Upgraded Lighting -- with dimmer & nightlight

PEIslander · July 19, 2015, 08:53:14 AM

When I ordered our small but mighty Camplite 11FDB in 2012 Livin'Lite's standard interior lights were incandescent. As an upgrade I had the factory install LED lighting throughout. The type I chose was Star Lights Inc. LED fixtures. The feature that appealed to me about their products is they are customizable by adding various optional modules. You can add a dimmer, a motion sensor, a day/night sensor or a nightlight to any of their fixtures. You can add the modules at any time. They also sell various LED arrays so you can get the light output better matched to your needs. As many of us discover brighter isn't necessarily better. The modules are 'smart'. For instance if you installed a motion sensor and a day/night sensor the light would only come on (as expected) when it is dark & motion is detected. Such a setup could work well in a washroom where an automatic light could be handy.

The pic I attach shows the fixture we have over our dinette/bed. It features a dial adjustable dimmer and push-button nightlight modules. The nightlight draws 20 milliamps when illuminated and provides sufficient light to find the toilet in the dark. (The dimmer controls the light itself and not the nightlight). Overall I've been happy with the Star Lights fixtures.

rideandfly · July 19, 2015, 09:09:18 AM

Nice! Really like the dimmer, motion detector, & smart controls!

PEIslander · July 19, 2015, 09:18:12 AM

Apparently the rheostat in the dimmer is optimised for LED lighting and the overall power consumption (dimmer plus bulbs) drops as the fixture is dimmed.

Currently I only have modules added to one of the three cabin fixtures. I can imagine someday adding the dimmer option to the other two fixtures.

Star Lights also make a replacement light for rv porch-light applications. It seems to have lots of interesting features: >>Smart Light 1000<<

Merlin · July 19, 2015, 10:37:00 PM

A dimmer! Of course! The reading lights over the bed in the TBS are too bright and a simple dimmer is just what they need. Mod coming up!

Paul · July 20, 2015, 12:19:54 PM

Nice mod! Wish I had dimmers now!

rideandfly · July 20, 2015, 01:39:00 PM

Quote from: Paul on July 20, 2015, 12:19:54 PM
Nice mod! Wish I had dimmers now!

Me Too!!!!!

gbpack · September 08, 2015, 08:36:30 PM

would a hard wired timer be helpful? I have on in my home kitchen and love it! It turns a few light on and off at selected times. No more coming home to a dark house!

Paul · September 09, 2015, 08:10:58 AM

Quote from: Gbpack on September 08, 2015, 08:36:30 PM
would a hard wired timer be helpful? I have on in my home kitchen and love it! It turns a few light on and off at selected times. No more coming home to a dark house!

Cool that is a nice idea, not sure I would do that in my camper but in my house it could be useful!

Popup2012 · December 29, 2016, 05:47:11 PM

I wonder if you bought the 2 light unit, could you switch out the LED lights that came standard in my 2016 TBS.

Merlin · December 29, 2016, 08:32:22 PM

I bought these dimmers off Amazon and used them in the single light fixtures in my 16TBS. They are inexpensive and work great with full off and nice smooth dimming. The single lights over the beds and the one over the sink are great candidates for dimming, especially those over the beds. The fixtures are original factory, I just added these dimmers and bypassed the original switch. Very easy install. I'll post a photo when I get back in the camper in the light (right now power is disconnected and these winter nights are loooooong).

https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Dimmer-LED-Halogen-Incandescent/dp/B01C4UBLZG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483057577&sr=8-5&keywords=12%2BVolt%2BDC%2BDimmer%2Bfor%2BLED&th=1

Paul · December 30, 2016, 02:22:45 PM

Quote from: Merlin on December 29, 2016, 08:32:22 PM
I bought these dimmers off Amazon and used them in the single light fixtures in my 16TBS. They are inexpensive and work great with full off and nice smooth dimming. The single lights over the beds and the one over the sink are great candidates for dimming, especially those over the beds. The fixtures are original factory, I just added these dimmers and bypassed the original switch. Very easy install. I'll post a photo when I get back in the camper in the light (right now power is disconnected and these winter nights are loooooong).

https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Dimmer-LED-Halogen-Incandescent/dp/B01C4UBLZG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483057577&sr=8-5&keywords=12%2BVolt%2BDC%2BDimmer%2Bfor%2BLED&th=1

That is nice! I found the lights are really bright and would be nice to be able to adjust them

gbpack · December 30, 2016, 10:49:08 PM

Thanks Merlin. This would be a welcome mod to some of the LED lights in our trailer. Look forward to seeing the pictures of the installation once the weather warms up!

MonteD · January 17, 2017, 07:18:01 AM

Merlin thanks for the info on a dimmer, are you saying this dimmer will work on your factory LED light? Our 2015 21BHS came with LED lighting.
MonteD

Merlin · January 17, 2017, 09:25:06 AM

Quote from: MonteD on January 17, 2017, 07:18:01 AM
Merlin thanks for the info on a dimmer, are you saying this dimmer will work on your factory LED light? Our 2015 21BHS came with LED lighting.
MonteD

Yes, they work great. I have one installed in each of single LED fixtures. They could also be installed in the double fixtures, but the wiring would be slightly more complex.

pjcd · January 17, 2017, 02:35:09 PM

Thats great, motion sensor, no more fumbling for the switch in the dark!