Under/On Awning for LED Light Strips?

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kenb1023 said:
Has anyone thought of having the the wire coil up on the end of the awning tube as the awning retracts?  The draw on the LEDs is very low so I think 18 or 20 gage wire would do the trick.
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I put mine up for the last trip.They are on the awning tube. I got one of these extention cables  http://www.amazon.com/16-42ft-extension-connect-RGB5050-changeable/dp/B009NGYA7Q/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1375054123&sr=1-1&keywords=led+strip+extension+cable

and stitched it to the awning fabric at a slight angle so it would not stack on it's self as the awning rolls up.

Works great and brings lots of people to see what kind of lights we have. :D
 
Rene T said:
That's exactly what I was talking about. Anyone know if these can be purchased or something similar?
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Old Coot stopped making them this spring, I bought the 2nd to the last set that he made.  After OC stopped production some members at FRF started to make their own versions, I have seen them made out of PVC, extendable painting poles or boat hook poles.  A fair easy option that I saw one member make was with the extension poles.  They bought the length of poles that they needed for their awning height, depends on if being used on a 5er, MH or TT, then they used 1/2" or 3/4" (whatever size fit over the threaded end of the pole) PVC elbows and T's to make a football goal post shape.  The shafts that go into the awning tube rest on the bottom of the "goal posts", then just put in the tie out anchors and strap the awning down.

Hopefully I explained that enough...  That version would be alot cheaper than the kit that I bought, but mine store on the awning arms, and the version above would have to be stored elsewhere on the camper.
 
Hi All, I'm a newbie, but I wanted to reply to your info request from January of this year. mainly because I've wanted to do the same thing with LED strips on our awning. After much consideration (for 12v power to awning) I decided to just adhesive mount the 16 ft weather proof strip right below my 20ft awning on the side of our 03 Dutch Star coach, tapping into power inside the first over head cabinet near the front door. worked out very well. More light (bright white) than anticipated so I purchase a remote controlled dimmer to add to it. At least I don't have to reach back inside the cabinet not to turn it ON or OFF or Dim it.  I'll be adding more light strip in and out as I go along. I'm sure by now you've finished up your awning light installation  and wish you the best.
 
Yesterday, I hung a new set of led lights under the awning where it makes up to the side wall. I cleaned the rail with alcohol and it appeared to stick really good to the fabric rail. I just got home to find that the entire light strip had fallen to the ground. Has anyone else had this issue? If you did, what did you do to fix it. I'm going to go to the local NAPA tore and see if what they call attachment tape will work.
 
I mounted 16' of the LEDs on our 2013 Sabre 34TBOK. Mounted them under the awning rail on the camper sidewall.  That way, awning in or out, I can still just press a button and have light!  They even had 3m mounting tape on the back so a quick wipe with rubbing alcohol, and then peal and stick.  I grabbed an old lens cover and siliconed it over the controller up near the front of the rolled up awning(it's barely noticable), then ran the 12v wire down inside the power awning arm slots and into the basement.  Found a constant 12v source and then stood back and said, " Let there be Light!"  It was a lot more dramatic at the time, but...

it is a huge benefit and I now carry two extra sets as I have sold 3 so far when people ask about them.  Ebay for $25.  I bought the waterproof ones, but non-waterproof would be fine also, just make sure the controller is out of the weather. 
 
I stuck mine on the RV wall and it's been there for 2 weeks now with no issues. Knock on wood!!!! They are cool at night. Apparently trying to stick it on the rail which is curved, does not give the tape enough surface area to bond to.
 
Has anyone noticed that LED lights do not attract insects, or at least no so many?  Now I would have thought that light is light, but apparently the little dudes are attracted primarily to ultraviolet radiation.  LEDs emit little or no UV. 

So what has your experience been?
 
I put a set like the one linked (5050 LED, waterproof, multicolor) on our RV at the start of the season.  Still working great, and we get lots of compliments and questions about it.  I mounted to the underside of the awning rail on the trailer, and used some 1/2" 3m auto trim tape (any auto store or walmart) since I had read of some instances of the adhesive letting go.

Ran a 4 conductor extension ($7, ebay, made just for LED strips) down inside the back of the awning arm channels (Carefree awning I think) along side the existing power wire, and mounted the controller below the awning arm channel with more of the auto trim tape (one of my favorite tools, can you tell yet?).  Power connects via a coax connector from an old power brick and runs down the last foot of the outside of the RV in a lamp cord cover I got at Home Depot.  From there it goes under the RV off to a 12V source.

I am glad I did not mount them to the awning roller.  I have been in two campsites this year (a week's worth of camping) where I couldn't deploy the awning fully due to trees in the way.  Wouldn't have been able to use the lights at all.
 
I just ordered a set of these LED lights and am going to install them just below my awning. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get power to them. I really don't like the idea of drilling any holes in the outside of my new coach. Anyone who has had a successful install and willing to share it would be much appreciated.
 
HI there, you might check out the topic entitled "Adding an LED Light strip to Your RV" in the "Remodeling your RV" section. A few of us have recently been discussing this topic over there.

Kev
 
captsteve said:
I put mine up for the last trip.They are on the awning tube. I got one of these extention cables  http://www.amazon.com/16-42ft-extension-connect-RGB5050-changeable/dp/B009NGYA7Q/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1375054123&sr=1-1&keywords=led+strip+extension+cable

and stitched it to the awning fabric at a slight angle so it would not stack on it's self as the awning rolls up.

Works great and brings lots of people to see what kind of lights we have. :D
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Can we get more details (and perhaps photos) of this?
 
I would love too, however I am stuck offshore on my ship and can't get to it right now.

It really is an easy install. I used a quality auto trim double sided tape and stuck it to the awning tube and just stitched the wire at a slight angle to the canvas, I think there is about 1 inch difference from top to bottom on where the wire is stitched. It rolls up nicely. the wire is then routed inside through the run for the awning motor wires and hooked up inside. I put a small hole in the bottom of the cabinet inside that the wiring is in and the little sensor eye pokes out of it in front of the window. The remote works outside if you point it at that eye.
 
I just installed an RGB LED strip to my MH:
http://www.dx.com/p/waterproof-72w-3600lm-300-smd-5050-led-rgb-car-decoration-light-strip-w-rf-controller-227310#.U4yHImco9hF

Thanks to recommendations in another thread to use the kit with the RF remote so the IR controller doesn't have to be mounted outside in the weather.

I drilled a hole in my siding under the awning and pushed the power cable into the cabinet above my bathroom sink, and wired it through the ceiling to the bathroom light.  Used a dab of silicone to seal the wires through the hole.
 
I have read several posts on the installation of led lights on an rv just below the awning. I see there are two ways they have been installed, attached to the bottom of the awning rail and directly to the side of the coach. Does anyone know which is the best way?
 
I don't know which way would be "better" but ours is installed up high, under the awning housing so the light isn't right in your face and to protect it from the elements. It's WiFi controlled via your phone/tablet and works quite well. Many are installed right to the side of an RV with the 3M sticky-tape that's on the back of the light strip but I've never had much long term luck with them sticking. Ours is stuck to a thin metal channel with the 3M tape, then glued with clear silicon glue. The metal channel is then screwed to six nylon blocks that angle the light downward and those nylon blocks are screwed to the side of the motorhome. So far, it's held up well.

Kev
 

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jc1966 said:
I have read several posts on the installation of led lights on an rv just below the awning. I see there are two ways they have been installed, attached to the bottom of the awning rail and directly to the side of the coach. Does anyone know which is the best way?
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I tried sticking mine to the awning rail but because the rail was curved, the lights fell off the next day. I ended up sticking them right to the side of the rig. They've been up for over a year now. I do have a problem now with the strip. Only 1/3 of the strip is lighting. The 1/3 are the one's closet to the power source. Now I don't know what to do!!!
 
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