Best 12v drop for exterior LED light strip?

[Losangeles]

Hi all

Best 12v drop location for exterior LED light strip?

2017 21'

I know it will be over kitchen (?)

Above stove?

Above sink?

Or above passenger dinette?

Thx.

[cpaharley2008]

Above sink and above the stove are the same in a 21, it is one large cabinet with 2 doors, over the dinette would not help, too far in back. I'd pick one. You can always splice or add wire if you change your mind.

[tractors1]

Exterior light strip? I'm confused..........

[cpaharley2008]

I apologize, I thought it was for an exterior light. Okay, in BlackJack I installed a led light strip under the awning, see here post #164 http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...k-3134-17.html
I installed my switch over the curb side dinette, but in retrospect over the kitchen closest to the door will allow you to stick your head out and observe the light.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Exterior light strip? I'm confused..........

Under the awning

Exterior LED light strip. A long one

Like the $170 CAD ETI one

Except a 3rd party one that will do red (keeps night vision) or orange (fewer bugs, some places)

In addition to white.

[rbryan4]

Put a drop in the rear passenger side overhead cabinet. That's where the wiring for the LED strip will enter the trailer. Did that on my 19, and it worked out well. Plus, I have an RGBW strip and an RF remote with a total cost of less than $40.

Just make sure your LED strip is waterproof. The hole for the wiring to enter the shell only needs to be 1/8", and a dab of Proflex or Lexel is all that's required to seal it.

Lastly, I recommend a controller/remote that's RF and not IR. You'll be able to control the lighting from a longer distance, and there's no need to point it at a sensor.

[gbaglo]

Reace installed an LED strip light under the awning of a trailer he brought to the rally. He'd probably know where to put a drop.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Reace installed an LED strip light under the awning of a trailer he brought to the rally. He'd probably know where to put a drop.

While the factory strip is a little different from the ones installed by owners afterwards, the entry point to the interior is the same -- passenger side rear. If the OP wants to install one on their own, that's the logical place. But, you could also run it the other direction and have the wiring enter the overhead cabinet at the front. There are really only two possible entry points for this.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

While the factory strip is a little different from the ones installed by owners afterwards, the entry point to the interior is the same -- passenger side rear. If the OP wants to install one on their own, that's the logical place. But, you could also run it the other direction and have the wiring enter the overhead cabinet at the front. There are really only two possible entry points for this.

on a 21' the bathroom is passenger side front, so i guess passenger overhead cabinet rear is best for a 12v drop for external light LED strip.

thanks

and

i'm assuming that if i ever wanted 12v above the sink, i could easily drill a small hole from passenger overhead cabinet rear and then run a wire up to the cabinet above sink? (passenger side middle-ish)


thanks.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

on a 21' the bathroom is passenger side front, so i guess passenger overhead cabinet rear is best for a 12v drop for external light LED strip.

thanks

and

i'm assuming that if i ever wanted 12v above the sink, i could easily drill a small hole from passenger overhead cabinet rear and then run a wire up to the cabinet above sink? (passenger side middle-ish)


thanks.

Yeah, forgot about the bath location. Rear passenger side overhead then, just like all the ones I've seen, including mine.

As for 12v over the sink, my advice is to have Escape add drops where you think you'll need them eventually. Much easier than a DIY later, and a nominal cost.

[dfandrews]

Option for 17's and maybe others:
I discussed this with Reace prior to our acquisition of our 17, as I wanted to control the LED light strip using the porch light switch. He suggested that, if I remove the top frig. vent grille, that will give me a hand hole to reach in and run wiring from the porch light up and through the trailer body to an appropriate spot for a hole through the body to the LED strip.
Keep in mind that the typical LED strips are constructed in 5 meter (16') strips in 2 inch repeating increments, so every 2 inches is a pair of solder pads, one "+" and one "-". You can power the whole strip from any of those solder pads.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Keep in mind that the typical LED strips are constructed in 5 meter (16') strips in 2 inch repeating increments, so every 2 inches is a pair of solder pads, one "+" and one "-". You can power the whole strip from any of those solder pads.

That depends. Yes, you can "power" most LED strips from any of the cut points, but that doesn't mean you can "control" them. If your LED is standard white only, that might work. If it's an RGBW or RGBWW strip, then no. To control such a strip, you'd need additional connection points for the RGB and W - not just 12V+ and 12V-. Also, if you install a waterproof outdoor grade strip, it's encased entirely in a clear plastic material. You'd have to remove that waterproofing plastic to get to the solder points.

One of the main reasons I went with installing one after market rather than having Escape do it was that I wanted a strip that had colors besides white. Tuning it to red, orange or deep yellow means no bugs collecting under the awning. On the gulf coast last year during the Matagorda Rally, I initially turned it to white. Within 5 minutes there were thousands of bugs huddling on or near the strip. Tuned it to orange or red the next evening and there were no bugs - not one.

Besides, It kind of looks cool with different colors at different times.