EASY LIGHT ANYWHERE

SUPER-VERSATILE LEDs PROVIDE BRIGHTNESS, AMBIENCE—OR BOTH!

PEEL-AND-STICK LIGHTING

Our camper lighting was completely outdated incandescent bulbs: excessive energy and low light. To get more light and less heat while using less power, I chose LED strips. I used DynamicColor lights, but there are many similar products. I bought strips, controllers, wire and clamps. Buying the components separately gives you the flexibility to put them anywhere. Figuring out what components you need is the hardest part. Here’s what you need (p. 40) and how to put everything together. With these strips, I could dim the light or change it to a variety of colors.

CUT STRIPS TO ANY LENGTH

Cut the strip right on the line going through the copper contacts so the connection is maintained; on my LED strip, there was a line every three LEDs. Connect the strip to the cable with solderless clamps, attach the controller, then hook it up to the power. I didn’t have to solder a single wire.

STICK STRIPS ANYWHERE

Peel away the adhesive backing and stick them wherever you need light. For the camper, I stuck them to the back of the curtain valance for accent lighting.

ENCLOSE THE STRIPS

I also placed the strips above the beds. I wanted them to be concealed, so I put them in an aluminum channel and mounted it. The channel came with a frosted lens, which provided a finished look.

MODERN TECHNOLOGY FOR AN OLD FIXTURE

We liked the old ceiling light fixture in our camper and wanted to keep it. My solution was to stick an LED strip around the inside circumference of the light fixture. Before I mounted the fixture, the strip worked. But when I attached the light fixture to the ceiling, it didn’t work. It turns out the contacts on the back of the LED strip were making a connection to the metal fixture. When I mounted the fixture to the ceiling, I created a short in the circuit. I took down the fixture and put a piece of double-sided tape (not shown) between the strip and the fixture and got it up and running again.