will just see which one or way lights them up. just one last question, that plug that i want to use and cut i DON'T HAVE TO INCLUDE THAT BLACK ROUND THING ((JUST ABOVE THE NUMBER 2 AEEOW) THAT IS JUST BEFORE THE PLUG I WANT TO CUT. LOOKS LIKE MAYBE some type of transformer.thanks again for the helpthis is the kit i haveLED kit

I'm pretty sure you don't need the black round thing. Pretty sure its a magnet in case of interference for more sensitive things like TV's and computers.

Not sure what the black round thing is but it is not a transformer. Transformers don't work on DC. I think it is an electrical noise filter, probably not necessary when powering lights???

question about 12 v led lighting?? (UPDATE) | Good Sam Community

21 Replies

joelyn
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
MUST

MUST

MUST

Be used with the black power brick which is 120 volts and in reality is a Red Blue Green controller or whatever color. Cannot be used straight off of 12-volt battery. Hope all this stuff is at-least water resistant.

NEGATIVE, i finally got the lights to work and function properly. apparently hadone of the connections wrong. kept playing with different wire connection on my 12 battery and bingo, they tuened on and worked. soldered everything together and installed them this morning and all working great right off my 12v porch light NO BRICK used at all.

here is the video that gave good info.

led awning install

THANKS to all for your help and suggestions, glad this one is done...
grizzzman
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
MUST

MUST

MUST

Be used with the black power brick which is 120 volts and in reality is a Red Blue Green controller or whatever color. Cannot be used straight off of 12-volt battery. Hope all this stuff is at-least water resistant.

Dont you hate when you feel you are talking to the wind? :R
TheBreu
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
Check the battery in the remote, there is a clear cover to break contact between the battery and cover in the remote. maybe the battery is in the controller upside down. Just a thought
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
MUST

MUST

MUST

Be used with the black power brick which is 120 volts and in reality is a Red Blue Green controller or whatever color. Cannot be used straight off of 12-volt battery. Hope all this stuff is at-least water resistant.
joelyn
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
westend wrote:
....when i put a barrel connector on the 12 v power pack and wire it directly to my 12 porch light on our travel trailer the blue lights only light up and the remote function does not work at all....
Forgive me, I'm slow on the uptake and this may all seem ridiculously basic to you but how is the barrel connector connected to the "power pack"? Is it on the output or input? Are you using the "power pack" connected to 120V or have you changed that? Are you feeding the control box with 12V from the RV system? Is "power pack" the piece that is a brick transformer with a toroid attached to the output wiring?

Guesses: Since the controller changes LED illumination among a combination of different LED's of different color, it may do that by controlling voltage to the string. Any change in the voltage input to the controller may effect the output. Brick transformers rated at 12V may be outputting up to 16V. It may be that the controller, if connected to RV system 12V, is not getting enough voltage to operate correctly. You could measure the brick transformer's output voltage and your RV's system voltage to see if there is a big difference.

yes the barrel plug is after the transformer as seen in the LED link.and i cut that barrel plug off and am using the same plug with the 110 and the 12v. just rewire them when i test them to either system.

UPDATE, talked to the guy that makes the sockets and he states no kind of resistors or anything...
whet out this morning and tried the lights again and switched the polarities around etc and still only the blue lights would light with no remote functions.
took the lights inside and tried them on a interior light 12v. and the same think, only the blue light would come on no remote function.
thinking that maybe something wrong with the trailer wiring i took the lights into the garage where i have a spare 12v battery and wired them directly to the battery and still just the blue lights would function with still no remote function,
only other thing i noticed was that on the 4 prong plugs on the lights and the one coming out of the white receiver there are little arrows on each side. i assume that the arrows are suppose to match up when plugging in. BUT when i match up the arrows even the blue lights don't work. when i reverse the arrows so they don't match up the blue lights work.
could the white receiver (controller) be no good or any other suggestions?
thanks again for the help.
bcsdguy
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
supernight led Check this out and read some of the questions and answers concerning this unit. It may be helpful to you. Huh, looks like it was cheaper on Amazon.
mchero
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
WOW, Looks like we have a real mess here.

That "round thing" with the two wires comming out of it appears to be a socket you can plug into a light socket, e.g. front porch light.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
Good lord the power-brick is NOT A POWER BRICK it is a Red Blue Green CONTROLLER And must be used for the Budweiser sign to work right. Many RBG controllers are 12-volts with a separate switching power supply to supply.120 volt power to the RBG controller. Many of your type of gizmo fail catastrophically when coupled to a cheap inverter. Campground use only or buy a pure sine wave inverter. I can hear the Clydesdale hoofbeats from here.
westend
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
....when i put a barrel connector on the 12 v power pack and wire it directly to my 12 porch light on our travel trailer the blue lights only light up and the remote function does not work at all....
Forgive me, I'm slow on the uptake and this may all seem ridiculously basic to you but how is the barrel connector connected to the "power pack"? Is it on the output or input? Are you using the "power pack" connected to 120V or have you changed that? Are you feeding the control box with 12V from the RV system? Is "power pack" the piece that is a brick transformer with a toroid attached to the output wiring?

Guesses: Since the controller changes LED illumination among a combination of different LED's of different color, it may do that by controlling voltage to the string. Any change in the voltage input to the controller may effect the output. Brick transformers rated at 12V may be outputting up to 16V. It may be that the controller, if connected to RV system 12V, is not getting enough voltage to operate correctly. You could measure the brick transformer's output voltage and your RV's system voltage to see if there is a big difference.
joelyn
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
westend wrote:
I am really having trouble following what you are trying to do, what you have done, and how the pieces of all this fit together.

Did you power the controller? Have you connected the lamp string directly to 12v RV power? PLease, go slowly and add pictures or explain in more detail.

the pictures are in the OP. as well as the LED light kit that i bought.
it is a 12 v system and came with a brick 110 to 12 v convertor. when i hook it up to the 110 using the brick the lights all work properly and so does the remote.
when i put a barrel connector on the 12 v power pack and wire it directly to my 12 porch light on our travel trailer the blue lights only light up and the remote function does not work at all so they just stay blue. here is the kit i bought

led

see my OP for further details
thanks