Inisde LED Light Strips
Who has added inside LED Light Accent Strips inside their camper??? Which ones did you use? Where did you get power from? Anything else I need to know??? Thanks!
Forum Discussion
I have converted all my fluorescent ceiling lights to led with strips I bought from eBay. I installed lighting in the entertainment center and the kitchen in the S&B. And in my last rig I had a waterproof amber strip under the entry step with a remote switch I kept in the towed. All purchased from eBay.
The strips I used at home were easily concealed behind face frames and in false bottoms of kitchen cabinets. I used self adhesive strips and either 1/2" aluminium angle and 1/2" aluminum c channel for reflectors and for mounting.
In the Winnie I used strips factory mounted on pre-scored aluminum sheeting and glued it inside the fixtures with contact cement. For the steps I used self adhesive waterproof strips and "T" tapped off the power to the step controller.
When using the adhesive backed strips, extreme care should be taken when prepping the surface and placing the strips, in my experience, re positioning the strips degrades the adhesive to the point that new glue needs to be added(messy and doesn't always work) or using new strips.
If you are willing to search for light strips online, you can find literally hundreds of mounting channels both with and without diffuser lenses. There are ones to recess, mount in corners and any number of other ways and places to mount them. In this case, eBay is your friend.
As for how to get the power, there are some good ideas in the prior posts and it all boils down to how gifted you are in doing the installation. I love trying to outsmart the obstacles but not knowing where you want yours and what is available for power, it is very hard to give specific suggestions. I would not be too concerned about fuses and the chance of causing a fire are minimal, I would suggest some sort of switch ,however. Also on ebay are a huge array of remote switches.
If you take a clue from the manufacturer of the strips, they use #18 or #20 wire to carry the current needed for a 5 meter strip.
I also spent quite a bit of time digging up info on what all the different types of LEDs and what type would work best for me. Colors from warm white that is almost amber to icy white which is really blue is also a consideration. There are charts on line that tell you what color to expect from what Kelvin rating.
Other items that are available on line are dimmers, not all lamps and not all strips can be hooked up to a dimmer, but many can be.
If you are one of those who prefer not to order from eBay, the same LED supplies are available from S&B stores and from other on line stores. I will suggest that eBay is a great place to learn what is available. I would bet there are tens of thousands of different items and configuration sold on eBay and it is a great information resource.
I usually do not include disclaimers, however, I did say that I would not be too concerned about fuses. I am concerned about safety and preventing fires or injuring my family. Almost any place you can tap for power will be protected with a fuse. If I were to run a circuit just for new lighting, I would include a fuse and in my case, I'd use LittleFuses and something about .5 to 2 amps for the self adhesive strips. For a factory made fixture, the wattage should be on the fixture and fuse accordingly. Pulling wire in a wall, I would use teflon coated zip cord of an appropriate size. I buy most of my wire from a professional electronics and A/V supply company. Fortunately I have one fairly close and they are on line.
On edit, both the amber strip under the steps and the florescent to LED conversion is in the archives on the forums.
The strips I used at home were easily concealed behind face frames and in false bottoms of kitchen cabinets. I used self adhesive strips and either 1/2" aluminium angle and 1/2" aluminum c channel for reflectors and for mounting.
In the Winnie I used strips factory mounted on pre-scored aluminum sheeting and glued it inside the fixtures with contact cement. For the steps I used self adhesive waterproof strips and "T" tapped off the power to the step controller.
When using the adhesive backed strips, extreme care should be taken when prepping the surface and placing the strips, in my experience, re positioning the strips degrades the adhesive to the point that new glue needs to be added(messy and doesn't always work) or using new strips.
If you are willing to search for light strips online, you can find literally hundreds of mounting channels both with and without diffuser lenses. There are ones to recess, mount in corners and any number of other ways and places to mount them. In this case, eBay is your friend.
As for how to get the power, there are some good ideas in the prior posts and it all boils down to how gifted you are in doing the installation. I love trying to outsmart the obstacles but not knowing where you want yours and what is available for power, it is very hard to give specific suggestions. I would not be too concerned about fuses and the chance of causing a fire are minimal, I would suggest some sort of switch ,however. Also on ebay are a huge array of remote switches.
If you take a clue from the manufacturer of the strips, they use #18 or #20 wire to carry the current needed for a 5 meter strip.
I also spent quite a bit of time digging up info on what all the different types of LEDs and what type would work best for me. Colors from warm white that is almost amber to icy white which is really blue is also a consideration. There are charts on line that tell you what color to expect from what Kelvin rating.
Other items that are available on line are dimmers, not all lamps and not all strips can be hooked up to a dimmer, but many can be.
If you are one of those who prefer not to order from eBay, the same LED supplies are available from S&B stores and from other on line stores. I will suggest that eBay is a great place to learn what is available. I would bet there are tens of thousands of different items and configuration sold on eBay and it is a great information resource.
I usually do not include disclaimers, however, I did say that I would not be too concerned about fuses. I am concerned about safety and preventing fires or injuring my family. Almost any place you can tap for power will be protected with a fuse. If I were to run a circuit just for new lighting, I would include a fuse and in my case, I'd use LittleFuses and something about .5 to 2 amps for the self adhesive strips. For a factory made fixture, the wattage should be on the fixture and fuse accordingly. Pulling wire in a wall, I would use teflon coated zip cord of an appropriate size. I buy most of my wire from a professional electronics and A/V supply company. Fortunately I have one fairly close and they are on line.
On edit, both the amber strip under the steps and the florescent to LED conversion is in the archives on the forums.
