What brand 12v tv do you like?

[Libero]

Originally Posted by okmunky

I thought most electronic items needed pure sine wave inverters. Are you using modified sine wave ?

Barb.

My Toshiba works on a modified sine wave inverter. I put a scope on the output and it is indeed non symetrical with some peaks but works fine. Never had any problems so far.

[clyon51]

I put in two Heier LEDs some time ago and now have 6000 traveling miles on them.

Since LEDs use very little power, most of these will have a wall wart (120vac to 12vdc converter) built into the cord. So in essence, these are 12v TVs that come with a converter so you can run them on 120v.

When mine arrived, I discovered this and the lights and bells went off.

Since I didn't yet have an inverter and didn't want one, I cut the wart off and wired both TVs directly into a 12v circuit. 2 years now without any problems.

This fit perfectly in my goal to make my coach very low energy consuming. Everything is now 12v except micro and ACs. All lights were replaced with LEDs and I can go 3 days on two 6v batteries

[Libero]

Cyclone51 is correct, modern TV's mainly work from a 12V source (not all) and the conversion from AC to DC is done by the wall wart or the internal Power Supply (PS) within the TV.

The conversion to making a 120v unit to a "12V TV" is easy by eliminating the wall wart (WW) and putting a DC source directly into the TV as Cyclone51 noted. (MUST verify the TV operates on 12V of course.) Eliminating the WW will also eliminate power loss in the WW, albeit that would be small.

This can also be done with internal PS' s but this requires more technical savvy and capabilities to reconfigure. I have not done this but it is technically feasible and this will likely void a warranty. If I replaced the WW I would put an in-line fuse at the appropriate rating. None of my 9 TV's have a WW but many TV's do. Just got rid of my last power hog CRT TV.

I applaud the efforts to reduce power consumption - to me this is better than increasing the supply to meet the demand. LED backlighting consumes far less power than other forms of lighting. I noted before that my Toshiba consumed 38w and I just measured a 29" LED RCA TV I recently bought and it only draws 22w.

All lights for my coach are now LED's and my batteries last much longer as a result.

It is interesting that 12v TV's generally cost more than 120v units when more electronics is required for the latter. I suppose it comes down to mass production and competition.

[clyon51]

Originally Posted by Libero

The conversion to making a 120v unit to a "12V TV" is easy by eliminating the wall wart (WW) and putting a DC source directly into the TV as Clyon51 noted. Eliminating the WW will also eliminate power loss in the WW, albeit that would be small.

Yes it's small, but when you take 12vdc from the battery, invert it to 120vac by the inverter, then convert it back to 12vdc via another converter, it starts adding up. It's also rather silly to purchase or use an inverter to run 2 TV's (and other appliances) that only require 12vdc. I do carry a portable 400w inverter, but haven't used it in 2 years....and that suits me just fine

[rbertalotto]

I just bought a 18" LED Proscan TV from Best Buy...Runs on 12V and cost $99

Also acts as a great monitor for my small laptop.

[Libero]

Originally Posted by rbertalotto

I just bought a 18" LED Proscan TV from Best Buy...Runs on 12V and cost $99

Also acts as a great monitor for my small laptop.

Sounds like a good buy.

Yes - many tvs with a WW can operate on 12v, as noted before.

Price out a 12V Jenson TV. $300-$500.

[okmunky]

My 32" Jensen came without a plug on the end of the cord. I added a standard fused cigar lighter plug and sealed it with shrink tubing. Not being tech knowledgeable, I didn't check the fuse that the plug had in it and the TV ran for 2 seconds then quit. Then I checked the manual and found out it needed a higher amp fuse, 8 amp I think? Once replaced with the proper fuse it works like a charm.

I need one of you tech guys to follow me around the country and keep me from blowing something up.

[Libero]

Barb:

If an 8 amp fuse blew, the tv was drawing more than 100w meaning (8A @ 12.5v). Be interested to see what the current draw/wattage is.

If the TV is LED - I would think power consumption should be less than 100w thus able to operate with an 8A fuse. For LCD - meaning not LED backlit, I would guess the power consumption would be double that amount.

I measured one of my 120v Sharp 40" LED TV's and the power consumption showed 70w. Have a 56" and a 52" both LCD TV's. Will check power consunption on those. I suspect both will be at least 150-200w.

Note my 24" Toshiba LED showed 28w and my 29" RCA LED showed 22w when I measured them.

Lower power consumption is of course the objective - especially for an RV, so I would look for a TV that does the job but low power consumption.

[Sandman]

Just in Wally World (Fair Lakes, Fairfax, VA) and they have a Samsung 19in w/wall wart.. big $$$ for me. $167.00..

I am typing this in the house so that the 12vdc Insignia will not see that as a "no name" it should have failed over a year ago..

I did not have to cut the "wall wart" cord.. had a 12vdc cord w/lighter end left over from another project or toy.. parts to make a 12vdc cord are available at radio shack..

[okmunky]

Sorry Bruce, I made that unclear. The fuse that blew was a 2 or 3 amp. I replaced it with an 8 amp. Next time I have it on I'll check my battery meter with it on and off and see what amperage it draws. I'm in Seattle now plugged into shore power so saving amps isn't much of an issue.

[rumrunnerxx]

A year ago I installed a 22 inch RCA in he bedroom that is also a 12 volt tv. That was a surprize to me and it even came with a 12 volt plug to replace the Wall Wart if you didn't have 120 volts to use. The TV was on sale cheap and still works good with an amazing picture in HD. When shopping for it I concluded they are all the same made in China. Reading some of these posts it seems there are some cheap brands that are basically junk. I would stick to a brand I have at least heard of before.

[Libero]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Sorry Bruce, I made that unclear. The fuse that blew was a 2 or 3 amp. I replaced it with an 8 amp. Next time I have it on I'll check my battery meter with it on and off and see what amperage it draws. I'm in Seattle now plugged into shore power so saving amps isn't much of an issue.

Barb

as I read your post again, I was evident you replaced with an 8A fuse (my comprehension genie was taking a nap - but old geezers are allowed to take mental lapses)
So your TV must consume less than 100W if the fuse does not blow and manufacturers usually give at least a 10% allowance before the fuse would blow.

So I suspect it would consume nominally 80-90w if they recomended an 8A fuse.

[okmunky]

LOL, my comprehension genie often takes extended vacations. Thanks again for all your help.

[tooltrdr]

Bought a 19" insignia at best buy for $99.00. Will install it this week and then work on a larger one for living area of trailer. Thanks for all the input and education