TV with 14v brick, okay at 12.x volts?

Actually a TV which USES a 14V "brick" just may be the ideal TV to use on a 12V BATTERY system.

The reason for this is your typical 12V "battery" will have a fully charged resting voltage of 12.8V.

Typically with electronics you have a + or (-) 10% of voltage tolerance to work with..

10% of 14V is 1.4V so you have a good chance that the TV will operate as low as 12.6V and the upper limit 15.4V.

I would doubt that anything bad would happen if the TV is run as low as 12.6V although some "performance" may be degraded a bit (like brightness or tuner performance). I would tend to think that even the voltages from modern three stage converters would even be "safe" since they tend to top out at around 14.4 in bulk mode.

You might have a better chance the TV would survive bulk mode charging over a TV which uses a 12V "brick"..

On thing to be extremely careful though is if you are making your own 12V power cord... Please observe the POLARITY of the plug when wiring it, check it at least TWICE before plugging the TV in... A mistake on polarity will lead to an expensive door stop..

You're very welcome. Happy to help. I noticed that Paul and Roy both have extensive electronics experience, their replies should make you more comfortable using DC power from your RV.
Al
WB0YJJ

Al, that's great to know. Thanks!

Snowman9000, about a month ago I replaced our Jensen TV that wasn't working with a Samsung UN22F5000AF. I haven't used it other than to install it and make certain that it works as the motorhome is winterized and stored right now. It worked fine off the same power lead that the Jensen was using after replacing the molex style connector with an adapter from Radio Shack that will fit the 14VDC jack in the back of the Samsung TV. (Enercell™ Adaptaplug T). Link
I soldered the power wires to the pins of the adapter and then encapsulated the connection with epoxy. I don't expect any problems using DC power from the RV rather than the AC adapter provided with the TV.
Al

Well, for those who are looking, it seems the Samsung UN19F4000 (19") and UN22F5000 (22") run off a 14v brick. The former typically consumes 15w at 120v, and the latter consumes 18w. The 22" is cheaper ($149) than the 19" ($160), and is 1080p. The 19 is only 720p. I think the 22 is going to be on my Xmas list.

Like Paul says I have run a HDTV setup direct connected to the Rv 12VDC Battery system. The DC voltages here ranges from 12.3 to 14.4VDC depending what mode my smart mode converter/charger is using.

ALot of RV guys are really looking hard for these kinds of HDTV sets which are becoming hard to find these days it appears. Mine was an older VIZIO 19-inch model that used a 120VAC XFMR plugged into a DC Connector on the TV chassis.

I think mine said something like 17VDC required.. It worked fine being direct connected to my trailer 12VDC source with maybe the brightness not as bright with 12VDC...

Since then I have been using a 300WATT PSW INVERTER that produces 120VAC and that solved all the problems of running the home entertainment items off the battery banks... Having the 120VAC Emergency power available also allows me to plug in other 120VAC items that I might need when camping off the power grid.

I can run some 120VAC lights, CELL PHONE chargers, Computer Chargers, NOAH WX Radios, etc all from the 300WATT PSW Inverter 120VAC source. Always ON when I need it.

Roy Ken

Display might be dim. My Toshiba gives a beep tone if voltage drops a bit but no harm done. Became a PITN so I just wired in an inverter.

When I have shore power I use the power supply brick.

When not on shore power, I run the TV set on the battery.

No problems.

This strikes me as a very bad idea. Your TV is expecting a nice clean signal from its power supply, and hooking up to your battery is not going to give it the clean power it requires. Even if you have a 12V electronic device I wouldn't hook it directly to vehicle power unless I knew it was designed for it.

Good question. I would not expect it to run that way for very long.

I wonder if there's a DC-DC "inverter", which would take a range of input DC voltages and crank out a steady 14v.

I have a DC-DC converter which keeps my rig at a constant 12.5 with a 24v system.