covering the *bleeping* LEDs

rhyno
rhyno Member Posts: 393
in Modifications & Upgrades
We have our bedroom at home literally pitch black, zero lights of any kind. The first night in our T@B felt like we were in a light show. I don't know why everything has to be bedazzled nowadays with bright LEDs, especially in an RV. Thank god for tiny bits of electrical tape. We have covered the light on the television, CO detector, the bedside cubby's 110 socket, and the socket under the dinette. Then I installed the upgrade kit on our Fantastic Vent this afternoon, and that circuit board had another half dozen red and blinking LEDs. Is anyone else compulsively covering up all of these lights or are we the only crazy ones here?
/end of rant, oh and get off my lawn
2021 T@B 400 BD, 2021 Lexus GX 460, Kansas City MO
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Comments

  • Tabulating
    Tabulating Member Posts: 88
    We are with you.  Some items received kill switches, others got the black tape.  We also dimmed our lights and cooled off the color with a bunch of yellow filter.  Overall, much darker at night.
    2018 T@b 400  towed by a 2012 JKU
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    LOL!!!!! No way are you the "Only Ones." Many of us feel the same way.  I'll bet the 400 looks like a carnival at night compared to the 320.  Now don't get me started on all those warning decals located throughout the interior.
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • jebjam
    jebjam Member Posts: 51
    edited March 2021
    Yep.  Little bits of black tape everywhere.  The TV was the worst, and then I decided to just unplug it...
    2021 T@B 320 CS-S Boondock / 2020 Ram 3.0 EcoDiesel
    Golden, CO
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    We have a Victron battery monitor Bluetooth dongle inside a cabinet and we still cover the blinking LED with black tape.  I think the A/C plug is lit, too!
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Olena
    Olena Member Posts: 105
    Hahaha. I agree 100%. I always go nuts in hotel rooms too, covering up all the little lights....
    2021 T@B 400 Boondock Solo
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    edited March 2021
    For your TV’s light:

    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • rhyno
    rhyno Member Posts: 393
    edited March 2021
    @Verna I've had those in my cart for a bit! Time to pull the trigger to kill the light AND the phantom draw. 
    2021 T@B 400 BD, 2021 Lexus GX 460, Kansas City MO
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    @rhyno, I have used these for about 6 years, and they are the answer! 


    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    With all due respect for Verna (whom I adore), maybe save $6 by simply unplugging the television each night?
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • TomCanada
    TomCanada Member Posts: 294
    What's the phantom draw from the TV - anyone know?  The LED itself will be negligible - but there's also the IR receiver that needs to be powered which might have a little..
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    Tabaz said:
    With all due respect for Verna (whom I adore), maybe save $6 by simply unplugging the television each night?
    Same simple fix to the same big problem that I use. Saved the 6 bucks to put towards an 8 dollar 6 pack of beer!
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    Wow 4ncar - you buy $8 six packs of beer?  I thought only Airstream owners could afford beer at those prices.  You must have bought Tesla at $35 a share a few years ago.
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    @Tabaz I can't find Red,White & Blue Beer any more. BITD it was $1.75/6 pack! lol

    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,530
    With all due respect for Verna (whom I adore), maybe save $6 by simply unplugging the television each night?


    5 bucks that saves me from having to get up, fiddle around in the dark behind the TV...find the one cord that I need to pull...straight down......to turn off the light.

    And....the next time I want some screen time...get up, fiddle around in the dark in the back of the TV, having to do the TV Disconnect Lean from the Tab Yoga Manual...get that tiny connector into the tiny hole for the power connection........

    Take my 5 bucks.  Please.



    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • TomCanada
    TomCanada Member Posts: 294
    Tabaz said:
    Wow 4ncar - you buy $8 six packs of beer?  I thought only Airstream owners could afford beer at those prices.  You must have bought Tesla at $35 a share a few years ago.
    $8 for 6 beer is a pipe dream for us in the frozen north.  Standard price is $12 Canapesos for 6 up here (or about $9-$10 US dollars).. 

    https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lcbo/bud-light-908665#.YFqk869KhaQ

    Which is why we always load up at the Duty Free on the way across the border!
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    @Tabaz it seems that I always forgot to unplug the TV until I laid down, got all comfy and then the Blue Light of Jensen caught my eye!  Once you see it, you can’t un-see it!  I had to get up, search for the power cord behind the TV, pull the wrong ones, and finally find the power cable. It’s so much easier to have this switch peeking out the side of the TV, switch it off before bed and cut out all the grumbling!  It’s worth the money to me. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Bclarke
    Bclarke Member Posts: 110
    edited March 2021
    These are life savers!

    Dim It light dimming sheets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006R0VWSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_VC2YPMNZZ1MTVR41RAJJ


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  • cyoung
    cyoung Member Posts: 54
    I use black nail polish over my bright led light switches, it dulls them down to a faint light 
    2021 320 BOONDOCK, 2017 F150 2.7 ECOBOOST
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    I’ve always wondered why people living in the northern regions of the USA didn’t migrate to Canada in mass.  Apparently it’s the price of beer. Maybe we could stop the influx on our southern border by simply raising the price of beer in the border states. Just a thought.
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    Verna - I’m not buying your rationale for that silly on/off switch. You are the most prepared camper I’ve ever seen. Remember the time you gave me your “spare” 2 lb. mallet? How about the time another camper’s dog had a cholla cactus spike in her tongue and you immediately pulled out your leatherman pliers to remove it? And most embarrassing for me, the time you yelled at me that my vehicle was in reverse when I thought it was in park? 
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,655
    This discussion makes me appreciate my 2015. No glowing control panels and no blinking monitors. The TV has a little red LED but I can't see it since the TV is in a box in my basement.  ;-)

    The only offending light is from the fridge when it is running on propane. In daylight, I like that light since it confirms the fridge is still lit. At night, I have a little cover I built that slips between the fridge and the cabinet and hangs down over the light.
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
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  • xdr
    xdr Member Posts: 289
    Verna's TV plug was one of the first and best 'mods' we made to the camper. ;) I bought the on/off tiny round switch for the Jensen as well but never had the know-how/time to get it installed. I hung a hook above it and we hang a hat over it at night. 
    The lights drive us crazy...
    2021 2024 T@b 400 Black Canyon, 2020 Ram Rebel 1500  
    One man, one woman, two small dogs and a sense of humor.
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  • Tampakayaker
    Tampakayaker Member Posts: 558
    Guess we're the oddballs.

    We leave the bathroom light on in our 320!
    2006 RAM 1500 4 door, 2016 T@B 320 MAX S 
    Tampa FL
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    @xdr, find the screws to remove the front of the Jensen. Put them where they won’t roll out of sight!

    Remove the fuse in the brown converter box that “kills” the Jensen light. You now don’t have to worry about blowing a fuse or shocking yourself (only 12V DC so it’s not bad!). 

    Gently pull out the Jensen unit. Find the red wire marked “+12V” or something like that. 

    Now look at how long the red wire is, pulling lightly in it. Where ever it will reach when cut to without being too tight for the wire, drill a hole for the rocker switch you purchased. One end of the wire goes on one end of the rocker switch, the other end goes to the other end of the rocker switch. (Essentially, you are breaking the power going to the switch. Turning it off, turns off all power to the Jensen, turning the switch on makes it seem like the wire was never cut.)

    Tuck the wiring gently back into the cavity. Hold the Jensen in place, replace the fuse. Check to make sure the power turns on and off with the switch. If it works, replace the screws and enjoy not having an extra night light at night!


    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Tabulating
    Tabulating Member Posts: 88
    @4ncar,  I am not sure if it made it through Covid, but it appears R, W, & B made a return.

    I was "not" old enough to ever drink this fine brew, but somehow I have found memories. 

    Maybe a trip to Milwaukee is required.  It used to be brewed by G. Heileman Brewing, LaCrosse WI.

    https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/beer/2018/06/26/pabst-brings-back-red-white-blue-but-only-milwaukee/732651002/

    2018 T@b 400  towed by a 2012 JKU
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    @Tabulating:  Haha that's it!  ...and speaking of Milwaukee...another "fine brew" was Milwaukees Best! Yes, everything in a name!!!! lol
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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  • Marceline
    Marceline Member Posts: 1,748
    edited March 2021
    At least on the old Jensen, it is possible to completely dim the display if you read the manual. I would be surprised if it's not possible to do this with the newer models.

    See page 6.
    San Francisco Bay Area
    2013 CS-S us@gi
    2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
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  • JPRoland
    JPRoland Member Posts: 116
    Yes, that's true on my 2021 320S. The Jensen does have a dimmable switch. But, there really are too many lights for that little space. I use the blue dot method. I had a spare package of blue dots (round stickers) left over from pricing items for a garage sale and they work great and look fine. It sounds old-fashioned to say, "garage sale" now. "Remember, back in the day when you would gather together with strangers who would buy your old items? We called 'em...garage sales." "Yeah, that was back when the Sealtest milk man would bring fresh milk right to our door and we could buy a Nutty Butty from the Good Humor man as he came down the street with his cool bike with a freezer on it." Garage sales...yeah...the good 'ol days. 
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  • xdr
    xdr Member Posts: 289
    Garage Sales are still alive and well in our part of the world! My kids were all raised heading out to garage sales on Sat morning and as they move on to their own homes, it is still their go to place to find the odd bookcase or end table. 

    My husband and I tell each other we aren't that old.... and yet just last week I was talking to my students and they asked how much my allowance was when I was a kid and I told them, "Ten cents a week, and that is only when my mom had ten cents." One look at their shocked faces and did I feel old!  

    2021 2024 T@b 400 Black Canyon, 2020 Ram Rebel 1500  
    One man, one woman, two small dogs and a sense of humor.
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  • Tampakayaker
    Tampakayaker Member Posts: 558
    Garage/yard sales are still alive, but Craigslist and FB marketplace have taken a big bite out of them.
    2006 RAM 1500 4 door, 2016 T@B 320 MAX S 
    Tampa FL
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