Dometic RMS 8550 fridge - change ghastly blue LED?

[BaileyNiggles]

Dometic themselves are umming and arhhing so far on general enquiry email address.

Their website doesn't even list the model under 'Support'

The manual says of the light merely that it goes off after two minutes if the door's left open. Full stop. (But you have to wonder why that feature is important in the scheme of things!)

Anyone know how I may change it from a very harsh and unpleasant on the eye intense hideously horrible blue LED to a warmer white one, as is the preferred traditional approach for such things?

 

[Craigyoung]

Is there a fault with your fridge light or do you just not like it in general ? Mine doesn't bother me but even if i leave it open 30 seconds the alarm goes off in the fridge if it's left open but when it comes to a night time even though the blue LEDs on the front are bright I just drape a tea towel over the bench over them so the place isn't illuminated !

 

[Damian]

Unless you are very competent in micro electronics leave it alone.
The only way to change it is to remove the blue LED and replace with the colour of your choice, but beware, as soon as you start tampering with the circuit board, there goes the warranty on the fridge !!!!!!!!

 

[BaileyNiggles]

Sounds like you've done it, though? If so, how?

Dometic, meanwhile, have rather lazily just emailed me a four page PDF with every spare part illustrated on exploded diagrams.

 

[Damian]

Sounds like you've done it, though? If so, how?

Dometic, meanwhile, have rather lazily just emailed me a four page PDF with every spare part illustrated on exploded diagrams.

Absolutely NOT !!!!

Don't expect Dometic to help you, they will not, and as a Dometic engineer neither would I. It is far too complicated to attempt with the way the circuit boards are made which is why no repairs are ever made to faulty ones.

 

[CustardAvenger]

I always thought the internal blue light looked quite cool (no pun intended) Its the fridge control panel LEDs that are annoying... they seem to fully illuminate the caravan at night. Keep forgetting to put some gaffer tape over them!

 

[Craigyoung]

I always thought the internal blue light looked quite cool (no pun intended) Its the fridge control panel LEDs that are annoying... they seem to fully illuminate the caravan at night. Keep forgetting to put some gaffer tape over them!

Tea towel like my example !
It just so happens that mines on the drive and able to show you

 

[Thingy]

I dont mind the blue light, but seriously why would it annoy you unless you sit with the fridge door open watching it? I really do think there are more things to worry about in caravan construction than that.

 

[Craigyoung]

I dont mind the blue light, but seriously why would it annoy you unless you sit with the fridge door open watching it? I really do think there are more things to worry about in caravan construction than that.

:lol:

I only cover it because where I lie on our bed i face the fridge but once covered the room is blacked out .

 

[Thingy]

Ah. You mean the blue panel leds. I thought you meant the blue interior that looks otherworldly.

Yeah, we cover that, and the microwave, and the motion sensor, alde panel, ec panel, tv standby light. No wonder i cant sleep.

 

[CustardAvenger]

I always thought the internal blue light looked quite cool (no pun intended) Its the fridge control panel LEDs that are annoying... they seem to fully illuminate the caravan at night. Keep forgetting to put some gaffer tape over them!

Tea towel like my example !
It just so happens that mines on the drive and able to show you

Perfect... just need to remember the tea towels!

 

[Mel]

Ah. You mean the blue panel leds. I thought you meant the blue interior that looks otherworldly.

Yeah, we cover that, and the microwave, and the motion sensor, alde panel, ec panel, tv standby light. No wonder i cant sleep.

Not to mention the light that flashes on the smoke detector, then the CO detector, then the smoke detector, then the CO detector, then the......Just to prove the damn things are operational.
Mel

 

[Buckman]

I simply turn over and go to sleep rather than worry about the colour of any light. Has never bothered either of us.

 

[Thingy]

It only bothers me on certain nights, on others the beer works adequately. B)

 

[ProfJohnL]

....Anyone know how I may change it from a very harsh and unpleasant on the eye intense hideously horrible blue LED to a warmer white one, as is the preferred traditional approach for such things?

You or a few others MAY have done it in the past to other appliances, but it certainly is not a "tradition" and it will almost certainly be not an approved change by the manufacturer. As to the colour used by the manufacturer, they will have their reasons for teh choice of colour - might just be some one liked the colour blue.

I do agree it seems especially blue LED's are particularly annoying, they seem brighter than most other colours. I tend to stick a bit of masking tape over some that I have on equipment, it stops the bright intense glare, but its still just visible to tell me when the equipment is active.

 

[bertieboy1]

Quite agree,the blue LED is horrible and distracting,don't bother to change LED just cover light with coloured cellophane - red will give you purple,yellow will give you green,experiment,have fun ! Untill you arrive at a colour you like

 

[Raywood]

Agree just tape over the light if it is a problem.

 

[YorkieF]

I've got a blue LED clock that was too bright. I ended up buying some sample window tinting film for £1 each and cut and covered the LED's until it was toned down enough. As I cut it to the same size as the clock, you couldn't see that it had been altered.

 

[Buckman]

I wonder if using a black nail varnish will work for those that have an issue? OH can the use it on her off days! :woohoo:

 

[BaileyNiggles]

Well, not the best update for anyone following this out of curiosity, or out of similar dislike of the ghostly blue interior LEDs that prompted me to act, because modesty - or more like that old virtue called shame - prevents me from sharing a photo of my hastily concocted pre-trip replacement circuit board, but I've changed them to a vaguely warmish white.

Dometic's own LED circuit board is a very nicely made, almost over-engineered like something from Mercedes in the 80s or early 90s, double sided or possibly triple-layered board onto which four blue LEDs, a LM317 voltage regulator (actually used in a current regulator configuration ... Google is awash with circuit examples) and a 30 ohm resistor plus a token capacitor for luck are nicely mounted.

I didn't chance unsoldering the LEDs because of the multi-layer nature of the board in case I affected an inaccessible layer, and that would be the original board gone.

So I bought some Veroboard, which has edge contacts the same spacing as the fridge light connecting plug, plus about £1.50 worth of components to match the original in terms of circuit, some white enamel paint to paint the board, and hey presto.

All this talk of circuit boards might sound daunting but its just a place holder, with a device to cap the LED current to around 40mA, and there's quite a bit of room within the outer white plastic mounting box to play with.

 

[Hutch]

I tend to stick a bit of black lassovic tape over any annoying leds. A lot easier.

 

[jca]

We simply close the folding door that separates the bedroom from the rest of the van.