NWJeeper Report post Posted December 30, 2009 So I braved the cold and completed a project I have wanted to do on our Forest River Georgetown for quite some time. With all the convenience features and upgrades the Georgetown line has, I was a bit disappointed that FR doesn't include a switch at the front door to turn on an overhead light if you return to your rig at night. This is something even our el cheapo Fleetwood motorhome we had before had. FR did include some real nice courtesy lights mounted near the floor, though, which are turned on by a switch at the front door. However, finding this switch in the dark is all but useless, so we usually just enter the dark rig and feel around on the ceiling for the overhead light. Well no more! I purchased a DEI 528T pulse timer online. Basically it's a time delay relay. This is the same kind of circuit used to keep your dome light on in some of your cars after you close the door. I wired the 528T to a 12-volt power supply (the batteries) and then tapped into the 12-volt circuit for the courtesy lights right behind the courtesy light switch with the switched output. There is a "trigger" wire that senses the grounding or removal from ground or a change in state from one to the other, and this wire which was connected to the magnetic door switch that activates the power steps. Wala! Now when I open the door the courtesy lights come on automatically! The timer was preset at 20 seconds, which is more than enough time to enter the rig and turn on another light. However, the 528T is adjustable from 1 to 90 seconds delay. I could also see other ways to use this nifty little gadget, like turing on the porch light automatically when you exit the rig. Total cost of the project: $25 for the timer and shipping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted December 30, 2009 Neat job, are you looking for work? I've a few things you could help me with!!! Too bad the designers of these monsters don't live in one! Ours has switches at the door for lights but then they aren't automatic! I'm sure you could fix it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWJeeper Report post Posted December 30, 2009 Tbutler, no problem, if you get up to western Washington drop me a note. I like to tinker. Next project is to backlight the switch panel where all the switches are as I noticed today that the panel is set up like a cars dash. It just needs to have a backlight to iluminate the lettering under all the switches so I can see them. My eyes aren't getting much better as I get older..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
