WIFI CONTROLLED AWNING LIGHTS MOD Part 1
This is a fairly low cost ($100) modification that adds a bit of style and versatility to the LED lighting strips that I installed on my wing awning.
While adding LED lights to it was a great idea, I want improve it. Being able to turn the the lights on/off with my phone or tablet will make things easier, particularly when getting into the tent/swag, and getting up at night for a slash. So, I've decided to create a "module" of sorts that plugs into the roofrack and the awning. To make this a reality, I decided to create a "module" that goes between the awning lights and power supply, that houses a wi-fi enabled LED controller that I am familiar with. However, since the controller isn't weatherproof, and it will need to be located close to the awning strip lights to avoid voltage drop, I decided to mount it in a weatherproof enclosure underneath the roofrack.
The
LED Controller I used runs on 12-24 volts and supports 5 channels: Red, Green, Blue, warm white and cool white.
Here is the circuit diagram for those following along at home:
So after a trip to Jaycar, I picked up a weatherpoof enclosure, one meter of trailer wiring, a roll of 7.5A twin core power wire, some cable glands, a 6 pin and a 2 pin Deutsch plug, . I chose an enclosure that would fit nicely on my roof rack.
I removed the LED controller from its casing, and I decided to mount the controller in a way that would not put holes in the enclosure and therefore compromise its waterproof integrity. I settled on using the leftover aluminium strip from my last project mounted to the box using the preexisting screw holes in the enclosure.
Below: The controller mounted in the enclosure. The board is mounted on 4 standoffs that are bolted to the aluminium strips.
\From there I installed two cable glands and cables; one for power, one for the connections to the LED's.
Above: The wired up board. I used 7 core trailer wiring due to its ample size (the brown wire carries the positive connection for all LED's) and suitable colors.
When I installed the wires on the 6 pin plug, I wrote down which color wire/ color corresponded to what:
-Pin #1 - LED Voltage + -Brown Wire
-Pin #2 - Green Channel -Green Wire
-Pin #3 - Blue Channel -Blue Wire
-Pin #4 - Red Channel -Red Wire
-Pin #5 - Warm White Channel - Yellow Wire
-Pin #6 - Cool White Channel - White Wire
Then I crimped the wires onto the pins and installed them according to my list above.
Above: the wires cut to length and plugs crimped on.
Below: closeup of the plugs. Two pin for power and six for the LED's
I mounted the completed "module" onto the roofrack by bolting it onto the plate aluminium. I had a LED floodlight attached, however I didn't use it as it was a harsh white color and the awning lights were more than bright enough. I used the mounting hole for the floodlight to attach one side of the module, and I marked and drilled a hole to mount the other end.
Below: The module mounted in place on the back of the roof rack.
I soldered lengths of the power wire directly onto the LED lights. After soldering and testing the connection, I put heat shrink over the connections in a way similar to how the wires came attached on the LED strip lights. When I ran the wires from the strips through the awning frame, I took care to make sure they would not get caught as the awning folded in and out.
Below: How the strip lights are attached to the frames.
Once the connections were done, I stuck the strip lights onto the awning frame with the adhesive strip.
Below: I decided to go 2 strip lights per frame for a total of 6. These lights use the 5730 chips, which through my testing I have found to be the brightest while still being extremely compact and reasonably power efficient as there are 60 LED's per meter. I tested each 5 meter section of LED's, and they both drew close to 20 watts. Each frame is approximately 2.4 meters long, and I doubled up the LED's meaning there are 288 per frame and a total of 864 on the awning. The expected power draw for all LED's at full brightness is 57.6 watts.
The strip lights use the 5730 package and are in a warm white color. The strips are 5mm wide and encased in clear heat shrink tubing for waterproofing, and there are 60 LED's per meter.
I secured each end of the strips to the frame with cable ties, and used an extra cable tie over the power wires to prevent them from becoming stressed and snapping off. From there I cut and soldered the positive wires from all of the LED strips to a single positive wire. After that I heat shrinked the wires, and connected them to the male Deutsch 6 pin plug.
Below: The completed male plug. I had the awning off the next day to upgrade the solar planel and took the time to protect the wires.
Even though the controller supports 5 channels, since there are 3 zones that I want to control, and there are 3 channels for RGB, I hooked up an awning frame to the red, green and blue channels on the controller. I used plugs to fill the pins for the unused warm white and cool white channels. After checking things over, I powered it up:
Unfortunately, I didn't order enough LED's, so I could run one strip on the rear two frames. Once they arrive I will fit them as I've run the power wires.
To control the LED's I use an app on my phone or tablet. It has its own Wifi network that needs to be connected to first however.
Above: What the app looks like. It makes adjusting the brightness easy with the slider, and the led controller can even make the lights respond to music, and be programmed to make the LED's flash "dance" in sequence. By adjusting the "colour" the brightness off the 3 wing awning frames changes. By tapping the "RGB" icon in the top left, the 3 color channel brightness levels can be individually adjusted using sliders. The most useful thing about this controller however, is that it remembers its last setting when it is power cycled. So if I leave it set at full brightness and turn it on and off with the switch in the cab, it will work as normal (the LED's fade on, which in my opinion is a nice effect).
Since the controller is a cheap ebay unit, I have ordered a spare led controller to carry with me. I made the system modular, the reasoning being that I can unplug the module, and remove and change a faulty circuit board in the bush in less than half an hour. No need to cut and solder wires. If worst comes to worst I can also bypass the controller by connecting the wires together in the terminal block.
Another advantage of this system is that the lights shine down into the fridge when it's open, which will make seeing inside much easier.
I can't wait for the last strips I ordered to arrive, however I've tested the system at in the dark and there is already plenty of light. There is a small amount of feedback that goes back into the sound system when controller is run at some brightness levels, however I'm fairly sure the reason it's leaking in is the poor grounding and insulation on the bluetooth dongle connected to my car PC (it has similar feedback when connected to a device). I may replace the dongle in future with a different one to see if it makes any difference.
I'm also thinking about using the other two LED channels for lights on the awning and possibly a horizontal strip or two across the awning's aluminium frame to shine sideways. As usual, I'll test the setup out bush and decide how I can make it better
