Community Forums

scharfm · 02-11-2016, 07:50 PM

When I go to relax at night and watch some tv, it seems that my new Winnebago Sightseer MH living area is little too bright with just about any LED lights on. I'm looking to either change out the bulbs, or better yet, install a dimmer. I've checked out the JR Products 12185 on Amazon and am leaning that way. I've read a few reviews and heard about grounding issues (common bus vs direct to light ground) and LED bulb type (some dim well, some don't) compatibility concerns.

Just wondering if anyone has gone down this road and interested in hearing about successes and failures. I will likely want to install 2-3 of these and it would be nice to know what I'm getting myself in to.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 02-12-2016, 04:49 AM

scharfm-

I looked at the product you named and the description says "Not recommended for LED use."

Superbrightleds.com carries dimmers. Here's a link to a search results page on their site for 12V dimmers.

As you point out, the LED lights must be dimmable as well. Not all are.

I did install dimmers when I rebuilt our coach's fluorescent fixtures for LED "tubes." In that case, a dimer replaced the rocker switch on each light. I didn't attempt multi-fixture dimming.

Sportech · 02-12-2016, 05:30 AM

I just went thru this on my 2007 Revolution conversion from florescent to LED. First you need to remove the switch and see if you have a ground wire at the switch. Mine only had a 12v wire that was switched as the each light had its own ground. I ended up putting a dimmer at each light that was fixed at 10v. It was just enough to make my wife happy. A toggle switch allowed full on, about half brightness and off. Still had the wall switch to turn all the lights off on a given circuit. I made them myself using a voltage limiter chip that you can buy at most good electronics stores or order from China.

If you have a ground wire at your wall switch, chances are you'll be able to get a wall dimmer. ITC has a nice one for about $30.

Dave

scharfm · 02-12-2016, 06:48 AM

Yes, I see I listed the wrong product number; it should have been 15215. I'll do some shopping on the link you provided. Without knowing the manufacturer of the LEDs I want to dim, this could be trial and error. Also, I need to remove my switch to inspect the wiring before I order. Sounds like my concerns are real. Thanks.

wa8yxm · 02-12-2016, 07:58 AM

There are two ways to dim LED lights. one is to reduce the voltage, this only works with elected lights and is very tricky.

The other is PWM modulation of the power.. Basically you chop the DC into On/Off pulses say 1,000 times a second, and vary the width of the ON segment.. This means the light is not on all the time so it appears dimmer... That works well and messes up radios, televisions, audio systems and other things for, in some cases, quite a distance (please do not park next to me with those). Just so you know.

In short, no easy soultion.

PbdBlue · 02-12-2016, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

There are two ways to dim LED lights. one is to reduce the voltage, this only works with elected lights and is very tricky.

The other is PWM modulation of the power.. Basically you chop the DC into On/Off pulses say 1,000 times a second, and vary the width of the ON segment.. This means the light is not on all the time so it appears dimmer... That works well and messes up radios, televisions, audio systems and other things for, in some cases, quite a distance (please do not park next to me with those). Just so you know.

In short, no easy soultion.

PWM can be an issue but not always if it's well filtered. I have used it in the past with success. The big problem is that you need access to the - (ground) leg of the LED and you will find that in most motorhomes the grounds are daisy chained from one fixture to the next.

frede · 02-12-2016, 03:34 PM

I'd love to find a dimmer that would fit in my wall sconce lights. I upgraded them to LED but they're way to bright, especially in the bedroom.

bduck100 · 02-17-2016, 06:31 PM

Just bought thor 2014 sw33 and the led lights are too bright. The lights create very little heat so I decided to cut paper towel the size of the light cover and place in side the cover. This dampens the light perfectly. There are probably better products but the concept works great. BD

**NLOVNIT** · 02-17-2016, 07:44 PM

As others have stated, being able to successfully dim LED's in an RV can be difficult. We pondered long on how to upgrade to LED's yet still be able to have relaxing evening "TV viewing" lighting. LED lights are great for reading & such, but no so much for winding down at the end of the day. Making them dim was more work than we wanted to tackle, so instead, we have a couple nice, small table lamps with standard 25watt incandescent bulbs in them that I put an add-on inline dimmer switch on the cord. You can buy the dimmers at any home improvement store. Between those & the night lights I have scattered about, it works well. If I want a little extra light, I turn on the nightlight option on the stove hood.

I know this doesn't solve the dimming LED issue, but it's a nice option for a homey feeling.

Lori-

alvo · 02-17-2016, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bduck100

Just bought thor 2014 sw33 and the led lights are too bright. The lights create very little heat so I decided to cut paper towel the size of the light cover and place in side the cover. This dampens the light perfectly. There are probably better products but the concept works great. BD

Baking parchment would probably be a better choice. At least it's heat resistant.