SCVJeff
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2007
- Posts
- 1,304
(originally posted February 16, 2008 10:02 PM)
This was one of those not really needed (like most) mods, but just kinda' neat. We found one of the Starlights "security lights" in Quartzsite during the show a few weeks ago. It caught my attention in a Mag ad a few weeks earlier. While a little pricy, I thought it was kind of a neat idea, and actually have a good place for it. Out of the box it's plain white, and that ain't gonna work on a FBP Meridian. If it was on any white side RV this wouldn't be an issue, but at least it's paintable. SO!.. off to Home Depot where I found an almost exact match to the paint on the coach where it's going to be mounted. Better yet, this paint is meant for plastic, so there was no priming. AND the paint is Hammertone textured so it now looks like it's a metal case with a baked paint job.. I painted the entire unit inside and out (obviously taping off the LED and sensor area, sockets, etc.) and fashioned a polished aluminum reflector plate behind the lamp. It's much brighter and cleaner looking than the stock unit with no real reflector. See..?
My biggest complaint is the LED that blinks Blue during the day to show that it's "armed" in auto mode, and the daylight sensor is locking it off. At night it blinks Green to show it's in auto mode. Personally I think this is needless, but what really irritates me is that this LED is so bright it's ridiculous. At night it has the power of a hi-intensity single LED flashlight. All I might want is a gentle indication that the light is operational, not a friggin' green spotlight across the campground! The quick fix for this is a piece of black heatshrink tubing slid over the LED and shrink the end down to roughly a 1/32" opening. This is ALL that's needed to clearly see during the day (and IMO it's still too bright at night). This might not be a big deal in the desert, but in a campground with neighbors this is a major mod to keep from getting beat up! So with the unit painted to match the coach and the stupid LED is now under control I think it's going to be a winner (BTW- I complained to the manufacturer about the LED, and they're "fix" is to stick a tire valve cap over it. (edit: since been fixed)).
I installed this on the street side (1, 2, 3 ) of the coach since we go to the beach during the summer and park end to end along a road, and there are have been reports of folks stealing things at night. This will definitely deter the walkers-by scanning for goodies.
2 days left..... What to do?
This was one of those not really needed (like most) mods, but just kinda' neat. We found one of the Starlights "security lights" in Quartzsite during the show a few weeks ago. It caught my attention in a Mag ad a few weeks earlier. While a little pricy, I thought it was kind of a neat idea, and actually have a good place for it. Out of the box it's plain white, and that ain't gonna work on a FBP Meridian. If it was on any white side RV this wouldn't be an issue, but at least it's paintable. SO!.. off to Home Depot where I found an almost exact match to the paint on the coach where it's going to be mounted. Better yet, this paint is meant for plastic, so there was no priming. AND the paint is Hammertone textured so it now looks like it's a metal case with a baked paint job.. I painted the entire unit inside and out (obviously taping off the LED and sensor area, sockets, etc.) and fashioned a polished aluminum reflector plate behind the lamp. It's much brighter and cleaner looking than the stock unit with no real reflector. See..?
My biggest complaint is the LED that blinks Blue during the day to show that it's "armed" in auto mode, and the daylight sensor is locking it off. At night it blinks Green to show it's in auto mode. Personally I think this is needless, but what really irritates me is that this LED is so bright it's ridiculous. At night it has the power of a hi-intensity single LED flashlight. All I might want is a gentle indication that the light is operational, not a friggin' green spotlight across the campground! The quick fix for this is a piece of black heatshrink tubing slid over the LED and shrink the end down to roughly a 1/32" opening. This is ALL that's needed to clearly see during the day (and IMO it's still too bright at night). This might not be a big deal in the desert, but in a campground with neighbors this is a major mod to keep from getting beat up! So with the unit painted to match the coach and the stupid LED is now under control I think it's going to be a winner (BTW- I complained to the manufacturer about the LED, and they're "fix" is to stick a tire valve cap over it. (edit: since been fixed)).
I installed this on the street side (1, 2, 3 ) of the coach since we go to the beach during the summer and park end to end along a road, and there are have been reports of folks stealing things at night. This will definitely deter the walkers-by scanning for goodies.
2 days left..... What to do?
