A couple years ago our OEM fluorescent tube porch light went MIA. Determined it was a bad ballast. The design of the light made ballast replacement impractical. Being a lazy old sot I simply removed the broken light, stuck it away in my "parts" box, and replaced it with three cheap plastic LED lights from Amazon.
Skipping forward. One of the cheap plastic lights had stopped working, so I dug out the old porch light and took another look at it. I decided I could remove, with minimal effort, all the fluorescent tube guts and replace with LED strip lights. Just happened to have some left-over weather proof LEDs from a previous project, so out-of-pocket cost of conversion would be close to zero (assuming I work for free, which I do).
Easy project - drilling out 6 rivets allowed removal of the ballast and associated wiring. Cleaned up the aluminum housing, stuck 4 strips of LEDs on, and connected the wiring through the existing switch on the light. Looks pretty good to me, and plenty bright. I am waiting for the West TX wind to subside so I can remount the born-again light on our coach.
Doing simple projects like this with stick-on LED strip lights is great fun. :thumbsup:
Chuck, I did that a few years ago, add a dimmer, three strips will almost always be too bright. One of these works well, turn it on or off at any level from anywhere.
Amazon.com: Goldwin Smart Single Color LED Strip Lights WiFi Controller... (https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07JB5N3Y7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1)
Or don't.
Thanx for the tip. I'll see how it looks once I get it mounted on the coach. If it's too bright...I will.
Chuck, you should be able to bake a loaf of bread on your bottom step with that sucker!!! Nicely done.
I did it last year. Easy. Used regular led strips. No problems. Like it, a lot.
Good job Chuck. Looks factory til you hit the switch.
Looks better than factory when you hit the switch IMO
Less power, no heat, no hi voltage, no downside
Scott
I put LED strips in mine last year and it works great.
There is also a plug and play LED that fits perfect.
I prefer plug in over glue on because LED are supposed to last forever BUT I've had them fail. If they fail, plug ins are easier to swap out.
Ours are buy far the brightest in the park. Roger might have a good idea about the dimmer.
Where did you buy them, and what is (was) the cost?
I found a tiny little 12 volt PWM dimmer that I've been carrying around in my spare parts drawer since 2016. Dug it out and tried hooking it up on my bench to my LED porch light. It works perfect. Not as fancy as the Wi-Fi dimmer linked by Roger (above) but it would do fine for me. I'm not crazy about the trend today of needing an app on your phone to do everything. I like to just turn a knob or flip a switch with my fingers.
Call me a technophobe - it's OK.
Anyway, since I already have this dimmer I'll probably include it when I install my refurb light unit back on our coach.
Amazon.com: 12 Volt DC Dimmer for LED, Halogen, Incandescent - RV, Auto,... (https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Dimmer-LED-Halogen-Incandescent/dp/B01C4UBMW8/ref=asc_df_B01C4UBMW8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312098740701&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10057148517458381963&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026339&hvtargid=pla-558220297661&psc=1)
Don't know how to post links yet. But go to Amazon and search 12" led. $21.00 for 4 of them.
Got the following PM from J.R. in response to my question to Bob & Sue about the 12" tube source and price:
12" of LED strip lights cost about 65ยข. Soldering the lead wires to the strips is the most reliable way to use them. If you aren't sure about the strip adhesive use a 3/8" wide glaziers double stick tape.
See Soldering LED Light Strips (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=35512.0)
Thanks Chuck, here's the latest version I was referring to with the 5630 LED chips. They also come in 18", called a T8. I apologize for the poor images, the sun is blinding me lol.
After looking at the wiring setup for our porch light, I decided the most appropriate place to insert a (mechanical) dimmer switch was right on the light unit. I already had a nice little switch on hand so I tried it for fit on the light. Turns out it is a perfect size for this spot - like it was designed to go there. Removed the original push button ON-OFF switch (which still works fine) and installed the mini dimmer switch. It works great - goes from full bright in smooth gradual manner all the way down to a soft "click" OFF position. Will have to see how it holds up to being mounted outside in the weather, but for now very happy with the mod.
Where did you acquire the switch on hand?
Amazon, of course. I put a link to it up in Reply #9, but here it is again. This particular one is kinda pricey. I see other vendors selling "similar" looking switches for slightly less money. No telling which one is better.
Note that they come in short and long shaft models. Mine has the short shaft which worked perfect in this application.
Pays yer money and takes yer chances.
Amazon.com: 12 Volt DC Dimmer for LED, Halogen, Incandescent - RV, Auto,... (https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Dimmer-LED-Halogen-Incandescent/dp/B01C4UBMW8/ref=asc_df_B01C4UBMW8/?ie=UTF8&tag=foreforums-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957)
Bright LED Angled Aluminum RV or Trailer Light (https://m4products.com/angled-aluminum-body-surface-mount-flood-light-13-white/)
What I did was to replace the entire light with this unit. It's 40 bucks complete from m4 lighting.com. it is very bright which is what I wanted. I plan on putting undercoach lighting which I already have purchased but I haven't installed yet for when I just want muted lighting around the coach. It's a quality unit much better than the original with heavy metal big heat sinks and good LEDs. I expect it will last a long time. There was an issue in rewiring it though which I believe I outlined in an earlier post about it. The wire doesn't go straight through the wall on my coach but down and out. Still I like my light a lot and it is another quality lighting product from those guys at m4. You can put in LED strips and do other things to your light and that will work just fine. But if you want to replace a light fixture with something a little more durable take a look at that light. They also have one that's smaller.
I did mine like Chuck and Roger except with only two strips. Seems about right. I like JRE's solution better though.
jor
I got no problem with buying new stuff. They make some terrific LED lighting products these days. The choice seems almost endless.
I just really like playing with the original coach flourescent tube light units and upgrading them with the stick-on strips. It is lots of fun, and also keeps our old coach looking more "original" while still greatly improving the quality and quantity of light output. Different strokes for different folks. 8)
By the way, for those who DO want to retain the OEM porch light (either with LED tubes or with strip lights), you can still get replacement lenses in either clear or amber. My original amber lens is still in real good shape, but I plan to buy a clear lens so I will have the option of either color light above our entry door.
Our OEM porch light is a Thin-Lite D-162 model. The replacement lens should be 12" long. Sample listing below - shop around for best online price.
Thin Lite D-162C Clear Replacement Lens (https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Fluorescent-Porch-Light-p/55-8070.htm)
Chuck I'm with you on retaining the originality of Foretravel in most cases. Especially if parts are available.
As evidenced by my successful attempt to restore our "dash air". But that's a different story.
This is really great. I've upgraded all the interior and most of the exterior lighting on my coach to LED, trying to retain the original fixtures. I've used almost 40 ft. of LED strip inside! Was wanting to tackle the porch light next and this is picture perfect, and the dimmer is a great idea. Thank you for posting!
One final post to wrap up this thread. I got my rebuilt porch light installed and it works great! I ordered a new clear lens to go with the original yellow "bug" lens, so now I have a choice. See Reply #19 for a link. I think I prefer the appearence of the clear lens, and it also is a little brighter. The dimmer works perfect and will help to avoid irritating our next door neighbors in crowded RV parks.
I also added a couple solar powered motion activated security lights above our door. These are great when approaching the coach after dark. They are very sensitive to any movement, and also very bright with a good diffused "flood" type light pattern. They use a separate mounting bracket that I attached with double stick tape (to avoid drilling holes). The lights can be easily and quickly detached from the brackets when desired. I plan to carry them in my storage bay when on the road, then pop them up in place when we get parked. They appear to be very good quality, and I like the clean simple design.
ALL-PRO Outdoor Security MSLED300W 300 lm Solar-Powered LED Wedge Light, 120... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS2VRLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Rebuilt mine this morning finally. Thanks again for the hint on the dimmer. Worked perfect!
I just love the "can do" attitude of this entire Forum. Terrific project to keep the coach upgraded and improved while preserving all the vault solid components of the original build. I will say from experience, however, that I changed to a clear lens for 1 trip. Watching the bugs trying to fly off with my screen door I changed back to the amber lens just as soon as I got home. Just sayin'...
My light didn't work, ballast was bad.
Used "search" and found this thread from Chuck.
A one day job from bench stock and we now have light.
Hardest part was getting the light removed from the coach.
BTW I only used 2 rows of leds, no dimmer.
How do you remove it all, the base, from the RV?
It is held on with a couple of screws, and it has silicone between the light and the coach so it is hard to pull away.
I put the led strips in mine without removing the fixture and it didn't take very long to do it.
Same here Peter,super easy