Small inverter or 12 volt tv?

[JRRNeiklot]

I just bought a Samsung 24 inch tv that I really like. It has the option of playing video straight from a flash drive, an option I really want. I had trouble finding the right size barrel plug - see this thread.

So, my options are run it off my 2000 watt inverter which will suck more juice than I like, use my small 300 watt modified sine wave inverter that I can plug into the 12 volt plug in the rv - just turning this inverter on without a load causes the lights to dim momentarily -, or return this tv and purchase something else. I'm leaning toward just sending it back, but I would like to get a few other opinions on the matter.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[tenbear]

I wired my TV that had a 12v power brick to the MH 12v line for some lights. It works fine. I would do the same with your 14v TV. It draws very little current so you could tap in almost anywhere that the 12v voltage stays on. The only question is how low is the voltage that the TV would stop working. The voltage should stay above 12.0v and if plugged in it will be 13.2v or more.

[Sam_Spade]

JRRNeiklot wrote:

Nope. Brand new

"sick" can also mean low on charge.
It can also mean the connections are bad.

Occasionally it can also mean that your brand new equipment (whatever it is, is bad out of the box).

I agree that a simple little fan should NOT make the lights dim enough to be noticeable.

[JRRNeiklot]

2oldman wrote:

JRRNeiklot wrote:
It's the fan causing the lights to dim. I turned the fan on in the bathroom vent and it did the same.

Sounds like sick batteries.

Nope. Brand new Trojan J305H-AC batteries.

[2oldman]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
It's the fan causing the lights to dim. I turned the fan on in the bathroom vent and it did the same.

Sounds like sick batteries.

[JRRNeiklot]

enblethen wrote:
If your current inverter has a plug in type cord, I meant to remove it and wire straight into the receptacle. This would make a tighter more efficient connection then a cigarette lighter plug.

Ah, I thought you meant run it straight to the battery.

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Or contact Samsung.

Did that. They were about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine.

2oldman wrote:
That's only normal when it's first connected to 12v power, not when it's just turned on.

It's the fan causing the lights to dim. I turned the fan on in the bathroom vent and it did the same. I will probably just use the inverter.

AsheGuy wrote:

Here is a link to what I did: Visio 12V TV Installation

Thanks, I'll check that out!

[2oldman]

That's only normal when it's first connected to 12v power, not when it's just turned on.

[Tom_M1]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
just turning this inverter on without a load causes the lights to dim momentarily

That's normal for any inverter. There's an initial surge of current to charge up capacitors.

The simplest solution is to use the small inverter. I've used an MSW inverter for many years with no problems. The difference in power usage between direct 12 volt and using an inverter won't be all that great.

[AsheGuy]

It's less of a drain on your battery to run a TV like yours directly from a 12V source rather than through an inverter.

I did this in 2010 with a new Vizio TV I bought for our LTV. When I asked a similar question to yours on this forum about doing this I had several claim that the 12V supply was not compatible and I would run the risk of damaging the TV. I did it anyway based on other advice and it has been working fine ever since.

Also, the original TV was the only reason the LTV had an inverter so I just took the inverter out. I had a 12V source going to the DVD player so I just spliced into it for the TV.

Here is a link to what I did: Visio 12V TV Installation

There are captions if you view the individual photos, click on the "i" icon to see the captions if on a PC.

[iagary]

I run a 22 inch Magnavox, a 24 inch Vizio and my VIP 211K dish receiver all at the same time from a Stanley 140W modified sine wave inverter. It all works great. My little fan doesn't run well on it though, so I am in the market for a small psw inverter. Looking for a 300W PSW with remote on/off (wired remote is fine). The dish receiver pulls 28 watts when it is turned off so I want to be able to just kill the inverter to save battery power when I am out for the day or when done watching TV at night. Inverter of choice right now is Go Power 300W PSW.

[theoldwizard1]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
I just bought a Samsung 24 inch tv that I really like. It has the option of playing video straight from a flash drive, an option I really want. I had trouble finding the right size barrel plug - see this thread.

Find the model number and go searching. Or contact Samsung.

JRRNeiklot wrote:
... use my small 300 watt modified sine wave inverter that I can plug into the 12 volt plug in the rv.

Get rid of your modified sine wave inverter and go buy a good 300 true sine wave inverter.

[D_E_Bishop]

I don't think a 2.1 or a 2.4mm plug is a common size for a TV. A round toothpick is about 2mm. My smallest plug is on a 5vdc power converter for an old Motorola Cell phone I had is only 350 ma.

My 32" Class Samsung LED Model 525D television wall wart has a 6mm plug and is rated for 66 watts.

I know Radio Shack is nearly defunct but I'd take the power supply to them and have them measure it against one of the standard plugs for a TV in the 24" Class.

I run both the TVs in the rig directly out of dual 12sockets from O'Reilley's Auto Part stores. The sockets are wired directly to a fuse block. I have also use an 80watt inverter from HFTs for both my TV in the field and my laptop. At the wattage of most TVs 24" Class or smaller an 80watt is adequate.

I'm going to the storage yard tomorrow and I'll measure my 24" class and my 19" class TVs and both my BluRay players and post the results.

I just checked the voltage output from the ww and it is 18 volts which is standard for laptops. Just do it the easy way and go to Radio Shack.

[time2roll]

I made up a cord some years ago with a cigar on one end and the small barrel on the other.
Why not do the same?

[enblethen]

If your current inverter has a plug in type cord, I meant to remove it and wire straight into the receptacle. This would make a tighter more efficient connection then a cigarette lighter plug.

[lawrosa]

I run my TV from the 12v socket with a small plug in invertor. The TV is a Vizio 24" and I also run a 26" outside with another plug in invertor.

Those outlets you should not exceed 8 amps. Thats about 100 watts.

Both these TV's run at 25 watts or less. ( I used a killowatt meter to determine this)

The invertors I use ar stanly 120 watt units with no fan. ( I dont want the noise).

TV's run fine and never an issue.

I also run a third invertor by the couch in the summer to run a 20" box fan. Box fan uses 95 watts on hi. I unually run on low @ 25 watts.

So while boon docking I could be cranking 8-10 amps out the batterys an hour. With my 220 ah batterys ill be at 50% in about 10 hours.

stanley 120 watt invertor.