Forum Discussion

BurbMan's avatar
BurbMan
Explorer II
Jan 28, 2014

14V TV?

I swear I just saw a thread on this but can't find it now....

Looking at Samsung 24" LED TV for the bedroom that has an external power brick. The power connection on the back of the TV is labeled "14V DC".

I know the converter is putting out 13.6 or so when plugged to shore power, but the batteries are running less than that when boondocking. Ideally I would like to wire this directly to 12V and eliminate the overhead of the inverter, but even fully charged, batteries are arounbd 12.8 or so, and that would be almost a 10% voltage drop. Anybody have experience doing this with a 14V TV?

If I try it will I fry it? Hey that's kind of catchy....

33 Replies

Sort By
  • mena661's avatar
    mena661
    Explorer
    Feb 18, 2014
    Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on how it works out.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    Feb 17, 2014
    Thanks, I went ahead and got the 24" when it was on sale around the Super Bowl. The set sits recessed in a cabinet so I had to enlarge and re-trim the hole along with welding up a custom mount for it. Came out nice. I did buy the Radio Shack adapter but took it back....the outlet that powers this set is on the circuit that is powered by the PSW inverted running off of the transfer switch...so I am going to run it off the inverter and see how we do power wise then reconsider the 12v hook up if need be.
  • bdosborn's avatar
    bdosborn
    Explorer
    Feb 01, 2014
    Here's the plug I used on my 24" Insignia:

    12v Plug

    I wired it directly to a spare in the fuseblock I had close by.

    Bruce
  • Almot's avatar
    Almot
    Explorer III
    Feb 01, 2014
    A good LCD or LED TV will draw under 30W @120V AC. Just get a 100W inverter for $20 or 30. You are going to need it at some point anyway.
  • darsben's avatar
    darsben
    Explorer II
    Feb 01, 2014
    $109.99 today and best buy has a policy of matching their own price for 30 days.
    If it goes lower within 30 days after you purchase then call and they refund the difference to you
  • mena661's avatar
    mena661
    Explorer
    Feb 01, 2014
    BurbMan wrote:
    Battery configuration is 2-6v batteries, no solar (yet...). I upgraded the converter from the WFCO to a PD w/charge wizard and also upgraded the wire gauge to the batteries, so charge time with the Honda 2000 isn't bad.

    The .5A standby will only be in effect when you're not using the inverter so overnight would be 4 amp hours (.5A x 8 hrs) which not much for 2 6V's. Not much to worry about IMO.

    Not sure what this means. I thought the adapter would just be a cig lighter to tv-plug cord and that it would be up to the power supply in the TV to deal with incoming voltage fluctuations. I'm sure that the wall wart has a chip or something that normalizes the voltage at 12v, so I was concerned about not having the buffer in front of the TV. But it sounds like you're saying that I can get an adapter that will do that too? Point me in the right direction, please.

    It is correct to assume that going direct to 12v is more efficient power-wise than using the inverter and the wall wart?

    TV's with bricks have EXTERNAL power supplies. The power supply is in the brick not in the TV. You'd have to get a 12V cig plug adapter to match the voltage your TV wants to the voltage your battery puts out. A TV with no brick has the power supply in the TV. Those require inverters to use. It is more efficient to NOT use an inverter but all we care about in RV's is how much power does something use efficient or not. If the cig adapter TV uses more power than a TV going through an inverter then efficiency doesn't matter.


  • kneal44's avatar
    kneal44
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    i bought several years ago from big lots a battery 9 inch tv. uses 120 or 12 plus built in rechargable battery for $50. good reception. uses like 15 watts.

    oh and hd picture.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    Jan 31, 2014
    Battery configuration is 2-6v batteries, no solar (yet...). I upgraded the converter from the WFCO to a PD w/charge wizard and also upgraded the wire gauge to the batteries, so charge time with the Honda 2000 isn't bad.

    mena661 wrote:
    make sure the 12V adapter that you'll need to buy covers a range of voltages instead of just one and this won't be a problem.


    Not sure what this means. I thought the adapter would just be a cig lighter to tv-plug cord and that it would be up to the power supply in the TV to deal with incoming voltage fluctuations. I'm sure that the wall wart has a chip or something that normalizes the voltage at 12v, so I was concerned about not having the buffer in front of the TV. But it sounds like you're saying that I can get an adapter that will do that too? Point me in the right direction, please.

    It is correct to assume that going direct to 12v is more efficient power-wise than using the inverter and the wall wart?
  • mena661's avatar
    mena661
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    BurbMan wrote:


    1. Eliminate the wall wart and plug the TV directly into the lighter socket at the antenna jack. This does mean the set will see higher voltages when plugged into shore power and charging.

    Depends, make sure the 12V adapter that you'll need to buy covers a range of voltages instead of just one and this won't be a problem.

    2. Keep the wall wart and plug into the inverter powered outlet. Downside is that since this is the bedroom TV, the inverter will stay on all night since nobody (me, LOL) will get out of bed to shut it down. The inverter draws 500 mA at idle, how meaningful of a parasitic draw is this?

    Depends on what your setup is. If you have a large battery bank or plenty of solar, .5A is nothing. If you have one group 24, then that's a lot.

About Technical Issues

Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,242 PostsLatest Activity: May 08, 2025