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Installing a LED Strip on a RV
Part 2 - Power and Control

For the SMD series LED strips, they are all powered by 12VDC. The most basic implementation is to simply wire a switch in series with the LED strip to your RV's battery as shown here:

This is typically what the RV manufacturers do. Optionally, you can wire a RGB LED strip (either SMD5050 or SMD3528) by simply using 3 switches. In this case, the combination of switches you turn on or off will result in "color mixing" of the final color:

The next level in sophistication is a remote control, either wired or wireless. First we will look at wired remote control panels. Similar to the on/off switch, the touch pad remote simply wires into the 12VDC battery system in your RV.

And for tri-color LED strips, a touch panel is also available. Note that some of these touch pads use standard US style junciton boxes, while others use Euro style boxes (86x86x38mm), so make sure you obtain the proper item prior to installation.

Finally, IR and RF remote controllers are available. Often the IR controllers can be purchased with the LED strip as a kit. These can be powered by 120VAC with the included kit power supply, or optionally 12VDC with use of a standard 2.1mm CATV style power connector. There is even an Android/Bluetooth interface controller available for controlling the light strips.

Advanced connectivity. If you wish, you can use a microcontroller, such as an Arduino Uno to power the LED strip. The schematic shown below is only one of the various ways you can use to connect an Arduino to the LED strip. I encourage you to experiment with your own design... afterall, that is the purpose of Arduino, yea?

Note that while the Ardunio schematic shows a purpose-built driver, experienced Arduino experimenters know the same thing can be accomplished with a few MOSFETs. In truth - the "RGB Amplifier" shown above is exactly that - three MOSFETs bundled in a case and circuit board. I present this solution rather than the breadboard MOSFET solution as this is more appropriate for less advanced Arduino experimenters.

Sample Arduino Sketch

 

Typical power requirements. Use the table below to determine the typical current the LED strip will require. For example, for a typical SMD3528 RGB LED strip that is 5M (16ft) long, will require approx 0.96A per color. If you use more than one color simultaneously - for example white, which requires all thee colors, then you are going to consume about 3Amps of DC current.

LED Type Amps per ft - per color.
SMD3528 30mA (0.03A)
SMD5050 60mA (0.06A)

And as expected, the typical SMD3520 will typically take less current as it is a lower power LED.

 

Powering multiple LED strips. Care must be taken to ensure enough current reaches all LED devices. When powering a single 5M/16ft strip, this is not usually an issue, and you can simply power the strip at the connection. However, when you start using multiple strips, this can become a problem, especially if you notice LEDs at the end of the string having a lower brightness intensity than LEDs near the source.

Two things must typically be done to alleviate this symptom. First, ensure you are using a wire size sufficient to minimize series DC voltage drop, as this can be an issue. You can find an extensive discussion on this topic here: High Power DC Wiring Considerations.

Second, consider "center tap power" for the strips. This will also minimize the voltage drop along the strip (note: this will only work with the SMD series strips, but not WS28xx).

 


Project video.

 


 

There are literaly hundreds of different controllers available on the market. The controllers shown below are only a fraction of what is available. You may wish to explore a bit to find just the right one for your needs.

        

        


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Last reviewed and/or updated Apr 9. 2019