2014 North Trail 32BUDS - Electric Awning that didn't come with LED lights (factory LED light kit available?)

[JohnD]

I am in the process of doing this. I have the LED RGB rolls from ebay. I hooked them up to a 12v small battery from autozone. Going to roll them onto a pvc pipe and hang it on the top of the slide out. I will post pics when I am done.

I've been looking at LED rope lights at Big Lot's . . .

Thinking about buying two of them . . . one for over our garage door at home . . . the other to hang on our awning when out with our Trail Runner!

They are not 12-volt . . . but the price is about half what they wanted at Camping World for a similar product!

 

[Bogie]

Last week I installed LED lighting under the awning at DW's request after she saw them at an RV show. Since I prefer a factory finished look I found an aluminum track that aims down at a 45 degree angle. I also purchased a plastic lens that finishes the track when snapped in. I purchased both at 1000bulbs.com. I used auto body moulding tape to stick it to the side of the RV. I purchased 2 RGB LED strings with adhesive back from Home Depot and soldered two together. Even though the light strings came with a power supply with remote, they were 120 to 12 volt conversions. Couldn't have that! Also got a controller with a remote from HD that was 12 volt all the way and was small enough fit in the track. I wired it through the scare light so only a very small length of wiring was exposed. I also i stalled a DPDT switch in the overhead where the scare light wiring enters the coach. That way, I can use either the scare light or LED's independently.

Here are some pics.




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[Silverado23]

Last week I installed LED lighting under the awning at DW's request after she saw them at an RV show. Since I prefer a factory finished look I found an aluminum track that aims down at a 45 degree angle. I also purchased a plastic lens that finishes the track when snapped in. I purchased both at 1000bulbs.com. I used auto body moulding tape to stick it to the side of the RV. I purchased 2 RGB LED strings with adhesive back from Home Depot and soldered two together. Even though the light strings came with a power supply with remote, they were 120 to 12 volt conversions. Couldn't have that! Also got a controller with a remote from HD that was 12 volt all the way and was small enough fit in the track. I wired it through the scare light so only a very small length of wiring was exposed. I also i stalled a DPDT switch in the overhead where the scare light wiring enters the coach. That way, I can use either the scare light or LED's independently.

Great job!

A dab of caulk on the exposed wiring would probably protect it from the weather.

 

[Bogie]

2014 North Trail 32BUDS - Electric Awning that didn't come with LED lights (f...

Great job!

A dab of caulk on the exposed wiring would probably protect it from the weather.

Thanks. I already caulked it but your comment got me thinking. It might be a good idea to put some kind of covering over the cable to protect it from UV. I'll have to look into that.


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[Silverado23]

Re: 2014 North Trail 32BUDS - Electric Awning that didn't come with LED lights (f...

It might be a good idea to put some kind of covering over the cable to protect it from UV. I'll have to look into that.

Its amazing how much protection even a piece of shrink tubing offers for UV protection. I used split loom tubing to cover wires and shrink tubing. Both offer good UV protection over the wires they cover.

 

[Ranchdip]

Re: 2014 North Trail 32BUDS - Electric Awning that didn't come with LED lights (f...

looks great!

 

[Shortest Straw]

Did you decide on a course of action? Am I correct in understanding what you want to do here includes cutting out a hole next to the light to install a box of sorts to hold the controller? I am getting ready to install a strip on mine in a couple of weeks or so. My idea was to screw the controller into the wall inside the kitchen just inside the lip where the door is. Then it will just be a couple of holes to drill over to the channel. I will be tapping into the inside kitchen light for power as it does not shine brightly enough that I use it. My other thought was the same only mounting everything in the front storage and tapping off of a light in there. I am getting rid of both of those lights anyway because our gear shifting around is always turning them on. I have an LED strip ready to install inside the storage bay as well. I am not going to try and do this by installing the lights on the roller. I want to be able to use mine all the time. From experience, this nice fella from Kentucky turned his on for us while we were setting up in the dark. We did not need a flashlight.

 

[Jacknel]

Hi Ranchdip,

As far as I know, Heartland doesn't offer any retrofit kits of any kind for aftermarket install, so I'd assume you're on your own to find and install an exterior LED strip. A lot of people have done their own, running power in various ways. One approach is to run the power wires along the awning arm and through the side wall.

Perhaps other owners can provide some guidance on how they did theirs.

One thing to consider, if you install the LED strip in the roller, so it's inside when rolled up, you could damage the awning material and lights if the light is inadvertently turned ON and left ON.

I just installed a stick on waterproof LED ropelight from LED wholesalers on my Big Country. I stuck it to the bottom edge of the awning track, and although protected by the awning when travelling, it is visible whether the awning is in or out. I was able to run the wire down the awning frame alongside the wire for the awning. I then went in through the sidewall, and was able to fish the wire to the switch panel, and added a separate switch for the awning lights. I was very happy the way it turned out. I have used lights like this before on my Rockwood trailer. They were very trouble free and are quite bright. I used the soft white rather than cool white.