LED strip lights in newer units

Is anyone else having issues with the LED strip lights in newer models?  Mine is a 2017 and has LED strip lights in various places that are supposed to turn on / off using a capacitance touch switch.  One of them has always been a little flaky but now all of them are on and refuse to turn off using the touch switch. 

Any thoughts / solutions?  I am going to have to replace them all unless someone has a good idea.

I agree, they do sometimes have a mind of their own.  However I only had one time that they would not turn on/off with the touch switch.  To get them working again I removed power (unplugged AC power to RV and turned off the battery disconnect switch at the door).  That reset them and the capacitive touch switch works again. 

JJ

Thanks I'll give that a try.
 
I messaged Phoenix but have not heard back yet on what replacements would cost.

Good luck, hopefully that will be a quick fix.  I do know that capacitive touch switches are not very robust.  A few years ago I had lightening strike a tree that was 30 feet from the house.  It took out all of the lighting in the house that was controlled by capacitive touch switches. 

JJ

also have a 2017 model..  Only one strip has gone out.  I am having trouble with the spot lamps.  I need to see if there is a replacable bulb in there

The web page for Phoenix lists the replacement strip lamps at $21.76 ( and I assume shipping etc).  Spots are $15.35 - why I hope there is a lightbulb option.  I was thinking LED woudl last longer.

I was thinking LED would last longer.

The 'promise' of LED lasting nearly forever does not seem to be working out well.   When they first came out I added a number of them to the Oregon house and almost universally they failed within 2 years.  However, I think the manufacturers have learned and newer ones seem better built and last longer.

The new house has all LED fixtures, not bulbs.  So if it fails you replace the whole fixture.  I guess we will see how that works out.

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I was thinking LED would last longer.

The 'promise' of LED lasting nearly forever does not seem to be working out well.   When they first came out I added a number of them to the Oregon house and almost universally they failed within 2 years.  However, I think the manufacturers have learned and newer ones seem better built and last longer.

The new house has all LED fixtures, not bulbs.  So if it fails you replace the whole fixture.  I guess we will see how that works out.

Well, it may be pedantic, but I have found the LED's themselves DO have a long life.  Its the driver circuitry that fails.  I have disassembled MANY of the ceiling fixtures as they died, and find in ALL so far the LED is fine. The driver circuit is dead. Swap the box on top, and the LED works fine. One thing we found was to make sure NO insulation covers them. They need to shed the heat or die.

In the automotive ones, the 'little black specks' on the boards are dropdown resistors. They tend to overheat, and blow. Like when you see portions of a traffic or truck light out. Once again, the LED is fine, the driver circuitry is under engineered. On the ones that were not coated, I put a new surface mount resistor on the board and it worked fine.

I found the same thing with the 'new' (2009 or so..) flatscreen monitors and TV's.   Replace 2-6 capacitors on the driver board with higher rated ones, and it works GREAT!  I fixed one for the maintenance office in 2010, and it STILL in service.  Likewise with the GE fridges that 'howled'.  New power control board fixed it, but at ~$200 each installed.   Replaced 4 caps on each board, after some excavating of the sealant, and they worked FINE until the door rusted out.

So the guarantee of the LED itself working is valid. The support system that allows it to work.....not so much. Engineered a little tight IMO.  I will use the bulbs, but sealed fixtures and touch switches I am not fond of.

Volkemon,

It is with that same logic why I recommend disabling every-other LED circuit in my LED light conversion.  Not only reducing energy consumption, but the dead areas in between the active areas, draws away the heat, increasing longevity.  The LED string is made of copper, dissipating the heat efficiently....a built-in heat sink.

Well, it may be pedantic, but I have found the LED's themselves DO have a long life.  Its the driver circuitry that fails. 

Not pedantic, you are almost certainly correct.  At least in most situations.  In the old house the bulbs that failed had the driver circuitry enclosed so not something I felt it worth messing with so I just tossed them.  In the new house I have had one LED 'shop light" fixture fail out of 24 installed in the shop and garage.  I dissected that one and as far as I can tell the LEDs are totally fine but the driver box is toast.  I located a replacement driver box but the cost was actually higher than a new fixture.

I had one spare fixture left so I just swapped them.  I have the failed one in the shop and maybe someday I'll mess around with repairing it.