Running Tv On 12v Or Inverter (1 Viewer)

[Dave and Ginny]

Been looking at various TV/DVD combos to replace my current Avtex which is on it's way out.

I currently run my Avtex on the 12volt system but many of the TV's I'm looking at don't appear to run on 12 volt (although most technical descriptions are vague so they may be stepped down through a power supply adapter), but some seem to have very low power requirements. A few I'm looking at for around £100 mark as low as 18 watt which would see to be fine for running from my 300w inverter.

Whats the general consensus on 12volt TV versus running 230/240 via inverter?

 

[scotjimland]

12v.. is preferable as inverters are not 100% efficient..

buying a new TV I wouldn't consider a 230v only, but most smaller TVs come with a 12v brick ..

the Finlux 19" is 12v and only 20watt.. it is supplied with a 230v/12vdc brick..


Edit .. just for interest..
There is a very good reason why most small TVs are 12v.. it makes it a lot cheaper to manufacture with less safety concerns and getting it approved for 230v ac

also, many use a generic 230v/12vdc brick.. so keeps costs down..

 

[Deleted member 29692]

A 12v one is a better bet if only because inverters aren't efficient. Stepping 12v up to 230v and then back down to 12v again seems pointless if you don't have to.

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[Forestboy]

Get a Finlux 12v combi we recently bought one on ScotJimland recomendation and its a fantastic tv at a good price.

 

[Bluestar]

As above, most TV electronics are low voltage so very inefficient to boost up to 230v to then convert down to 12v to run the TV.

 

[Dave and Ginny]

I think it's going to be the Finlux as it seems to tick all the boxes and is coming highly recommended

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[tonka]

Think about it....
Even If you have a real bad Invertor that looses as much as 20%. and use a Tv at 20w...
Thats 20w plus 20% for loss (4w). total. 24w..
It's nothing on the scale of things...
In my previous van I had a Cheap Asda mains Tv and a 150w invertor, worked perfect for years....

 

[The Wino]

If you get a different one to the finlux check the power adapter voltage a lot are now 15 or 19v as based on computer monitors so wont work on 12v!!!

 

[Baycott]

Another vote for the Finlux combi
It's the best TV we have had in a caravan or motorhome in 20 years.

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[Moodybrook]

I had to emergency purchase a TV in Luxembourg. As far as I understand there is just one place selling 12v TV's in Luxie. We had a right ole treasure hunt ! Got a 12v Philips 22" HD (NOT HD ready, proper HD) Excellent picture and good sound. More expensive(lots more) than the Finlux but necessity prises the purse open as wide as the situation dictates.

It doesn't have a dvd player but we never use that as we run films and record to a removable hard drive.

 

[scotjimland]

necessity prises the purse open as wide as the situation dictates.

painful I expect ..

 

[steevie]

Any inverter uses power to do its job, so obviously a 12v TV is going to use less, but finding them can be difficult, and it's something they don't seem to put in the spec on the box. We got ours from Asia after someone on the fins terms forum said they were 12v. It is a 19" and cost £99, but you have to make up a 12v lead yourself. It's been great for nearly a year now, and uses very little power.

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[Moodybrook]

painful I expect ..

Aberdonian painful. To the quick and beyond

BUT ! Mines is bigger than yours !!

 

[Bacchus]

I have been thinking about this; I have opted for the inverter + 240v TV option

I know it is less efficient, and the Avtex army will come and get me, but, whilst I am sure the Avtex is a superior product, this will only be used for a few weeks a year and I have bought a 1500w inverter which means that I can use it to power a micorowave and the mem-sahib's hair things. Much more versatile arrangement IMHO.

TV is a Bush 19" combo, £99 from Argos... (you get what you pay for, but it will probably only be used for watching re-runs of Blackadder and similar)

 

[Dave and Ginny]

I have been thinking about this; I have opted for the inverter + 240v TV option

I know it is less efficient, and the Avtex army will come and get me, but, whilst I am sure the Avtex is a superior product, this will only be used for a few weeks a year and I have bought a 1500w inverter which means that I can use it to power a micorowave and the mem-sahib's hair things. Much more versatile arrangement IMHO.

TV is a Bush 19" combo, £99 from Argos... (you get what you pay for, but it will probably only be used for watching re-runs of Blackadder and similar)

I still haven't got one yet...does the one you have go straight from TV to 230/240 or via a little transformer box?

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[Bacchus]

The lead goes straight from the TV to the 240v - lead and plug are all integrated (don't know what will happen when SWMBO eventually runs over the lead with the vacuum cleaner!!!!)

Haven't managed to get a picture from the aerial/satellite dish yet, but it's certainly ninety nine quid well spent when watching Red Dwarf...

 

[Bacchus]

As an addendum to my earlier comments...

I have just been out and rigged up the inverter, it all works fine, I can watch DVDs etc HOWEVER, for some reason the TV doesn't seem to respond to the remote control properly when it is running on the inverter.

I have seen this before with the touchpad on a laptop not working when charging via inverter, with the laptop the solution was just to use a mouse. With the TV I suppose I can use the buttons (my old Hymer isn't SO big that I can't get up and switch channels manually), but obviously can't access some of the "richer" features from the limited buttons on the TV itself.

Any suggestions welcome...?

 

[travelling wilbury]

if youre sure its the inverter thats causing these changes, i would send the inverter back for a swap out....check again, if still an issue, try a different inverter....

it is a pain to get at things like channel tune etc without a remote...

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[Bacchus]

it is a pain to get at things like channel tune etc without a remote...

Hi @travelling wilbury - luckily my van is so small that a remote is almost superflous (c:

I managed a month in France after that post and didn't even switch the TV on although the inverter came in very useful for cooling beers* in a cold box on 240v whilst travelling when I had fridge issues (resolved now)


*... and maybe some food...

 

[rikfos]

120 watt inverter used with 240v dvd combo, never had any problem

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

I currently own a Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" Monitor, which is really high resolution, great for my laptop. It would be great if I can mount this in the motorhome instead of having to buy a new 12V TV that would probably be lower quality.

Is a 24" screen too big? I'll mount it on an arm in the U-lounge.

For power, Dell website says:

Voltage Required:
100 to 240 VAC / 50 or 60 Hz ± 3Hz / 1.5 A (Max)
Power Consumption:
38 W (typical) / 72 W (maximum)

Is that a lot of power? Ok, I can buy a 1000W inverter so obviously that's no problem for the inverter.

How about battery usage? To convert 38 W to 240 V, it's 0.16 A. So on a 100 Ah battery I could run it for 625 hours? Is my math right?

Does the 38 W power consumption stated by Dell assume 240 or 110 V?

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[scotjimland]

Does the 38 W power consumption stated by Dell assume 240 or 110 V?

38 watt is the power used .. doesn't matter what voltage is, 12v 110v 240v .. wattage is constant

Formula .. W = V X A and A = W/V

so at 12v

Amps used = 38/12 = 3.16 A

If you use an inverter, that will be slightly more due to inverter loss, they are not 100% efficient

so lets say 3.5A .. on a 100AH battery you have a useful capacity of 50AH .. ( should never run a battery below 50% )

so you would have 50/3.5 = about 14 hrs TV use before battery effectively flat

sadly not 625 as you hoped ..

 

[Langtoftlad]

Is 24" too big - well that depends on the size of your motorhome really.
Have you got one yet, otherwise worry about a TV, or a monitor, inverters etc is a bit of cart before the horse.

Given the size of the screen and the distance you'll be viewing [further away than when close-up using a monitor with a pc], I doubt you'll notice any difference in picture quality...

Edited:
Just looked - that monitor is a 16:10 screen whereas most TV's are now 16:9 aspect ratio - so you'll end up with black bars [or is it squished, I can never remember]

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

so you would have 50/3.5 = about 14 hrs TV use before battery effectively flat

Ah, I should be assuming 12V (not 240V), because batteries are inherently 12V.

Gotcha. Thanks for helping me get my head around this.

14 hrs is not bad at all.

Is 24" too big - well that depends on the size of your motorhome really.
Have you got one yet, otherwise worry about a TV, or a monitor, inverters etc is a bit of cart before the horse.

Given the size of the screen and the distance you'll be viewing [further away than when close-up using a monitor with a pc], I doubt you'll notice any difference in picture quality...

Edited:
Just looked - that monitor is a 16:10 screen whereas most TV's are now 16:9 aspect ratio - so you'll end up with black bars [or is it squished, I can never remember]

Still haven't gotten the moho yet, but we're pretty set on the Hymer 534, which is 5.6 m long with a U-lounge. And I need to figure out now whether to sell this monitor or keep it for the motorhome when we move out in less than a month.

I'll be using it for laptop work mostly, standing ~50 cm away from it, editing photos. Then for relaxing, watching a film, we'll sit back on the lounge.

Think about it....
Even If you have a real bad Invertor that looses as much as 20%. and use a Tv at 20w...
Thats 20w plus 20% for loss (4w). total. 24w..
It's nothing on the scale of things...

I agree with this. It'd probably be cheaper to just buy another leisure battery than to buy a new 12V TV that's of equivalent quality to my Dell monitor.

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[Stealaway]

I still haven't got one yet...does the one you have go straight from TV to 230/240 or via a little transformer box?

240V has so many other uses, it just handy to have. It seems you lose 15% converting to 240v with an inverter, if you are short of power by 15% I think you need to look at your batteries.
I've just bought and fitted this TV today - It's bit big but what a stunning picture for £199.00
This actually has a transformer from 240V to 19V
Samsung SMART LT27D390SW/XU 27'' LED TV 1080 PIXEL
Amazon product ASIN B00QSCXEWU

 

[pappajohn]

Ah, I should be assuming 12V (not 240V), because batteries are inherently 12V.

Gotcha. Thanks for helping me get my head around this.

14 hrs is not bad at all.

I'm assuming, as you intend using an inverter, you won't be on mains hookup?

If I'm right, how do you plan on recharging the hab batteries after discharging your batteries to 50% ?
It's not just the tv/laptop consuming 12v...lights, water pump, blown air heating... It all adds up.

Solar panels in the UK certainly will struggle in one day.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

240V has so many other uses, it just handy to have. It seems you lose 15% converting to 240v with an inverter, if you are short of power by 15% I think you need to look at your batteries.
I've just bought and fitted this TV today - It's bit big but what a stunning picture for £199.00
This actually has a transformer from 240V to 19V

Nice! Would you mind taking a picture of how it looks mounted in your van?

I just want to see how bulky it is, if it's in the way or not.

I'm assuming, as you intend using an inverter, you won't be on mains hookup?

Yes, the plan ideally is to be wild camping for 2-4 nights, 1 night in a campsite on EHU, then repeat the cycle. I imagine solar in the UK winter will not produce much so we might have to do 2-3 leisure batteries and fewer nights wild camping.

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[Langtoftlad]

This actually has a transformer from 240V to 19V

You can get a 12v -》19v power brick, saves on inverter loss, I got one for my laptop.

 

[Stealaway]

Nice! Would you mind taking a picture of how it looks mounted in your van?

I just want to see how bulky it is, if it's in the way or not.

Tomorrow? It's a bit dark now.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

You can get a 12v -》19v power brick, saves on inverter loss, I got one for my laptop.

I thought about getting one for my laptop as well. Link Removed. It does 19V too so could work for your TV as well.

But is it good value to spend the £27 on this adapter or just buy more leisure battery?

Based on scotjimland's rough estimate of savings of 0.34 Amp (see quote below), and you use the device for 10 hours a day, that'd be 3.4 Ah. At £27 for the adapter, you're paying £7.94/Ah.

Assuming £105 for 90 Ah battery, and you can only use half of it (45 Ah), then you're paying £2.33/Ah. So it's much cheaper to just buy more battery.

38 watt is the power used .. doesn't matter what voltage is, 12v 110v 240v .. wattage is constant

Formula .. W = V X A and A = W/V

so at 12v

Amps used = 38/12 = 3.16 A

If you use an inverter, that will be slightly more due to inverter loss, they are not 100% efficient

so lets say 3.5A .. on a 100AH battery you have a useful capacity of 50AH .. ( should never run a battery below 50% )

so you would have 50/3.5 = about 14 hrs TV use before battery effectively flat

sadly not 625 as you hoped ..

Tomorrow? It's a bit dark now.

Sure thing mate!

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