Mod: Dimmer Switches
DETAILS: Dimmer Switches
The LED light strip above the dinette is very bright, and the OEM switch is on/off only. Since day one, I’ve been wishing there was a way to keep the light on, but have it dimmer. This is the solution! While I was at it, I added a total of 7 of these dimmers:: above dinette LED strip, above sink LED strip, bathroom LED, both toe kick light mods that light up the floor, and both valance lights (bedroom and dinette).
LED Strip Light Above Dinette
The physical appearance of this after-market dimmer switch is nearly identical to the original switch with the addition of a dimmer slider. The installation, however, requires adding a ground wire as well as expanding the hole for the switch.
I tapped into the ground (white) wire from the 12v USB outlet above the dinette (see the 5th photo which was an initial test of the circuit). I fished the wire through the false ceiling under the cabinets. The routing of the ground wire was tricky due to the obstacles caused by the cross beams inside the false ceiling.
The hole for the switch can be enlarged by either scoring it with a razor blade or by using a Dremel tool (I opted for the former since the wood is so thin). I taped off the area in case the blade slipped in the cutting process.
The end result is fantastic! The dimmer can be set anywhere you wish along the slider, with full being identical to the original brightness. I would estimate the opposite extreme to be approximately 10% of the full brightness. The dimmer the light, the less power it draws from the battery. There is no flicker or heat of any component, so I don’t see any downside to the mod.
LED Strip Light Above Sink
This dimmer was a much easier install since there are a couple easily accessible ground wires to choose from. The easiest option is to tap into the ground that feeds the LED strip itself. Just follow the black wire that comes from the LED strip and disappears into the small hole above the sink (under the TV, adjacent to the switch). That black (ground) wire from the LED light connects to a Winnebago white ground wire (within inches of the switch, accessible from the switch hole). Alternatively, though more work, you could tap into the ground wire that powers the over-the-air TV antenna box (located directly above the switch).
Either way, use a T-Tap electrical splice connector to connect the chosen ground wire to the black (ground) wire on the switch.
LED Tube Light in Bathroom
I find even the "dim" setting on the OEM switch too bright when taking a shower at night or during any other visit to the bathroom during the night. The dimmer solves this problem! The hardest part is fishing a ground wire. I tapped into the 14 gauge white (ground) wire that feeds the bathroom ceiling light itself. In the J model, you can find this wire by tilting up the portion of the bed closest to the bathroom. While laying on the other half of the bed, you can see all the wires under the bed and reach in relatively easily. You'll see 7 wires going up the backside of the bathroom wall. Two yellow/white pairs and a bundle of 3 yellow wires. The 3 yellow wires go to the bathroom switch (though none of them are ground, so disregard). Choose either one of the two white wires and use a T-Tap electrical splice connector to connect it to the black (ground) wire on the switch. I used my wire noodler kit (link below) to fish a roughly 4' length of wire to the bathroom switch location.
Dimmer Switch: www.amazon.com/dp/B079TJTP1W
Wire Noodler Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXCJSRP