what are the benefits or otherwise of converting a 240 AC tv. to a 12 v
DC system.
We have an 80 cm AC tv. but no good for bush camping.
Jay&Dee
Tony Bev said
04:56 PM Aug 21, 2023
My current 12 volt TV, was purchased at Big W around 2016 (I have never had a 240 volt TV, in any of my RV's)
The benefits of a 12 volt TV, is that you can power them from a 12 volt battery, and do not require 240 volts
While searching for a new 12 volt TV, I found that the dedicated 12 volt TV's, appeared to be expensive compared to the same size 240 volt ones
I noticed that some of the 240 volt TV's, in the shop, (Big W Bunbury WA) had 240 volt going to a 12 volt DC power supply, and then into the TV
Not sure of the brand of the TV, as it is packed in the RV and not used very much, it has a CD slot, so we can watch a CD movie, instead of setting up the sat dish
Hope that the info is useful to you
Dick0 said
06:42 PM Aug 21, 2023
All you need, JayDee, is a power inverter.
I have a 3000/6000W inverter for kitchen appliances.
I also have a 300/600W and a 400/800W inverters for lower watt appliances like TV & PC.
My outdoor 80cm TV is powered by a 400/800W inverter plugged into either a 12v car socket or 12v Anderson plug both available outside under the awning.
JayDee said
10:16 AM Aug 22, 2023
Hi Dicko, Thanks for the info. We have a 1500 w power inverter. So how do I connect the tv to the inverter? Is it just a matter of plugging your 3-pin electric cord into the converter? I am a sort of a dummy when it comes to these sorts of tecko's etc.
Jay&dee
TimTim said
12:13 PM Aug 22, 2023
If your inverter is already connected to your battery/batteries then yes it is as simple as plugging in a lead to your inverter.
No matter what your knowledge is dont be afraid to ask questions as no one knows everything and you will know things that I and others dont .
Brodie Allen said
12:29 PM Aug 22, 2023
If you consider buying a TV that just runs off 12 volts for simplicity of wiring,
check carefully that it is indeed 12 volt. Many TV's now run of a DC supply
from a little black box that in turn plugs into s40v.
you can run the TV directly off the 12v in the van without plugging into the
240 supply.
But check carefully - lots of these TV's are 15 or 18V - no good!
and if you are going to use an inverter, highly recommend that it is a quality
Pure sine Wave model - same for your computers, phone chargers etc./
B
JayDee said
05:38 PM Aug 22, 2023
Hi Guys
What we did was just use an extension cord and plugged the TV cord into the extension and then into the 1500 inverter, and HAY PRESTO, WE HAVE TV.
Thanks for the advice guys.
Cheers
Jay&Dee
Cupie said
10:27 AM Aug 28, 2023
JayDee wrote:
Hi Guys What we did was just use an extension cord and plugged the TV cord into the extension and then into the 1500 inverter, and HAY PRESTO, WE HAVE TV. Thanks for the advice guys. Cheers Jay&Dee
How do you power your mast head amplifier?
Usually they come with a 12v power supply that plugs into a 240v outlet.
You'll probably need another extension lead for that.
In my case I purchased a TV from KMart that was 12v with an external 240/12v power supply.
I just ran a 12v supply from my battery to a switch at the TV (and to the mast head amp) & in the rare occasion that I camp without power I switch both the TV & the mast head amp from the normal supply to the 12 feeds.
Are We Lost said
11:08 AM Aug 28, 2023
Depending on age and technology an 80cm TV may consume about 50 watts. Older TVs are usually higher consumption than more recent ones. Read the label to get the correct figure.
Inverters introduce inefficiencies in the conversion process. Theoretically that hypothetical 50 watts calculates to 4+ amps at 12 volts, but with inefficiecies and losses via an inverter it may be closer to 5 amps. Inverters also consume a small amount of power themselves.
So if you run it for say 3 hours a day, that is about 15 amp/hours from your battery. Your actual figures will vary from this. That isn't a lot, but depending on battery type, size, how you charge it and other usage will determine if you have the capacity. It is good practice not to discharge a battery too far, with 50% being a reasonable guideline for longevity. So if you have a 100 amp/hr battery those 3 hours could use up 25-30 percent of your usable capacity. If you charge the battery from solar, an overcast day could see you running out sooner.
dorian said
01:02 PM Aug 28, 2023
It might be cheaper to buy a computer monitor than runs off a 12V adaptor.
"Philips 227e4lhab. 12v straight from the battery, has been hooked up to 14v while the alternator is running. 0.7A power draw at minimum brightness (which is plenty bright enough)."
Then use a 12V set top box with a HDMI output, eg ...
"Philips 227e4lhab. 12v straight from the battery, has been hooked up to 14v while the alternator is running. 0.7A power draw at minimum brightness (which is plenty bright enough)."
Then use a 12V set top box with a HDMI output, eg ...
My set up that I described in a previous post failed to mention that it is a SD TV + DVD player, not HD TV & therefore there are lots of channels that I can't pick up on it. (I was blindsided by the price & failed to notice the SD restriction ... but I do that a lot these days. I put it down to cognitive impairment).
To fix this I picked up a cheap STB ($30?) but again failed to note that it ran off 240v, so when camping without power I have limited reception (SD only).
I think that I might pick up the 12v STB that you describe & when the SD TV dies then I'll replace it with a monitor.
I suppose that if we want to watch DVDs or whatever then I can use my laptop connected to the larger monitor.
edit. My previous laptop had a TV tuner but not the current one.
I have lots of movies on a HDD and if we have mobile reception there is a stack of on line stuff that we can watch via the laptop.
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 28th of August 2023 01:33:26 PM
dorian said
01:34 PM Aug 28, 2023
Please be aware that that STB has a 240V-to-12V adaptor, so you will need to make your own 12V plug.
Cupie said
01:45 PM Aug 28, 2023
Thanks Dorien.
I'll probably just wire it via a C/O switch like I have done for the TV & Amp imputs.
If I get really ambitious, I could just use a single switch & a relay(s)/digital switches to do the job.
dorian said
02:02 PM Aug 28, 2023
You might want to check the audio specs before buying anything. Page #8 is a bit confusing in this regard.
-- Edited by dorian on Monday 28th of August 2023 02:04:25 PM
The benefits of a 12 volt TV, is that you can power them from a 12 volt battery, and do not require 240 volts
While searching for a new 12 volt TV, I found that the dedicated 12 volt TV's, appeared to be expensive compared to the same size 240 volt ones
I noticed that some of the 240 volt TV's, in the shop, (Big W Bunbury WA) had 240 volt going to a 12 volt DC power supply, and then into the TV
Not sure of the brand of the TV, as it is packed in the RV and not used very much, it has a CD slot, so we can watch a CD movie, instead of setting up the sat dish
Hope that the info is useful to you
All you need, JayDee, is a power inverter.
I have a 3000/6000W inverter for kitchen appliances.
I also have a 300/600W and a 400/800W inverters for lower watt appliances like TV & PC.
My outdoor 80cm TV is powered by a 400/800W inverter plugged into either a 12v car socket or 12v Anderson plug both available outside under the awning.
If your inverter is already connected to your battery/batteries then yes it is as simple as plugging in a lead to your inverter.
No matter what your knowledge is dont be afraid to ask questions as no one knows everything and you will know things that I and others dont
.
check carefully that it is indeed 12 volt. Many TV's now run of a DC supply
from a little black box that in turn plugs into s40v.
you can run the TV directly off the 12v in the van without plugging into the
240 supply.
But check carefully - lots of these TV's are 15 or 18V - no good!
and if you are going to use an inverter, highly recommend that it is a quality
Pure sine Wave model - same for your computers, phone chargers etc./
B
How do you power your mast head amplifier?
Usually they come with a 12v power supply that plugs into a 240v outlet.
You'll probably need another extension lead for that.
In my case I purchased a TV from KMart that was 12v with an external 240/12v power supply.
I just ran a 12v supply from my battery to a switch at the TV (and to the mast head amp) & in the rare occasion that I camp without power I switch both the TV & the mast head amp from the normal supply to the 12 feeds.
Inverters introduce inefficiencies in the conversion process. Theoretically that hypothetical 50 watts calculates to 4+ amps at 12 volts, but with inefficiecies and losses via an inverter it may be closer to 5 amps. Inverters also consume a small amount of power themselves.
So if you run it for say 3 hours a day, that is about 15 amp/hours from your battery. Your actual figures will vary from this. That isn't a lot, but depending on battery type, size, how you charge it and other usage will determine if you have the capacity. It is good practice not to discharge a battery too far, with 50% being a reasonable guideline for longevity. So if you have a 100 amp/hr battery those 3 hours could use up 25-30 percent of your usable capacity. If you charge the battery from solar, an overcast day could see you running out sooner.
It might be cheaper to buy a computer monitor than runs off a 12V adaptor.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/comments/afuzht/12_volt_computer_monitor_recommendations/
"Philips 227e4lhab. 12v straight from the battery, has been hooked up to 14v while the alternator is running. 0.7A power draw at minimum brightness (which is plenty bright enough)."
Then use a 12V set top box with a HDMI output, eg ...
https://linsar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LSSTB-Linsar-Set-Top-Box-IM-V12.pdf
This box can record TV programs in PVR mode, plus you can also listen to digital radio without powering up the monitor.
This 21", 12V monitor costs $100:
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-215-full-hd-75hz-frameless-freesync-monitor-1920-x-1080-kogan/
The abovementioned STB costs $50.
This is a good post, at least for me.
My set up that I described in a previous post failed to mention that it is a SD TV + DVD player, not HD TV & therefore there are lots of channels that I can't pick up on it. (I was blindsided by the price & failed to notice the SD restriction ... but I do that a lot these days. I put it down to cognitive impairment).
To fix this I picked up a cheap STB ($30?) but again failed to note that it ran off 240v, so when camping without power I have limited reception (SD only).
I think that I might pick up the 12v STB that you describe & when the SD TV dies then I'll replace it with a monitor.
I suppose that if we want to watch DVDs or whatever then I can use my laptop connected to the larger monitor.
edit. My previous laptop had a TV tuner but not the current one.
I have lots of movies on a HDD and if we have mobile reception there is a stack of on line stuff that we can watch via the laptop.
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 28th of August 2023 01:33:26 PM
Thanks Dorien.
I'll probably just wire it via a C/O switch like I have done for the TV & Amp imputs.
If I get really ambitious, I could just use a single switch & a relay(s)/digital switches to do the job.
You might want to check the audio specs before buying anything. Page #8 is a bit confusing in this regard.
-- Edited by dorian on Monday 28th of August 2023 02:04:25 PM