Chinook RV

Clay will probably be along to give you the better scoop, but I can maybe get things started.

The first thing I had to realize, was that the Thin Lites, once you are not using them as real flourescents anymore, are basically just empty shells. The only reason one is re-using them is because it is a platform that screws to the overhead, it has a switch, and it has a piece of diffuser plastic over the front. There is nothing "necessary" about it anymore other than you need something to hold "bulbs", something to attach the wires to, and a switch -- and possibly something to diffuse the light.

But they do work well for that, and they fit the existing holes. So there is that.

The "tubes" are just a relatively easy way to know what you are getting (quality, "color," and lumen wise they are spot on and the specs are easily viewable on their website), and to "just" slip them into the fixtures (except you have to modify the wiring anyway).

So basically you can just strip the fixture down so that you have a positive wire coming in that goes to the switch, and then subsequently to the light; and then a wire going back out to ground (typically white on the Chinook).

The little connectors you can buy allow you to cut the LED strip(s) and connect them in rows, plus connect them at each end. I believe one could do this without the connectors, but with a little precise soldering.

If the LED strips you get aren't completely to your taste (maybe too yellow, too something else, or whatever), you can do a mix. A friend had this issue (white was too white, warm white was oddly yellow and not like the typical warm white) and did a mixture of strips (I think two of the yellowy white and a center one of the white white). You can still tell it's a mixture through the diffuser cover, but the light that shines down on the counter is the blend of the two.

That's been my main complaint with the strips (or rolls of stripping): It's a bit more of a challenge to get exactly what you think you want, or to know exactly what you are getting. That said, it's really quite usable, and very cheap.

The tubes from Marine Beam are also supposed to guard against the voltage fluctuations you can get with charging, and mine are still working well --- but my friend's cheapo LED strips are also still working well (and he has the same voltage fluctuations).

Given the cost - and the handy other ways you can use the strips - they seem well worth trying and will likely be successful.

BG

PS: In the case of the Thin Lites, there is only a small (1/2" or so) hole in the center where the wires come out of the ceiling, and then the four small screw holes at the edges. What I wasn't aware of, is that many other "non thin" versions of RV flourescent lights had a hole in the ceiling the size of the ENTIRE fixture. So half or more of the entire light was up in the cabinet or whatever. Given that, I suddenly understood why Thin Lites are called that, and why many folks would be VERY interested in the "LED tubes" vs. just getting a new light fixture (and dealing with a gaping hole).

HoosierB wrote:Clay,
I'm going to attempt this mod for my Thin-Lite ceiling lights and ordered the LED strip lights and connectors from Amazon per your post. After some consideration, I decided to try this "cheap route" to see if it will work for me. If not, will spend $$$ for the LED tubes. Could you provide more detail and possibly better pics or diagram of the "wire modifications and connections"? Thanks!

The LED strip replacement is actually pretty simple. The LEDs come in a 16 foot reel, and can be cut to length with scissors at special marked cut points (every third LED spacing). The jumper cables clamp onto the strip at the cut point, and connect a red 12V+ wire and black (ground) wire to a LED strip. As purchased, the jumper cables are designed to connect two strips together, so there are connectors on both ends. You cut a jumper cable in half to get a pigtail connection to a LED strip. Then you connect the red pigtail wire to 12V, and the black pigtail to ground, and the LEDs light up!

The LED strips have an adhesive side, so they can be stuck to the light fixture where the fluorescent tubes used to be, so you can cut a strip for each bulb position approximately the same length as the bulb, and use a jumper cable to connect the two strips at one end of the fixture.

The light fixture has is powered by a pair of wires:

1) 12V+, which is either red or black coming from the ceiling (my center fixtures had red wires, and the side fixture I looked at had black).
2) Ground, which is generally a white wire in the Chinook wiring.

The 12V+ wire runs to the switch in the fixture. A black wire from the switch (switched 12V) is connected to the black +12V supply wire from the ballast.
The white ground wire is connected directly to the white ground wire from the ballast.

All you have to do is cut the black and white wires from the ballast, and connect them to the LED strip pigtail. The only confusion is that the pigtail black wire is ground, and the Chinook white wire is ground, so you connect the white Chinook wire to the pigtail black, and the black Chinook wire (switched 12V+) to the pigtail red. It might be possible that red and black are switched in the pigtail (some mirror image effect from cutting the jumper cable in two), but if so just swap them to find out which way lights up the LEDs. It does not harm them to wire it backwards, but they don't light up if they are backwards.

Even though the ballast and fluorescent wiring is not used, I just left it in place, since it is all disconnected from the 12V system. Then it is an easy matter to switch back to fluorescent operation if desired, by reconnecting the white and black ballast wires.

I used the "warm" yellow LEDs, which are not as bright as the fluorescents, and I only replaced the two main fixtures in the ceiling center, because these were the only lights I would leave on for any appreciable length of time. I left the rest as fluorescent, since we rarely use them, and when we do, it is for reading or working, and the brighter light is preferable in those situations. The power savings for lights we rarely turn on is not significant.

I also used some of my leftover LED strip to replace the bathroom incandescent bulbs (in the original bathroom fixture). The incandescent bulbs are problematic, because not only do they consume excess power, they are so hot that the light fixture cover gets burned and discolored. For the bathroom, I taped the LEDs all around the square translucent light cover, and they produce the correct amount of light with hardly any power consumption. For this wiring, I cut the 12V wires leading to one of the old bulb sockets, and crimped on spade lug receptacles. Then I crimped spade lugs to the LED strip pigtail, so the wires can be disconnected when the light cover is removed, since the LEDs are attached to the cover, not the fixture itself.

Finally, for completeness, I replaced the incandescent bulbs in the refrigerator and closet with automotive LED bulb replacements, which was simply a bulb change. This is good for the fridge as the LEDs don't produce heat.

Attached are a couple of close-ups of the LED connections in the main light fixture, and a picture of the bathroom LEDs in operation.

Clay

Here is a pdf wiring diagram for the fluorescent to LED changes:

Excellent write up and info, Clay!
Thanks!

HoosierB wrote:Excellent write up and info, Clay!
Thanks!

Ditto! LED technology opens a lot of possibilities.

For bonus points you can remove the fixture and use a hot glue gun to "stitch" across the LED strip lighting to help hold it in place. Some of the adhesives aren't that great, and the added heat of an enclosure can cause them to droop. This also helps if you're trying to stick LED strips to a material that isn't very smooth, like plywood or fabric.

That's an interesting idea. When I was looking at how to re-do the incandescent rope lights in the Concourse upper cabinets, I was considering strips, but never really saw a good way to fasten them (it's in a corner, without room to just do a normal flat mount with straps). I pretty much knew that the included adhesive wouldn't stick to wood for long.

Have you done the hot glue method? Any special kind of glue? To wood?

Blue~Go wrote: September 21st, 2018, 9:48 am That's an interesting idea. When I was looking at how to re-do the incandescent rope lights in the Concourse upper cabinets, I was considering strips, but never really saw a good way to fasten them (it's in a corner, without room to just do a normal flat mount with straps). I pretty much knew that the included adhesive wouldn't stick to wood for long.

Have you done the hot glue method? Any special kind of glue? To wood?

You can buy LED Rope lights that would be a better replacement option for the cabinets. You can get a 9' rope light for less than $10.


https://www.amazon.com/Jytrend-Neon-Lig ... 78430&th=1

Thanks for the suggestion. And that's actually what I did -- I bought LED rope lights from IMTRA (boat lighting company) a couple years ago. But I'm still curious about new ways to attach LED strips, because there are a few other places I might put them, often with wood "corner" placement.

You can buy easy to cut aluminum channel w/ snap-in diffuser. The channel can be screwed in, led strip stuck to, then diffuser snapped in.

I've done a bit of work with LED strip lighting and soldering together sections in funky ways. Usually this is on painted wood of some sort, with an eventual translucent milk plex over it. Hot glue is a good backup. You can also just put it on the adhesive side of the strip lighting.
Just the normal craft store stuff works fine. It's like duct tape with 101+ uses. You can even waterproof wiring connections with it!