Install Amber LED Sidelight on Trailer

Michigan_Mike

I recently retrofitted and upgraded my side porch lights on my Silver Shadow and since the T@B units also have these lights I thought I would share my write-up and instructions I posted on the Little Guy forum.  These are very nice looking lights, but (in my opinion) are too bright and DO attract bugs over to the trailer.  This retrofit modification is easy and the hardest part is getting the chrome side cover off the light.  So with that said, I took some photographs and wanted to preserve this in time in an effort to help others out down the road.

Tools/Accessories for retrofit:

This image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.

  

LED Light bulb from Amazon:  1156 Amber LED Bulbs
Socket is available here:          Single Contact Bayonet Base Socket

Note - The above items can be found online at places like Amazon, etc.  or possibly at your local auto parts store. 

Installation Instructions

1.  Remove cover on side "porch" light.
(a.) Install some painters tape around area between chrome cover and clear lens to protect trailer paint.
(b.) Use a thin screwdriver (lower right-hand corner) between chrome cover and clear lens to gently pry up on chrome cover upwards and remove the cover from side tabs (see "tabs" in lower photo).  
(c.)  Remove (4) screws and remove plastic lens cover.  



2.  Remove light reflector & bulb assembly
(a.)  Loosen screws as shown below and remove (1) screw from strap that secures wiring.  
(b.)  Fixture should now be hanging in clear and ready for removal.  



3.  Cut supply wires to light socket/remove socket screws
(a.)  Snip wires off as close as possible on backside of old light assembly.
(b.)  Slide white covers up and away from ends of wires.  
(c.)  Unscrew old screws on light socket and discard old slight & socket (or discard former LED assembly).



4.  Fabricate/Refurbish Plastic Light Assembly as follows:  

This image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.

(a.)  Using a pair of metal wire snips -  carefully snip off old light socket holder just below screw holes.  
           
Note:  Fixture should look similar to photo below:


     
    
(b.)  "Score"  (indent with wire snips) new bayonet style socket at point noted in photo below.
Use pliers to grip and hold support arm of new socket, while gently bending bracket (back & forth) to break       metal eye off opposite end of socket.  Remove the round/threaded piece and discard.   

      

     
(c.)  Splice wires together and slide mesh sleeve covers over splices.  

     

     
(d.)  Re-install deflector and carefully drill a small hole (shown below) through light deflector, position wires and install small tie-strap (see photo below) to secure wires in place.    

NOTE:   For LED fixtures without a deflector, you could easily fabricate one from a small piece of aluminum or tin.  

     


4.  Re-install fabricated mount/light deflector hood, mounting screws and wire strap screws on light mounting plate.  Your installation should look similar to photo below.  LED light gives off minimal heat so this will not be an issue.  

This image has been resized to fit in the page. Click to enlarge.

5.  Test light (flip switch inside trailer) and re-install clear plastic lens cover onto mounting base plate.  



6. Install chrome cover over lens cover and snap into place.  

Note:  Light assemblies may vary, but with some planning and forethought you should be able to adapt an amber light suitable for your application.   The current LED fixtures installed on the Little Guy units can be modified and a light deflector could be added since these lights do not have them installed.  And since the LED lights give off minimal heat, if you do some prior testing, a deflector might not be necessary.  

Nomad

Wow - Detailed

RZRBUG

Excellent writeup, Mike.   Will definitely help me finish my project.  I don't see it mentioned, but it appears you have drilled a hole in the bayonet socket near where you cut it off and used a screw from the deflector support to mount the socket.  Genius solution to holding the new socket in place.

Michigan_Mike

Actually I was able to use the existing bracket Larry.  In the photo below I used my wire snips to clip off the old socket bracket and used the screw hole closest to it to hold the bayonet socket tight and in place.  This bracket worked out nicely as it mounts atop posts that the screws go into.  

I sent this on to the factory to show them that it's an easy fix.  I believe that their supplier could make these brackets up as they went from an incandescent light to the current "white" LED light that attracts bugs.  With some modifications you now have a light that is useful and will help keep the bugs down.  I never used either porch light because of the bug attraction issue.  I will use it now and won't feel bad about leaving it on more at night when camping.  

RZRBUG

I think I understand that, Mike.  Thanks.  Since I haven't received my socket base yet, I was wondering about the hole and whether it was already there, or if you had to drill it.  My previous comment was about how clever it was to use this hole to mount the socket base to the bracket that was already there. Please delete this post if it is incorrect or misleading.   

Michigan_Mike

The hole was already in the light bracket I purchased and I was able to use an existing screw hole (in the white plastic light bracket) to secure the new metal socket in place.  Worked like a champ!  

ChanW

I found a good  selection of LED bulbs that would fit the existing socket, online. Installed the dimmest one, and also applied aluminum foil tape on the top side of the plastic bezel, to limit the lit area to only around the doorway. 

I like it dark :-)

Michigan_Mike

I agree that a lower light level is desirable.... The fixtures I have mounted to the side of both of my trailer doors had a small incandescent light that was obnoxiously bright and the bugs were always at my doorstep within seconds. I know that there are a ton of these incandescent fixtures out there (my trailer is a 2014 model) and they were mounted on the Little Guy units and are on T@B units. While looking around on the Internet and after running this by others on the forum (and after I ordered my amber lights) I have found that there are also some smaller amber lights available on the market.

Here is an example:  

CIPA Amber LED Replacement Bulbs 3157

mdimdi

So bugs were still coming around with white LED bulbs? Most of the research I have done says that LED bulbs don't emit the UV that attracts bugs. The pest control guy here at work said the same thing. Have you had different results?

ChanW

In springtime northern NM, the (tiny fuzzy) bugs were attracted to our LED lights (the inside lights).

ChanW

I like your amber light idea here Mike. I don't know that I saw an amber one available when I replaced mine.

Michigan_Mike

mdimdi said:

So bugs were still coming around with white LED bulbs? Most of the research I have done says that LED bulbs don't emit the UV that attracts bugs. The pest control guy here at work said the same thing. Have you had different results?

The pest control guy is wrong as I have an LED in the galley and they are attracted to it and I have LED lanterns and they love those lights too.  

I did change over to the dual and more subtle white/blue LED galley light that I had a difficult time getting from the factory.  Some research has been performed and since the LED lights emit a blue light they are more attracted to these types of lights than the incandescent or sodium styled lights.  

I had to do some looking to find the amber colored LED lights and only time will tell how effective the lights are, but they should be better than the white LED colored lights.  

mdimdi

Wow, that is good to know. I almost switched all the outside lights to led to keep bugs away.  that would have been bad. That article said they are still attracted to yellow lights too. I guess you can not avoid those things. 

Thanks. 

Michigan_Mike

Depending on the hatch you will get bugs regardless.  But the BRIGHT incandescent lights on my trailer were always an open invitation for any insects in the area.  I'm confident that I'll reduce this attraction 3-fold and will actually be able to use my sidelights for once, as opposed to just having (beautiful looking) mounted fixtures and never using them.  I'm excited actually and couldn't be happier how this project shook out...  

JandJ92010

Great job Mike, I had a idea though, next time you talk to someone at the factory could you ask them to check with they're supplier and see if they can get amber lenses for these fixtures? Would be a lot easier to change out. THANKS!

Michigan_Mike

JandJ92010 said:

Great job Mike, I had a idea though, next time you talk to someone at the factory could you ask them to check with they're supplier and see if they can get amber lenses for these fixtures? Would be a lot easier to change out. THANKS!

I did send the write-up to the factory and asked Scott Hubble about it this morning.  He said that he sent the write-up to one of his lead employees and that he is working with the manufacturer and that it is a work in progress.  If I hear any updates I will post them up to the forum.

Thanks

Verna

By the way, Mike, the amber lens is available in the lighting industry, because Camping World does have an amber lens on an outside light fixture in their current catalog. Nope, don't know where they got it, but it's there. 

Michigan_Mike

Do they make one for the fixture that the factory mounts on the LG's and T@B units?   

Verna

It looks the same Mike. I'm not near the laptop to send you a link.

JandJ92010

I just looked on the manufacturers web site,(www.kaperii.com) found the fixture, but no mention of an amber lens. Seems silly not to have one, would be so easy to make.

Michigan_Mike

The fixture is different and they do not currently make an amber lens.  Marvin is currently working with them to come up with a conversion similar to what I have done above.  

Verna

Yup, I looked at the lamps in person at the Camping World store this afternoon, and they are rectangular, not oval like the ones that Little Guy uses.  Sorry 'bout that.   But, Camping World does have replacement lenses for the rectangular ones.

sgttiki

I'm not an expert on bugs, or anything else, but here's a suggestion regarding an "amber" outside, porch light. There may be a simple way to make the "clear" lens into a translucent amber, red, blue, or whatever.

Hobby shops sell brush-on translucent paints for plastics models. I have brushed it on clear lenses to create amber, or red, blue lenses. Sometimes, I brushed on more than one coat to create a darker look. Unfortunately, I don't remember the manufactures name, but a good hobby supply house should know.

Also, Testors spray paint made "candy" colors, which are essentially translucent colors. Prep inside of plastic lens and apply paint according to paint manufacturers instructions. Testors may also have brush on candy colors. Check with hobby supply.

With either brush on, or spray applications, you may have to use multiple coats (not too thick, or before each coat tacks up) to achieve desired depth of color.

I suggest you get a piece of scrap, clear plastic to experiment with above techniques to see if it gives you desired results! 

Verna

Sgttiki, I sprayed the inside of my galley lens with John Deere yellow and then immediately wiped it off. It definitely cut down on the amount of bugs in the galley, without diminishing the light very much.