Replacing Indirect Lighting under ceiling accent wood panel - 05 Patriot

[Al Anderson]

Mike,  We replaced the indirect lights in our 2002 and the lights looked very similar to yours before we replaced them.  I ordered mine from Amazon, (LE 12V LED Strip Light, Flexible, Waterproof, SMD 2835, 16.4ft Tape Light for Home, Kitchen, Under Cabinet and More, Daylight White).  We purposely went with a whiter look since mine glowed almost a gold color before we replaced the strips.  They were easy to wire in once we had our panels down and they gave our rig a better light color balance in our estimation.  Amazon does offer yellower shades if you prefer too.

If you want a picture, I would be happy to take one tonight.

[Michael Hannan]

Hello Mike.  How did you connect the 12v from the old lights to the new LED strips?  I have the RBG & IR remote control box for the light strip too.
Thanks

MJ

Okay - will post some tonight. 

Here are a couple - this LED strip has a RF remote that changes to 6 colors and is dimmable. It also has a party/strobe mode - which wife and I can not stand for more than 5 seconds.


The ceiling panel looks crooked in the photos, but it is sitting straight and level.
I must have been holding the camera-phone at an angle.

[Bill Lampkin]

You can solder 22 ga wire to the tiny solder pads on the LED strips, if you have a steady hand and the patience of Job; or you can use these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NNYCX7X/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07NNYCX7X&pd_rd_w=o1KIh&pf_rd_p=48d372c1-f7e1-4b8b-9d02-4bd86f5158c5&pd_rd_wg=GW8aI&pf_rd_r=SFXJPW8TV3Q46YQ196GR&pd_rd_r=db3c5d29-019c-4744-a283-97a7876c6a5f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMDhRRE43VzMxREFJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjIxNTk3MTJMSkZKRFA1Skg5QSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTU4OTUwMTJZTUVNSjk1MEkyMSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Note: Your connector must be the same width as your strip (8 or 10mm) and must be either waterproof or non-waterproof, to match your LED strip.

I tried the white suitcase-type connectors, they are designed so the LED strip slips under a metal wiper on the connector. The ones above in my link actually have little spikes that puncture the tiny copper pads on the LED strip, a much better connection than the white suitcase style. I just used both types when I added LED strip lights to the front cab area of my Motorhome. I wound up using a 5050 LED strip (tape) and the puncture-type connectors (10mm to match my LEDs). I could not get the suitcase style to work, and my soldering hand is not what is once was.

[Mike Shumack]

I used the same wires that were powering the original ceiling accent lighting. On my Coach, there are two wires (12V + and ground) located at the end closest to kitchen that power the factory accent lighting. The LED strips have a plug on the end and comes with an adapter that has the 12V leads you connect to.

I dropped the ceiling trim piece using a drywall lift to support the weight of the panel while I lowered it to a working height  (the '06-up models have a hinged ceiling panel). Once the trim piece is lowered a couple inches you can easily reach the power wires for the factory accent lighting and unplug them, then lower it another two feet or so to allow the new led lighting to be installed. The led strips I bought have a 3m tape on the back but I also used the plastic support L-clips spaced about 6 inches that are sold separately (I wouldn't trust the tape alone to stay stuck to wood, but even if that is all you used and it came undone, the led strips are still out of sight on the backside of the ceiling trim panel). 

Also, there is a "receiver unit" that is controlled by the wireless remote. I mounted the receiver in the pantry closet which is the backside of where the factory accent light switch is located. So power goes to the factory switch, come out of that and powers the receiver. Power out of the receiver unit then goes through the factory wires to the accent light.
No soldering or running new wires required.

[Michael Hannan]

Thanks Mike.  I didn't get any adapters with my lights.  But I can track one down and attach it.  This is the IR and power module I got along with a remote.

I used the same wires that were powering the original ceiling accent lighting. On my Coach, there are two wires (12V + and ground) located at the end closest to kitchen that power the factory accent lighting. The LED strips have a plug on the end and comes with an adapter that has the 12V leads you connect to.

I dropped the ceiling trim piece using a drywall lift to support the weight of the panel while I lowered it to a working height  (the '06-up models have a hinged ceiling panel). Once the trim piece is lowered a couple inches you can easily reach the power wires for the factory accent lighting and unplug them, then lower it another two feet or so to allow the new led lighting to be installed. The led strips I bought have a 3m tape on the back but I also used the plastic support L-clips spaced about 6 inches that are sold separately (I wouldn't trust the tape alone to stay stuck to wood, but even if that is all you used and it came undone, the led strips are still out of sight on the backside of the ceiling trim panel). 

Also, there is a "receiver unit" that is controlled by the wireless remote. I mounted the receiver in the pantry closet which is the backside of where the factory accent light switch is located. So power goes to the factory switch, come out of that and powers the receiver. Power out of the receiver unit then goes through the factory wires to the accent light.
No soldering or running new wires required.

[Mike Shumack]

Your kit looks to be a little different than mine. I expect you could install the receiver unit up under the ceiling trim panel along with the lights (if the receiver is thin enough) - then you can do all your wiring in one place.
I put the receiver (power supply unit) in the pantry so I could split off there and run some led lights under the lower kitchen cabinets too.

[Bill Lampkin]

The LED strips that I put in my cab area total about 14.5' in length. Once I ran the first strip, I had a pretty good voltage drop in that first 6+ feet of LEDs. Voltage at the end of the first strip dropped to 11.9 v. So I ran a parallel run of 22 ga wire from my 12v source to the start of the second LED strip (middle of cabinets behind windshield).

Here is the remote and receiver I used (15a!)

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/single-color-dimmer-switches/single-color-led-controller-wireless-rf-remote-w-dynamic-modes/3697/6723/