First, thanks to…
mrmercury49 for his description of his DIY light install on a Bambi at
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f29...ml#post2051769
dprvashon for his description of the factory awning light on his 27 FC at
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...-140488-2.html
waninae39 for his response above, even though I went a different route with the wiring
…and the several others for the their posts on this topic on other threads on non-Bambi models.
I was able to tap into the step light circuit by removing the adjacent 120v duplex outlet. Replaced the existing 2-wire Wago connectors with 3-wire connectors to accommodate the new awning light wire.
Fished this wire about 4 feet straight up within the wall to a 5/16” hole drilled in the interior skin behind the access panel for the shower mixing valve. Inserted a plastic snap bushing to protect the wire from being abraded by the aluminum skin.
Made a cutout in the shower valve access panel for an on/off/dimmer switch
Used Wago connectors on the pigtails of the switch; used 2-wire connectors for the power and dimmer, and a 3-wire connector for the grounds.
Prepared the female side of the strip light connector by soldering it onto a length of 18 AWG hookup wire Shrink wrapped the solder connection.
Drilled a 5/16” hole in the exterior skin near the aft end of the awning. Inserted a plastic snap bushing. Fished the hookup wire with the female barrel connector for the light through the cable clam, then through the drilled hole and down about 3 feet behind the shower where there is no interior skin. Took care to disturb the insulation as little as possible. Used a crimp connector to splice in a fuse holder with a 3 amp ATO fuse onto the positive wire to the new light. Then completed the connection to the switch and mounted the cable clam on the exterior.
Used 1/4 split loom on the wiring.
Prepared the light strip by cutting to length with a scissors. The final length was determined by the distance between the rafter arms of the awning (about 12-1/2 feet). Since the strip has side emitting LEDs, it can go on only one way for the lights to illuminate the space under the awning. Since the strip came with the power connector on the opposite side of where my power source was going to be, I cut off the end of the strip with the supplied connector and soldered a new connector to the other end. Capped the non-powered end and sealed with silicone sealant. A wiring cap on the powered end was also sealed with silicone sealant. This left me with a 4 ft strip for another application.
Applied blue tape under the awning to establish the position for the strip light; attached using the double-sided tape supplied with the light strip. Then applied a 1/8” bead of neutral cure GE Silicone II sealant above and below the light strip. *** Yes, I know the use of silicone sealant on Airstreams is considered a sin by many, but I felt it was the only thing that would adhere decently to the silicone casing of the light strip, and I wanted to protect the adhesive tape bond from the elements. A dab of silicone also holds down each end of the strip.
A few post-install thoughts…
I like the fact that the side-emitting LEDs illuminate downward. But with the strip tucked up near the awning for protection, there is a shadow cast by the curvature of the roof that extends about 4 feet out on the ground. This could be reduced by mounting the strip lower down, but it would be less protected by the rolled-up awning.
The strip used is extremely bright at full power; could have made do with a strip less than 36 LEDs per foot, but the lowest setting is perfect for dinner light. At high, it’s at floodlight intensity.
Probably the weakest part of the install is the bond of the strip to the exterior skin. The supplied adhesive tape is 3M branded of unknown type, 1/4” wide. The tape combined with the silicone sealant appear sufficient for the low mass of the strip. Time will tell.
Parts list and pics to follow.
Linear Mode
