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10-26-2016, 10:20 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Docking lamps wiring
I own a 2007 Monaco Knight 40' DFT that is not equipped with docking lights but I would like to add them. I have 2 questions:
1. What would be the best position for these lamps both front and rear?
2. Might I find the coach pre wired for these lamps and if yes, where might I locate the wiring?
Thanks!
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__________________
Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-26-2016, 04:21 PM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,607
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What are you going to do with the docking lights? Are you actually going to BACK into a space at night or are you going to use them to light the area to the side of the coach as you make a sharp turn into an unlit street or drive? Our Tiffin has dock lights that point toward the rear and they are useless for sharp turns into a drive or dark road. I added a set of bright LED side viewing lights and they work great. We seldom back into dark spaces with the rig as we travel with a toad and when on the road do not stay at RV parks.
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10-26-2016, 06:35 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Bellingham, WA
Posts: 272
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I agree with Pigman1, I have them and cannot find a decent use for them. not bright enough to light an area. Have tried to use them when BBQ'ing with little success. I think some nice LED area lights would be a better focus.
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Tom and Gail McKeon
2007 Beaver Contessa 43' Tag CAT C9
2010 Jeep Wrangler,2015 HD "Ultra Limited"on Hydralift
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10-26-2016, 08:21 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tomckeon
I agree with Pigman1, I have them and cannot find a decent use for them. not bright enough to light an area. Have tried to use them when BBQ'ing with little success. I think some nice LED area lights would be a better focus.
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Gentlemen... You make good sense. Though having some extra light while backing up would be nice, having lights to light up the campsite would be more practical/useful. Still, how does one wire these up?
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Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-26-2016, 08:23 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigman1
What are you going to do with the docking lights? Are you actually going to BACK into a space at night or are you going to use them to light the area to the side of the coach as you make a sharp turn into an unlit street or drive? Our Tiffin has dock lights that point toward the rear and they are useless for sharp turns into a drive or dark road. I added a set of bright LED side viewing lights and they work great. We seldom back into dark spaces with the rig as we travel with a toad and when on the road do not stay at RV parks.
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Might you be able to show or identify the side light you purchased and tell me how you wired them in?
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__________________
Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-27-2016, 05:00 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,179
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'06 Endeavor here, so things may be a bit different between the models.
From what I've seen & heard, however, the wiring for each model is pretty-much standard. IOW, if an '07 Windsor could be had with dock lites, you probably will have the wiring as part of the initial build cycle.
My lites are in the lower panel directly in front of the rear wheels, and go to a switch on the driver-side dashboard.
As noted, they do seem to be pretty useless where they're pointing, as they aim out at an angle. Probably be better to install bigger lites, and maybe 180* ones, to illuminate the sides. And a set of 'real' backup lites for reversing into a CG site.
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10-27-2016, 05:03 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,909
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan&Jacquie
Still, how does one wire these up?
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I'd start by seeing if your Knight may have the wires already installed for this service.
Go to your Front Distribution Panel, remove the cover and look for connector C415. It's a six-pin connector on the middle-right, below the relays. The circuit board should be marked "C415 - RELAY INT." Take a pad of paper and write down the colors of the wires and their pin positions in the connector. The "correct" pin numbers are these:
Code:
upper left 6 3
5 2
4 1 lower right
If the wires happen to be white, but have markings on them, write down the markings.
Come back and tell us what you found.
If there are wires in positions 3 and/or 6, then you probably have the wiring in your coach in the area where you want to install side or rear docking lights. Buy matching connectors, wire them to your lights and you'll be done!
__________________
Mark
2008 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30PDD (Ford F-53 chassis)
2009 Honda Fit Sport
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10-27-2016, 05:14 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Quote:
Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1
I'd start by seeing if your Knight may have the wires already installed for this service.
Go to your Front Distribution Panel, remove the cover and look for connector C415. It's a six-pin connector on the middle-right, below the relays. The circuit board should be marked "C415 - RELAY INT." Take a pad of paper and write down the colors of the wires and their pin positions in the connector. The "correct" pin numbers are these:
Code:
upper left 6 3
5 2
4 1 lower right
If the wires happen to be white, but have markings on them, write down the markings.
Come back and tell us what you found.
If there are wires in positions 3 and/or 6, then you probably have the wiring in your coach in the area where you want to install side or rear docking lights. Buy matching connectors, wire them to your lights and you'll be done!
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Thanks so much for some very specific and helpful info. Am laid up now with knee replacement surgery but will get on this in hopefully a few weeks.
Thanks again to all for your insights.
Stan
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Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-27-2016, 05:29 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,607
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Stan and Jacquie, Although not the brand I bought these are very close. Motorcycle LED Light, LED Strobe Light, Motorcycle Underglow, LED strobe, Automotive Accent Light, Underbody Neon Lighting, Indoor LED Lights - XKglow.com
My set came with wire harness, a switch and a power repay. Hooked +12 power to a major tap under the front cap, the relay was zip tied to a convenient bundle and the switch run through the firewall to a blank spot on the dash. The lights were cut into the front cap about 34" off the ground and as far aft as possible.
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10-27-2016, 09:04 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Pigman: Many thanks. I am assuming you use your lights for cornering purposes and/or lighting up your campsite. Your response is most appreciated.
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__________________
Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-27-2016, 09:20 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CA
Posts: 4,452
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You can try this web site for side docking lights. My docking lights came with the coach and are just in front of the rear axle. They are halogen. I'm waiting for one of them to burn out and I'll change either the bulb of the entire fixture to LED. They are pointed rearward.
Products Archive - ITC RV
I also have the lights up high on the rear of coach--again stock lights but they were halogen. I changed the bulbs only out to LED. Much brighter than before, but still not enough light.
I added 2 more LED's under the trailer hitch, facing rearward. They are low enough that they will not blind someone standing behind the coach, but they put out a lot of light.
I got them at m4LED
YF1012-15W-Flood
They are bright. The reason I have so many and so bright is mainly because at home where I keep the coach, I have to back it in the driveway. The driveway is quite narrow, gates at the street, and I have to make an 'S' turn around another gate, avoiding planters and a couple of trees. It is really nice to be able see everything.
__________________
Bill & Brigitte
06 Windsor PEQ, Cummins 400 ISL
2014 Honda CRV or 2012 Jeep
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10-28-2016, 04:34 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,909
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan&Jacquie
Am laid up now with knee replacement surgery but will get on this in hopefully a few weeks.
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While you're laid up you may want to contact Monaco Tech Support (877-466-6226) and ask if they have documentation on CD for your 2007 Knight. You should also ask for CDs for similar HR/Safari models, if they have them, and for copies of your coach's build sheet and original window sticker.
__________________
Mark
2008 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30PDD (Ford F-53 chassis)
2009 Honda Fit Sport
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10-28-2016, 07:11 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 971
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Great ideas..Many thanks!
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__________________
Stan & Jacquie
2007 Monaco Knight DFT 40', 750 watts Solar
2012 Equinox w/Air Force I, Blue Ox Alpha & Base.
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10-28-2016, 02:17 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,607
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Yeah, cornering only. The lights are BRIGHT so if I ever tried to use them to light up a campsite after dark, I expect I'd have some irate neighbors come to see me with their hatchets. (LOL) We do use them pulling out of campsites in the early AM. We like to get on the road 2 hours or so before dawn when trying to make miles. On my setup the lights on both sides come on with the single switch, but once out of the twisty-turneys I double check to be sure that they're off. I expect there's a law someplace about very bright "cornering" lights staying on all the time.
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