RV Modification - LED Light Dimmer Switch

We recently bought a bunch of little fun stuff to gear up the motorhome. I did a video on my YouTube channel about them. I will put them here in my blog each time we install something, step by step:

One of the first items is something that we had already installed in our Safari motorhome years ago.  We liked them so much we decided to get them for this Winnebago View too.

They are 12 volt dimmer switches that are made for LED lights. They are the right size to replace the existing toggle switches that many RV manufacturers use.

We got them from Amazon. Please take note that if you are replacing a 12 volt switch, you need a specific 12 volt dimmer. If it's a 120V AC switch, then almost any household dimmer will work.

Here is the set we ordered from Amazon:

RecPro Dimmer Switch | RV 12V Touch Dimmer Switch | Compatible with LED, Incandescent, or Halogen Bulbs (Double) 

https://a.co/d/06KGTJSU

The bottom plate has two dimmers that are connected. It's made to be a duplex switch on the wall. We did the same last time because it was cheaper to order a duplex and cut it apart than to order two single ones! 

He just carefully cut them apart with a saw without touching any of the green circuit board or the electronics. 

The light switch that we are going to change is this one in the corner underneath the kitchen cabinets. The single switch operates two different strips of LED lights and an LED puck light right over the stove.

The reason why we want to dim this stretch of lights is that they are very bright when we are sitting in the love seat, across from this area looking up at the television over the kitchen sink. The bright lights are just at the right angle to distract vision, especially in the evenings. So for now, we've just been turning them off. 

We would like them to dim for evening watching TV, but also to be bright at times, especially over the cooking area of the stove.

The switches operate by just touching them with the fingertip. There is no toggle or moving parts. It's all by sensor. 

If you touch the center of the switch pad, the light goes on at the exact same setting you left it off at previously. It has a memory. Tap again, and the light goes off. But if you hold your finger over it for a longer span of time, it will gradually increase and then decrease brightness, cycling through the highest and the lowest settings.

They are really pretty nice to have, especially over a sink. That way wet hands are never touching anything really electrical. Just over the sensor hole opening on the cover.

Now he's ready to get to work!! He gathered all of his tools and his multimeter, as well his dialectic grease for every connection or wiring he ever does on the motorhome.

First Step of course is to remove the old switch. It's easy to pop the cover off with a screwdriver.  Then he unscrews the switch itself from the underside of the cabinet.

Before he unplugs anything, the wiring is exposed and he tests it with his multimeter. Now he knows which line is positive in and positive out. Then he will have to dig around to find the ground up inside of the cabinetry.

He set his work light in the cabinet overhead behind the TV. Now he can test the wires up there until he finds the proper ground wire. Because there are three different light fixtures technically joined together, he has to find the right ground for all three lights that has already been used by Winnebago.

He found it now with the multimeter. And then we tagged each line before he turned the power off.  Safety first!

He made all of the proper connections using the spade clips and terminals provided. The ground wires he had to use wire nuts. For every connection he makes, he adds a dab of dialectic grease. Then he wraps each connection with black electrical tape. You have to remember---- this is a house rolling down the road at 60 mph shaking, rattling and rolling. Connections can sometimes work their way loose. The tape helps prevent that.

Once the connections are all complete, he turns on the power just to run a test before tucking all the wires back into the opening.

Yup! Everything works fine. Now it's time to mount the base plate to the underside of the cabinet. 

The surrounding plate snaps into place over and around the touch control module.

It takes up the exact same space that the original switch had covered. A perfect replacement.

TAHHH DAHHHH!!! Look at that! Everything works exactly as it should.

There's another strip of LED lights underneath the cabinetry over the love seat. We are thinking we will put the other switch there.  But for today, our project is done. 

As you know I am trying to grow my YouTube channel of just camping related videos. 

Here's a video that I made of the process step by step: 

Here's the video of all the things that we ordered from Amazon last week. Please like and subscribe?

Stay tuned for the next one!