Dometic awning end plug removal pin

[Dan_East]

I need to remove the non-motor side end plug from a Dometic awning, in order to rig up my wiring for LED lights. I've designed a simple way to provide power to the light strip that can wind up with the awning without having to unplug each time. However I need to remove the plug and have access to the shaft to install it.

The plug appears to have a pin which was driven into the shaft. Before I start drilling it out, I wanted to make sure there wasn't some trick to removing this pin. It appears to me to be a single-use type thing, and not designed for removal.

[dougrainer]

I figured that is what you are trying to do. Hopefully it will work for sustained in and out use. LCI/Dometic/Carefree awning makers have had various OEM rotary type designs a few years ago and NONE worked for more than a year. So, they then realized it was just as good to have the LED lights mounted just under the sidewall mounted awning rail as that would give enough light as a LED light string in the tube 8 feet away. Doug

[Dan_East]

dougrainer wrote:
I understand what you are trying to do, but over the years I have seen various OEM awning makers different light wire designs and I can think of no good reason to do what you did to install a wire to allow the wire to roll up and down. I hope you post a pic of the final resulting install to let us understand the design of what you did. Doug

I'll post a picture when it's complete. Unfortunately bad weather has come in so I put the awning back together and rolled it up. At least I now have a simple bolt to remove to access what I need to access.

The problem is my LED lights are attached to the awning roller tube, which of course rotates as it rolls in and out. That means I either need to somehow run wires on the awning itself that roll up with it (which I don't want to do), or have a rotating style conductor (rotary connector). So I've designed a cheap rotary connector that I'm using, which needs to go around the shaft of the awning. Hence my need to remove the pin to have access to that 11 mm shaft.

I've 3D printed plastic bushings that go between a bearing and the shaft to insulate it and also connect the wire to the bearing. The bearing conducts positive power to the lights (the awning arms / tube itself are the ground connector), so it can rotate freely with no wires to twist, require unplugging, or have to somehow attach along the awning and roll up with it.

[dougrainer]

That pin never needs to be removed. In 43 years as a RV Tech and thousands of awning repair/installs, I have never needed to do what you did. That pin secures that plug in to the Spring shaft, which you have found out. Make sure when you use that bolt in place of pin you do NOT tighten tight, but allow it to pivot. I understand what you are trying to do, but over the years I have seen various OEM awning makers different light wire designs and I can think of no good reason to do what you did to install a wire to allow the wire to roll up and down. I hope you post a pic of the final resulting install to let us understand the design of what you did. Doug

[Dan_East]

Fisherman wrote:
Q. Does the pin go all the way to the other side and is visible? You may be able to tap it out with a brass punch if you can figure out a way to support the end piece, or, some tool like a ball joint remover or big wide opening "C" clamp pushing in a smaller item to push the pin out the other side. Good luck.

It doesn't. I drilled it out, but I had a terrible time with it today. It took me hours to get that drilled out after breaking and dulling drill bits. In hindsight I wouldn't have bothered. If a person totally removed the end cap (drilled out the rivets) to where they could place the part in a drill press then it may be reasonable.

I'm not sure why they didn't place a long bolt through it in the first place (which is what I have now - I drilled it out all the way through). I used a 5mm bolt 50 or 60 mm long.

[wa8yxm]

That is the spring wound end. DO NOT REMOVE IT unless you know what you are doing. It will get kind of violent. That's also why the pin.

[Fisherman]

Q. Does the pin go all the way to the other side and is visible? You may be able to tap it out with a brass punch if you can figure out a way to support the end piece, or, some tool like a ball joint remover or big wide opening "C" clamp pushing in a smaller item to push the pin out the other side. Good luck.