Awning LED project

[Seef]

Last winter, after reviewing some Awning LED projects here on the forum we decided we "needed"such a mod too on our 5.0 classic.

So i did some research and ordered a 5 mtr LED strip and a remote control for that strip.

After that we needed some sort of aluminium profile to place the LED strip in. It took us a while to get our hands on a decent strip but when we got that nothing could stop us to get this little project on the road... Except... time.

So only this week we found enough time to get the show on the road. First of all i placed the aluminium strip right under the awning, drilled a hole through the strip and the shell of the Escape (after saying a prayer).

Today i finished the job, ran the LED cables through the shell, drilled a hole in the sidewall of the upper cabinet and ran the cable from the electrical cabinet via the benches to the upper cabinet connected the whole lot an did a test run.

We're quite happy with the result, the remote control allows us to dimm the lights and it has some flashy programs one of them being a SOS signal.

One big advantage of the remote control is, you do not need a 'normal' switch. I placed the remote control reception unit in the space between the right hand side upper cabinet and the upper rear cabinet. I tested the remote control and even when i'm about 10 meters away from the Escape i can control the LED's.

Attached some pictures form the used materials and the end result.

First pic: Cable enters the Escape from the outside
2nd pic: The remote control unit.
3rd pic: placed all the cable and the remote control unit into the empty space in the cabinets

[Seef]

First pic: Electrical hookup*
2nd pic: end result!
3rd pic: The actual remote control

* We choose to use a fresh circuit for this mod. We will be adding LED lights to the cabinets which we will connect to this circuit.

[cpaharley2008]

Nice work, Seef
I know drilling that hole took a lot of nerve and I leave mine on low at night when stopped at rest areas.

[markvt]

Very nice Seef thats a someday project from myself to. Do you have a daylight picture of the LED strip under the awning that you could post?

Mark

[Cypherian]

Very nice Seef I too would like a day light picture of the Alum extrusion you used and perhaps a link to the LED kit you used ? When you get the TIME of course LOL


Cypher

[Ron in BC]

Nice job and something you'll enjoy having.

I notice that your electrical panel is wired differently than mine. On mine the cable from the converter goes to the + terminal above the two 40 amp fuses and is a heavy cable, the same as the one on the bottom + terminal, coming from the battery.

You don't seem to have any wire on the upper + terminal and two on the bottom + terminal, with one being noticeably smaller.

I'm not saying it's a problem, I'm just curious about the difference. Although I'm wondering if your converter still has reverse polarity protection with it wired that way.

Ron

[cpaharley2008]

Remember, this unit has been rewired to European standards.......

[Ron in BC]

OK, maybe I figured out why. Something to do with switching to a European 220 volt converter where there's current in both legs and reverse polarity isn't a factor?

Ron

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Remember, this unit has been rewired to European standards.......

Yes, but on reflection European 12 volts is still 12 volts and it wouldn't be anything to do with it now being a 220 volt converter so reverse polarity would still seem to be required.

At any rate I'll be interested to learn from Seef why the panel's wired the way it is.

Ron

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Something to do with switching to a European 220 volt converter where there's current in both legs and reverse polarity isn't a factor?

Why would single-phase AC power in Europe be any different in this respect from single-phase AC power in North America? Yes, Europe gets twice the voltage at a little lower frequency, but it's not like their normal household outlets have a centre-neutral 120/240V three-wire connection like we use for a large appliance or 50-amp RV. They have a hot, neutral and (optionally) ground conductor just like our 120V AC circuits.

And yes, 12VDC should be just like here, although detailed wiring standards will vary.

[Seef]

Hi Guys,

about the rewiring of the unit. The only thing we have changed in order to make the unit usable for Europe is changing the converter for a different type which accepts 230V out of the box.

I just pulled the standard converter out and repleced it with the new 230V one.

After that i realized i wasn't home yet. After this modification all the 110V power outlets were giving 230V (as intended) We bought a bunch of plug converters in which we can put our round 230V plugs so we could keep the standard 110V outlets through the unit.

After that i needed a converter which converts the now 230V back to 110V so our fridge will work in stead of "blow up".

So back the difference in wiring. I just replaced the converter, did not change anything. I do not know where the difference are for.

And indeed, single phase AC over here is, other than the voltage, no different than at your place.

[Seef]

So, pictures of the used ALU extrusion strip for the LED strip
Pictures of the ALU extrusion strip attached to the Escape
And last but not least today i placed the Tornado grey tank cleaning kit.

Oh yeah, i promissed some one another picture of the new frame which was placed under our Escape in order to get rid of the "bucking" of the trailer. This extra frame does the trick. So we are very happe Escapees now.

Pic 1: The LED/ALU strip under the awning
Pic 2: Close up of the front end of the LED/ALU strip. I put a decent blob of putty (CikaFlex) on the front side of the strip so i will not come ofg during driving. I did the same at the end where the wires go through the shell of the Escape.
Pic 3: The used ALU strip
Pic 4 the Contrours of the used ALU strip

I will post the make of the ALU strip later, need to find the invoice first. The strip has a opal plastic "lid" so the LED strip (which is waterproof) is out of the rain and dripping water.

[Seef]

And some more pics.

The finished job of placing the Tornado cleaning kit.

PIC 1: The placed Tornado in the grey tank. I put it more to the left side since our braking system is a bit in the way.
PIC 2: The waterhose connection of the Tornado kit and a nice clean view on the added frameworkwhich hooks on to the axle.
PIC 3: Nice view on the extra framing on the frontside of the 5.0. The used iro is about twice as thick/wide as the standard stuff.

[StarvingHyena]

Seef,
Isn't European voltage 220 volts but also 50 cycle instead of North American 60 cycle? Not sure if that will interfere with onboard motors and control units .... ie refrigeration.

Perhaps more informed electrical experts will chime in.

I for one would sure like to hear more about what its like to have a RV in Europe. Thank you for your contributions so far.

Tom

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Seef

I just pulled the standard converter out and repleced it with the new 230V one.

So back the difference in wiring. I just replaced the converter, did not change anything. I do not know where the difference are for.

In that case you might consider moving the smaller wire on your lower + terminal (3 in my photo), which I believe comes from your converter, easy to check, from the bottom + terminal to the + terminal located above the two 40 amp fuses. I think the way it's wired now wouldn't protect the converter from a reverse polarity situation.

Ron

[Ron in BC]

Oops, 3 in this photo

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by StarvingHyena

Isn't European voltage 220 volts but also 50 cycle instead of North American 60 cycle? Not sure if that will interfere with onboard motors and control units .... ie refrigeration.

Yes, it's 50 hertz, but that won't matter for a heater (such as the AC element in the refrigerator), or a universal motor, or electronics that use a modern switching power supply. An induction motor would run at 5/6ths speed, and perhaps not very efficiently, so air conditioning would likely be an issue.

Modern switching power supplies are so tolerant of input power differences that it is not unusual to find computer supplies that take anything from 100 volts to 250 volts, at 50 hertz to 60 hertz (and would probably be fine with lower frequencies as well). In some datacentres they feed the same computers that are sold for 120V operation with 230V from one leg of a three-phase supply; this simplifies wiring and allows lighter-gauge conductors because the current is lower.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Seef

PIC 2: The waterhose connection of the Tornado kit and a nice clean view on the added frameworkwhich hooks on to the axle.

Fitting the Euro axle - which had mounts further apart than the original Dexter Torflex - required cantilevered mounts outboard of the frame. It looks like that accidentally came in handy when the extra framing (lower tube in the photo, under the plumbing) was added, because the axle brackets were not in the way.

[Seef]

Originally Posted by StarvingHyena

Seef,
Isn't European voltage 220 volts but also 50 cycle instead of North American 60 cycle? Not sure if that will interfere with onboard motors and control units .... ie refrigeration.

Perhaps more informed electrical experts will chime in.

I for one would sure like to hear more about what its like to have a RV in Europe. Thank you for your contributions so far.

Tom

Yep you're right, it is is 50 Hertz, but as others already stated that is no biggy for the fridge or heater.

The only time it is a biggy is when we import a jukebox, yep, those old record playing machines Then is the time you WILL notice the difference between 50 and 60 Hertz. Well that got solved by changing the driving gears. But that is the time you will notice.

In other occasions the performance will drop a bit but not noticeable.

[Seef]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Fitting the Euro axle - which had mounts further apart than the original Dexter Torflex - required cantilevered mounts outboard of the frame. It looks like that accidentally came in handy when the extra framing (lower tube in the photo, under the plumbing) was added, because the axle brackets were not in the way.

Yep, you're right, that was a bit of luck ! That luck saved a bunch of bucks when we needed to have the frame strengthened.