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Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Jeff & Sandy on August 18, 2016, 12:25:23 pm

Title: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on August 18, 2016, 12:25:23 pm
I recently finished up changing all of my overhead lights to LED replacement tubes. I removed the ballasts and rewired to install them. The lights in the salon interfere with the TV if both are on.

It's not a big deal as we do not use both of these at the same time but I'd like to solve this. I'm not sure if it matters but we were using the campground's cable when the issue occurred.

Thanks all!

Jeff
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: toyman on August 18, 2016, 12:39:46 pm
Did you bypass all the guts in the fluorescent fixtures ?
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: Roger & Susan in Home2 on August 18, 2016, 01:31:37 pm
Send them back. They should not interfere with anything. Rip the guts of the flourescents out and use good quality led strips for a fraction of the cost.
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: John Duld on August 18, 2016, 03:34:21 pm
Maybe some kind of a grounding problem.
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: Pamela & Mike on August 18, 2016, 03:59:21 pm
I recently finished up changing all of my overhead lights to LED replacement tubes. I removed the ballasts and rewired to install them. The lights in the salon interfere with the TV if both are on.

Jeff,

If I understand correctly you are just using the fixtures to hold the bulbs.  (Like just the bulb holder ends)
If that is correct,  did you just splice to the existing wires that fed the old lights? 
Now if all this is true you need to pull the wires back out of the roof and look for a zener diode that should (the key word SHOULD) be in the wires. Most of the coaches of that vintage has them OEM. Check to see if it is bad.  If the ballast in your old lights was bad the diode could have failed and is causing a feedback.
If you don't know the function of a zener diode here is a link to the most simple explination (not from a whiz bang EE book that I have) as to what it's function is.  Zener diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_diode)

Pamela & Mike
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: lgshoup on August 18, 2016, 07:32:24 pm
OK, DW wanted to know what the burning smell was...my brain after reading all the way through that simple explanation. I must be simpler than the encyclopaedia!
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on August 18, 2016, 08:56:42 pm
Jeff,

If I understand correctly you are just using the fixtures to hold the bulbs.  (Like just the bulb holder ends)
If that is correct,  did you just splice to the existing wires that fed the old lights? 
Now if all this is true you need to pull the wires back out of the roof and look for a zener diode that should (the key word SHOULD) be in the wires. Most of the coaches of that vintage has them OEM. Check to see if it is bad.  If the ballast in your old lights was bad the diode could have failed and is causing a feedback.
If you don't know the function of a zener diode here is a link to the most simple explination (not from a whiz bang EE book that I have) as to what it's function is.  Zener diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_diode)

Pamela & Mike


Thanks Pamela and Mike, I will have a look tomorrow. The ballast was working fine with the fluorescent tubes before I made the switch. Is this something I can add? Thanks for your time.
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: Pamela & Mike on August 18, 2016, 09:52:12 pm
@ Larry,

In the most simple terms all the zener diode does is regulates voltage to a certain set voltage.  Like if it is designed to break at 12.0 vdc and the voltage is 12.3 it tries to stabilize the voltage to 12.0.

@ Jeff,

Yes you can add one if needed to both lights. 
What you are looking for is just a small jumper wire with a wart looking thing in the middle. Most of the time they are located about 3" back on the wire. Most folks have never seen them or even had a need to find one.

Pamela & Mike
Title: Re: New LED's installed - interfering with front TV
Post by: lgshoup on August 18, 2016, 10:02:26 pm
Now that's a simple explanation. Thanks.