Custom affordable caravan awning LED lights
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
- I've made some custom awning lights for the caravan awning. using LED strips these would also work well in any RV, Motorhome pull-out shade or air awning.
** LIST UPDATED **
Many of the suppliers of the parts have either stopped supplying or are out of stock. The list has been updated, but the costs may vary slightly.
Here is the shopping list :
▶ Acrylic tube (20mm x16 BORE )
amzn.to/2kjgfdt
▶ LED Strip
amzn.to/2DQzaWw
▶ Foam Board
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▶ End Caps
goo.gl/2Gim0O
▶ Cables
amzn.to/2jOPhd3
▶ Sockets
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▶ Mains adaptor
amzn.to/2jwwyTe
Thank you. I don't know what you do for a living but if it doesn't involve demonstrations or training, you should look at that. One of the best and clearest instructional videos I've seen. Well done
Thank you Stephen,
Thats very kind of you, and I'm glad this video has inspired you. No, i don't work in training or demonstration - I work in IT, so sat in front of the laptop for 10 hours a day !
Take care
Dan
Thanks Dan. Great idea I've made up four 1m lights now with 50/50 led strip and also a remote controlled light dimmer so i can vary the light output and turn them on and off. Total cost was under £40 with the light strip, dimmer (which fits in the tube behind the foam board), the power brick and the connectors coming from Ali express.
Fantastic - Well done
Dan
i was just going to add the same comment funnily. if you buy the dimmable strip lights
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252832124865
and add the remote dimmer
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111706609553
it will function exactly the same as the Kampa sabres
Hi Dan, I’ve just treat myself to a new van and air awning and being a tight fisted Yorkshireman I’ve made up a couple of lights as per your video. However I didn’t stop there, when we’re on a hard standing we cannot use the garden type led lights to illuminate the approach to the caravan, so staying close to your method I found some clear water pipe in the garage which made me think a flexible light. The way that I made this able to keep its shape was to fix the led strip to a length of 2.5mm twin and earth the end with the electric connection just glued in and the other end filled with clear silicon sealer. Thanks for the idea!,
Yet another good video, you may have a career in the media industry.I have thought that this was a good idea for a while and so glad you've saved my limited brain cells from over heating. Regarding mounting, we have some clips that are intended to hold our walking poles together, think they'd be ideal.
Great video once again. We use the RGB strips as Christmas lights and background lighting in the MH. Just a suggestion but have a dig around the garden centre, we found some white plastic clips, S shaped but with one end flattened. I think they could be just what you are looking for. I have found with the RGB lights that the IR ones can interfere with the TV control and the RF ones get annihilated by V/UHF signals from my radio gear. Thanks for the video. Dave
Afternoon Dave, Thank you. we used the RGB ones on the previous install. to be honest we never really liked the colour, i know you can create any colour you want, but they just looked terrible. and yes - They changed colour ALOT when channel hopping ;-) So, having used these LEDs in the caravan (when i created the pelmet lighting) we really liked the warm colour.
Thanks for the tip on the S clips - i will have a look after Christmas - it's a bit of a war zone out there right now ;-)
If i don't speak before - have a lovely Christmas.
Dan
:-) Merry Christmas to you and yours also. We will be away in the MH as usual over the holidays to get away from the war zones :-)
Great way to light up the awning Dan, I'm not much of a D.I.Y er but I would feel confident at trying this after watching your video. Best wishes to you and your family for the festive season
Regards Jon & family
I have something similar in my shed i just use cable ties. Great video Dan.
I thought about cable ties, but I'm thinking of a bungee loop idea. lots of options - and plenty of time to try ideas out.
take care
Dan
velcro straps?
Yep i think thats what im going with. Ive purchased up some 15mm wide strap - will see how it works.
Dan try Velcro for temporary and adjustable mounting. Great instructions thank you
Another great vid, I've used the same LED lights inside our van :-)
Hi Stuart, yes - i really like these LEDs - I've used them in our van too. I made a pelmet light set up, they supply a lot of warm light around the van.
Thanks
Dan
Great idea Dan. It could be used in so many other places too.
Gret Vid Dan, i see the start of a cottage industry for you. You could sell these on Ebay !!
Thank you Steven,
I cant see many people wanting to buy one of these - but hopefully it will inspire plenty of folks to have a go...
Take care
Dan
Nice tutorial. I like to make my own bits and bobs and this looks like a nice project for the future. Did you consider running them straight from the 12v system rather than using a mains power supply?
great video very useful we have just purchased awning lights of eBay and got a great deal very powerful. have a great Christmas and Happy new year to all the family xxxxxx
Great video Dan. Thanks. I’ll certainly be looking at this.
Hi Dan , great video ,I’m going to have a go at making these. A lot of the pages no longer work as I guess the sellers have stopped trading. hopefully I will still manage to locate the items.
Ignore the first part, all the links seem to work now apart from the LED page.
Thanks again for the idea
Ken
fantastic video. Wish I'd seen this before I bought my kampa sabre kit
Top man,look forward to watching more of your videos....I came up with a very similar idea for my campervan
Brilliant Video Dan.
great video Dan. Would love to see your pelmet set up in the van and how you did it. Thanks Jon
well done very informative,very helpful,good stuff,
Fantastic idea. Thank you I'm going to try this too.
Hi Dan and Family, Just subscribed to your channel, catching up on loads of videos, great to watch and answer many questions. Thank you. We haven't got a Caravan but a Folding Camper so some things are relevant. And for those that are not aware what a FC is compared to a tailor tent (TT) a TT is where you use guy lines to hold everything in, FC doesn't... imagine a caravan cut in half then a canvas for a roof :-)
I assume as the power supply you have used in this video, it doesn't matter about the polarity of the power supply that you used? Some transformers have the outer part as positive (+) and the inner is negative (-) other can have it reversed?
Thanks again
Very natty. Like those. Didn't think much of chops carol singing!
Hi Dan. This looks good, do you still use these lights? Do they work as well as expected? Anything you would change? Ps your link is no longer working.
Regards Chris
awesome idea there dan thanks
Hi Dan. I've finished the LED lights, what im going to do is create a video, not of the making but to show the finished project. i will add a link to your video here if thats ok? i am going to make a few videos of the caravan etc for the future, as you said in your Do me a favour video. its been fun. thanks again Neil
Neil Haywood brilliant stuff !! I've got a couple more LED based videos yet to come out and a couple more "home made" videos too. Are you happy with the finished lights? Can't wait to see them and what was your final bill??
Hi Dan I made three in total, worked out to around £12 per light. i did put two connectors on each of the longer ones. i know they are in series, but easier to connect together. i will try and make the video this week. quick question, have you ever fitted an exterior socket to a caravan. ive seen your video replacing one in the wet box, but wondered if you had fitted one to the exterior itself? we have just bought a Sprite Alpine 4 and it doesn't have one fitted. so im considering fitting one to the awning side of the van.
Hi Neil, no never fitted one. Although it doesn't look difficult, I would personally get someone in to cut the hole & feed the socket back to the consumer / fuse box etc.
Not much help - sorry.
Dan
you can buy a Bulfinch, fully water proof for around £32, i dont have a problem with electrics, i'm qualified like you say, its the hole you only get one shot.
Hi great video I'm going to make mine up tomorrow but could you tell me what size cable you used or is it just speaker wire thanks steve
Hi Stephen, yes for the connection from the plug to the LED strip is small grade speaker or bell wire. Nothing special.
Good luck, let me know how you get on.
Dan
Hi Dan I know I am 6 months late but I just watched your video, well done you. I have a question for you regarding how the LED strip is cooled? I could not see any air holes for heat dissipation. Does this cause a problem with the longevity of the strip?
best wishes and keep em coming.
Hi Colin, no need for cooling holes or heat management, they simply do not generate any heat to worry about.
I hope that helps.
Dan
Thanks.
Very well done!
Great video again well done!!!
Thank you
take care
Dan
Great video. I'm in the process of making some of these. One question, how do you get 970mm out of two pieces cut from A3 foam board when they are only 420mm long? Did you add an extra piece or use longer than A3 boards? Regards, Neil
Hi Neil, great to hear you're making up a set. Looks like I made a slight error here, I was using A2 in the filming, but to be fair I have just made up a set with A3 sized board and I simply divided the 970mm by 3 when they are in the tube, you can't tell that they are divided, in fact they stay straighter.
Hope that helps. Let me know how you get on !
Take care
Dan
The Trudgians . Hi Dan that's exactly what I have done. Will let you know how they go once I have them assembled. I only need two in my air awning so I thought I would add two sockets to one and daisy them together. Best regards Neil . Ps keep up the great work with the videos.
Brilliant again. Thank you.
Did you purchase 3 mains adapters, i.e. 1 for each light,
You could, with the correct joining wire and end caps, daisy chain the three lights,
You could also power them from 12v,
Still very good, cheap enough it seems a shame not to make some
Hi Mark, i didn't show the wiring loom, but yes they run in parallel, all wires come from one end. Also the loom i have made up includes a key fob style remote switch so you can easily switch the lights on and off from a key remote. It runs from 1 12v adaptor that comes from the wet locker. I will show this in more detail when we next have the awning up & you can see it in situ.
The KeyFob remote added £6 to the cost of the build.
I hope that helps.
Dan
great video, where did the tubes come from, I have all the other necessary components
Hi Adam, have a look in the video description for a full shopping list, The tubes I got from eBay :
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLEAR-ACRYLIC-PERSPEX-PLASTIC-TUBE-BAR-HOLLOW-5mm-6mm-8mm-10mm-12mm-15mm-20mm-/272011079162?var=570827844855&hash=item3f551fadfa:m:mdf1SIPaN2b3dM_tKV26YyA
I hope that helps.
Dan
The Trudgians cheers will take a look,
I have this afternoon made two 1m strips for our awning. When my Son saw them he asked me where I bought them 8-)
Brilliant !
Good work sir,
Take care
Dan
Brilliant 👍🏻👌🏻
a good video, but you didnt who how you connected the 5 tubes together. I am guessing you dont have 5seperate plugs
Hi Kevin, have a look at this video, i discuss the wiring harness further. ua-cam.com/video/A5-9d_PbXWA/v-deo.html
did I miss the bit where we get to see them in action?
Hi. what is needed to link the lights together like you can the Kampa Sabres? i already have the kampa ones for my awning but am tempted to make some of these up for under chassis lighting for when pitched up. And yes im sure it will annoy some neighbours lol
Hi Paul, you could simply add another socket on the other end of the tube and plug the Kampa ones into that. That would work well, or if they are in a different area, simply run another lead to your new lights etc.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Im still confused how you worked out your costs Dan.........the 20 x 16(bore) acrylic tubes are £11.99 each, the kits i have made, i estimate have cost me £23.97 for the first light (with inline switch and adapter), and £19.03 for each light thereafter. The adapter alone on Ebay is £4.94
Hi Nick, The total cost for me was £39.85 - that was my total outlay on this project to create what you saw in the video. I have (as you have seen) added some bits to the setup. The big issue is the original supplier has since stopped selling the 1M lengths of the acrylic tubes -
I have tried to be proactive in finding a new supplier and updating the links to the kit in the description below. I have found some new sources and suppliers who will not be so volatile on stock levels (i hope) sadly the price has increased slightly to £42 for 3 strip lights.
I hope that helps, I just saw the pics of your lights - they look great, you've done an excellent job !!
Take care
Dan
I found a supplier now ... what price did you pay for 1M? ..... also what width to cut the foam board ? I assume 16mm right ?
Hi Nick, all the parts i used are listed in the description of the video. I just checked and you're right it seems they have stopped selling the 1M lengths now. If I recall I spent around £8 (this was some time ago)
as for the foam board, yes cut it to 16mm. The thickness will stop it from moving around.
Hope that helps.
Dan
please can you tell us how to get to the top of the pump to refit the pipe after repair on a c250 cassette toilet. Thanks!
Hi Julie,
The pump is accessed from inside the cavity. Have a look at this document, (page 8) it shows how you can access the pump and specifically the pipework above the pump. www.thetford.pl/serwis/naprawa_toalety/C250.pdf
I hope this helps.
Dan
Hi Dan, The thing is these photos are being taken with the toilet fully accessible. We can't fix the pump back on because there is no room for the pipe and a hand to fix it back together. Do you go in from the top inside the caravan? If so how does the toilet come apart to reveal the top where the pump fixes? Thanks for any help.
Hi Julie, to access the pump you can get this from inside the compartment, use a mirror to look straight up, you should see 2 blue fingers, that need to be gently pulled apart to allow the pump to be released.
Have a go with that to start, see if you can release the pump down and if you can gain access to the pipe work (you should be able to)
If not, the other route is from the inside, but thats another story !!
Take care
Dan
Dan, I mistakingly ordered 100mm from the eBay supplier, my mistake I should have ordered 1000mm, but he does not sell 1000mm ?
Nick G is this the acrylic tubing can I ask what site as I'm struggling to source any cheers
Hi Matt, I've just noticed that supplier isn't selling the 1M length anymore, i will see where I can source some from.
Take care
Dan
Try eBay number 272045615671 at the bottom 20mm x 16mm bore
Perfect thank you Nick.
Dan
The Trudgians cheers Dan really struggling to find the tubing
Hi Dan just watched your video for the awning lights magic,You mentioned in a reply that you have sourced a new supplier for the 20mm acrylic tubes, can you tell me who it is please.
The LED strip link is dead
Nice vid Dan. I love LED lights.
I was thinking you could use plastic spring clips like these - r.ebay.com/9tlwGt to attach the tubes to the poles, you can get them in 20mm and 25mm which is what your poles look to be, then just glue them together.
Nice one Dan.
Great video tutorial, I saw you have added a keyfob remote but didn't know if you had seen these on ebay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152236872287 as an alternative. They appear to be the same as Kampa use and provide dimming control, admittedly not as handy as a keyfob though.
Hi Steve, thanks for watching. No i haven't used one of those. Instead i opted for something like this : www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-10A-1CH-Channel-Wireless-on-off-Relay-Remote-Control-Switch-RF-315MHz-UK-/131867599587?hash=item1eb3ebe2e3:g:ktIAAOSwfZhXNanB
The one you have show looks great, though - so I might just get one of those and see how well they work. Thanks for sharing !
Take care
Dan
HI.DAN JUST STARTED 5 LIGHTS FROM YOUR VIDEO.ANYONE HAVING PROBLEMS LOCATING THE TUBING.TRY THE CLEAR PLASTIC SHOP.THE OLD BAKE HOUSE SYDNEY ST., CHESTERFIELD I HAVE JUST PAID £17 FOR 5 1000MM X20MM OD 16MM ID WITH 2MM WALL AS I LIVE IN CHESTERFIELD I WAS ABLE TO COLLECT BUT THERE IS A POSTAGE CHARGE HOPE YOUR FOLLOWERS FIND THIS HELP FULL .ERIC GREEN.
eric green just for anyone who is interested this is their website. Very reasonably priced.
clearplastictube.co.uk