Want to install a dimmer switch to dining area lights in a 2020 Reflection 315RLTS

[WJP]

Wondering if anyone has changed out the dining area light switch for a dimmer switch on a 2020 Reflection 315RLTS? Having watched youtube videos on how to do this change on earlier year Reflection trailers thought the setup would be the same. However after buying the long shaft dimmer and setting it up etc., when I went to do the actual change out found that our 2020 trailer has 3 wires connected to the original dining area switch, while the dimmer unit will only have 2 male connections. This setup is different from earlier year models. And in our 2020 it seems the third wire is a connection between the Dining area and the Tank Heater switches.

So, not sure I can do the changeover, however wonder if anyone has tried and successfully done the changeover. Not being an electrician don't want to fool around with the original setup, however have previously installed a dimmer switch in our former trailer. Anyway, appreciate any comments you might have on the issue. Thanks,
--WJP

[Jlawles2]

You need to test the circuit to determine if the Tank heater is on the power supply side. If so, then it's simple to just tie the incoming power for the light and tank heater together before the switch.

[howson]

Wondering if anyone has changed out the dining area light switch for a dimmer switch on a 2020 Reflection 315RLTS? Having watched youtube videos on how to do this change on earlier year Reflection trailers thought the setup would be the same. However after buying the long shaft dimmer and setting it up etc., when I went to do the actual change out found that our 2020 trailer has 3 wires connected to the original dining area switch, while the dimmer unit will only have 2 male connections. This setup is different from earlier year models. And in our 2020 it seems the third wire is a connection between the Dining area and the Tank Heater switches.

So, not sure I can do the changeover, however wonder if anyone has tried and successfully done the changeover. Not being an electrician don't want to fool around with the original setup, however have previously installed a dimmer switch in our former trailer. Anyway, appreciate any comments you might have on the issue. Thanks,
--WJP

Can the dining room lights be controlled through the CompassConnect (or OneControl) app on your phone? The reason I ask is because if they run through the Unity board then dimming them is more difficult than it may at first appear.

Noted that was your first post so please check out the Welcome Letter to New Members at https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Howard

P.S. Headed out to finish up a project on my 315RLTS, so any further responses from me will be delayed for a bit.

[ThePowells]

Can the dining room lights be controlled through the CompassConnect (or OneControl) app on your phone? The reason I ask is because if they run through the Unity board then dimming them is more difficult than it may at first appear.

Noted that was your first post so please check out the Welcome Letter to New Members at https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Howard

P.S. Headed out to finish up a project on my 315RLTS, so any further responses from me will be delayed for a bit.

Finish up a project?? Impossible! These are never ending projects.

[WJP]

For JLawles2: Given I am not really sharp on this stuff, perhaps you can help through this suggestion of yours. To clarify what wires I am dealing with:
1. On the dimmer, it is suggested I connected the red and white wires together and attach a male connector. I also connect a male connector to the remaining black wire.
2. On the trailer wires, I have a white wire coming from/to the Tank Water heater connection to that switch. Then I have 2 remaining wires, each one is red and white colored.
3. On the current setup, the trailer white wire is attached to the top Dining area toggle connector'; 1 red and white wire is connected to the middle connector and the remaining red/white wire to the lower connector. I do know the middle red/white illuminates the switch light.

So, you suggest testing to see if the Tank Heater is on the power supply side; how do I do/know that? You also suggest if it is, then connect the incoming power wires to the tank heater and dining lights together before the dining area switch? Won't this still leave me with 3 connections from the trailer to 2 from the dimmer? I am obviously missing something, because I still have 2 wires remaining.

Anyway, perhaps you can clarify your suggestion a bit further.. Appreciate your insight, thanks.....WJP

PS...presume I can do whatever testing simply on the 12 volt system??

[Jlawles2]

WJP If you have a compass connect or one control? If so, then dimming at the panel is not possible the panel as the actual power control is buried somewhere else.

Please do not do any work on the system if you are not comfortable working around electric circuits. If you are willing to learn, there are several here that can help. Remember patience is your friend and regardless of how lost you feel, someone here will help you figure it out. Again, working around any power supply can be dangerous.

Looking at the parts on line, the panel should look similar to this:


From what I see there should be a branched white wire feeding several switches. This appears to be the switch illumination ground (you need a ground to the switch for the internal light to work).
The red wire is also branched feeding multiple switches. This appears to be 12V+ (power feed from battery).
The middle wire red and white is the one that feeds the overhead lights. With the switch on, disconnecting this should turn off the overhead light, but will not turn off the illumination on the switch (if my assumptions are correct). This should be a total of up to 5 wires. If there is only 1 single wire it will be the one that goes to the overhead light.

If you do not have one control or compass connect you can dim the lights at the panel. DO NOT ATTACH THE WHITE WIRE TO THE RED WIRE. If my assumptions are correct this will result in a direct short that will blow the fuse.

There are 2 possibilities for the dimmer.

1 - dimmer must have an off setting (otherwise lights will just stay on). If so, then remove and cover the white wire it will not be used. The red wire goes to one side of the switch and the red/white the other.
2 - dimmer does not have an off. You will then CUT or extend the red/white wire and the dimmer will be in line with this wire.

You should have a multimeter and understand its basic functions. A multimeter has various uses. The first and most important is VERIFICATION of NO POWER when you need to work on a circuit. The second function of a multimeter is to help figure out how much and where voltage is present. ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFETY WHEN WORKING ON AND AROUND ANY POWER SOURCE.

I think there are 5 or 6 meters around the house / camper / trucks. For most people a simple meter is enough. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-7...ded/1000880688 or https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-...3190/202867883 both of these should have enough functions to help diagnose simple issues in a camper.

To test the theory of which wire is power, ground and feed (light supply). If you have a known ground this is the easiest place to start. If not, it just takes longer.
With the meter set to 20V DC (DC is designated by the 2 parallel lines one solid the other dashed). On the lowes meter the black lead should go to the center or COM port and red to the right or V marked port the left port is reserved for testing amperage. The HD meter does not test amperage so there are only 2 ports, again Black to COM Red to the V.
Test 1: Light off - White wire to black lead and red wire to red lead - Meter should read 12V. Pay attention to the left side of the display, if a - shows up, the power is reversed.
Test 2 (test 1 must have provided the 12V): Light off - White wire to black lead, red/white wire to red lead. Meter should read 0V or very small mV. Look on the right side of the display for mV or V to appear.
Test 3 (above test passed): Light ON : White wire to black lead, red/white wire to red lead. Meter should read 12V. This signifies that the red wire in test 1 is the power feed, and the red/white wire is the overhead light.

If any of these 3 test fail, additional testing is needed to determine the wiring layout.

If you disconnect the white wire the overhead light still works with the switch, correct? Again this signifies that the white wire is the illumination ground for the panel switch.

[WJP]

Well, given what I have seen in recent you tube videos a rather simple job has apparently become more complicated in a couple years. The process to install a dimmer (a specific one, available on Amazon) was really quite a non event install. A couple years ago there was no switch for the Tank Heater . As well the changeover of the Dining Area lighting to a dimmer operation was straight forward. The power panel on our 2020 is basically identical to that of the 2019 models, so Grand Design threw a little curve into the process. I plan to continue to explore this matter and with your info, will try to see what can work. There must be a way to do this and I plan to find a solution.

Thanks for your assistance.
--WJP

[DarnDave]

Jlawles2 , WJP , and anybody else out there. Interesting timing with me finding this post. I intend to install dimmers on both the living room and kitchen overhead light circuits in our 21 Sol 390, with the BT version of the one connect. I believe I read somewhere on here previously that the dimmer needed to be installed after the "brain" but before the first light in the circuit. The dimmer I have in mind has a wireless control switch I was going to mount adjacent to the existing wall switches. My question is: Has anyone on here on any product line successfully installed this type of dimmer on a one control equipped unit? Was going to go investigating in the basement to see if I can find the board (am guessing it is behind the forward set of stairs leading to the master bdrm and bath). Just thinking the dimmer unit would be easier to attach than trying to pull lights from the ceiling and trying to figure out who is first in line. Any comments would be appreciated.

[howson]

DarnDave -- I can't remember reading a post documenting a successful install.

Permit me to emphasize that these Unity boards are expensive. I'm just a fellow owner like you so this is "around the campfire talk" to any casual reader of this post-- if not 100% sure of what (and why) you're doing, messing with or around this board could have an unwelcome monetary result.

I can not personally vouch for the following information so you'll have to verify through testing. (If someone reading this thinks, "How do you test it?" and doesn't know the answer...tinkering with the Unity board is probably not a good idea.)

With those caveats out of the way, here's what I think I know. The small white connector in the far corner of the Unity board has four 5A Latching Outputs.




Output pin/wire for your Solitude might be:

#1: orange (or green), awning light
#2 : blue (or Yellow) ; Ceiling Light
#3 : Green (or Grey) , Kitchen Light
#4: Yellow (or White), Bedroom light

Howard

[DarnDave]

Thank you howson . So you are thinking to use the latching relays? I was hoping to figure out the output terminals from the board to the respective lighting circuits, and installing the dimmer in between. As long as the dimmer isn't shorted, it shouldn't hurt anything to try Of course I haven't even found the board yet, let alone done any testing. But from what I've read on here, the power signal inputs are on the bottom of the board, and the outputs (with actual voltage?) are on the top ?? Or am I way off? I understand the redundant wall switches merely send a "request" to the board to energize the circuit, just as using the touchscreen would do. For info, the dimmer has four connections: 12V in and out, ground in and out. I am hoping the lights themselves are grounded independently of the board, and that the board only sends voltage to the circuit. It should be such a simple thing to accomplish which has become overly complicated. TIA for your help.

Dave

[howson]

Thank you howson . So you are thinking to use the latching relays? I was hoping to figure out the output terminals from the board to the respective lighting circuits, and installing the dimmer in between. As long as the dimmer isn't shorted, it shouldn't hurt anything to try Of course I haven't even found the board yet, let alone done any testing. But from what I've read on here, the power signal inputs are on the bottom of the board, and the outputs (with actual voltage?) are on the top ?? Or am I way off? I understand the redundant wall switches merely send a "request" to the board to energize the circuit, just as using the touchscreen would do. For info, the dimmer has four connections: 12V in and out, ground in and out. I am hoping the lights themselves are grounded independently of the board, and that the board only sends voltage to the circuit. It should be such a simple thing to accomplish which has become overly complicated. TIA for your help.

Dave

"Latching" means stay on until commanded off, or stay off until commanded on.

The connector marked "out" in post 9 should be the output of the board to the lights.

Maybe the pics below will help. The first graphic is a representation of a pre-CompassConnect lighting circuit and what it took to install a dimmer. Remember--it's just a representation to convey the concept.



A trailer with lights controlled by the CompassConnect Unity board is more difficult to modify. Again, remember the image below is just a depiction to convey what I'm trying to write with words.

Note the blue line from the On/Off switch shows the output of the On/Switch is a status signal.



Permit me to repeat again for any casual reader of this post that IMO an owner digging into their CompassConnect-equipped trailer to add a dimmer circuit must have a solid grasp of electrical troubleshooting methods. Figuring out exactly how a given trailer is wired is not hard, but it would be easy to make a mistake. To be blunt, if they "let the smoke out"...it's going to get expensive to put it back to a working status.

Howard

[DarnDave]

howson , Thanks again Howard. Yes, this is how I understood it, although you did clarify the latching part for me. I remembered printing a post months back regarding this; I found it in my file. Bhbery posted a description of adding a similar dimmer (where I got the idea) at the first light fixture in the "chain". It did not sound as though he had actually done it, however, and I don't find an update.

[Riley8141]

howson , Thanks again Howard. Yes, this is how I understood it, although you did clarify the latching part for me. I remembered printing a post months back regarding this; I found it in my file. Bhbery posted a description of adding a similar dimmer (where I got the idea) at the first light fixture in the "chain". It did not sound as though he had actually done it, however, and I don't find an update.

I know this is 4 months old, but I have installed a remote dimmer in over head lights. You need to install dimmer on first light in thr chain. On my trailer that is the puck light in hall by bathroom. I also installed dimmer for awning just after one connect panel.

[DarnDave]

I know this is 4 months old, but I have installed a remote dimmer in over head lights. You need to install dimmer on first light in thr chain. On my trailer that is the puck light in hall by bathroom. I also installed dimmer for awning just after one connect panel.

Yes, thanks. This is what I tried twice. I used a wireless dimmer (dimmer "module" attaches in line to light wiring; switch is wireless). I must have gotten a hold of two bad dimmers. Unit is in the shop with slideout issues so I haven't been able to mess with the dimmer lately. I am not going to lose this battle!

So you successfully installed your dimmers and they work as intended?