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fisher99's avatar
fisher99
Explorer
Dec 16, 2014

Wind River 280RLS - TV Swap?

Just purchased a 2013 Wind River 280RLS. It came with a 32" Jensen LED TV which I would like to swap out for a Samsung (better picture quality and wifi capability). I'm wondering if any Wind River owners have already done this? If so, I have a few questions that I would like to ask.

- Did you use a 110v to 12v converter to maintain 12v operation capability? And if so, what unit did you use?

- Physically dismounting the TV seems to be virtually impossible. You have to reach behind the TV and press a tab on the mount and then slide the TV to the right. There is no way my arm will fit back there and reach the release tab. I come up a couple of inches short. And given the limited space and angle I don't see that I could insert a tool (screwdriver, etc). Wondering how you did this? Fortunately for me the tab hadn't actually clicked and I am able to slide my TV off but I'm afraid to slide it all the way back on because I'll never get it back off. But I'm also afraid not to because I don't want it to slide off while I'm going down the road.

Thanks
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Dec 18, 2014
    fisher99 wrote:
    Good info. I'm tentatively looking at the Morningstar SureSine 300w inverter. Goes into power saving mode automatically when current isn't being drawn. You can also wire in an on/off switch. But I will definitely look at these options as well.

    Thanks!



    The Morningstar is a great choice.
  • fisher99's avatar
    fisher99
    Explorer
    Dec 18, 2014
    Good info. I'm tentatively looking at the Morningstar SureSine 300w inverter. Goes into power saving mode automatically when current isn't being drawn. You can also wire in an on/off switch. But I will definitely look at these options as well.

    Thanks!
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Dec 17, 2014
    krobbe wrote:
    I use this Wagan-EL2601-400W pure sine wave inverter for my 120v tv. It does the job nicely.


    That's not a bad option either, but I don't know if that inverter has a thermo controlled fan or if the fan runs all the time. My Samlex is very quiet. Also, your choice can depend on how you want to wire it. I have my Samelex wired so I can plug the shore power cord into it and power all the outlets and turn the charger and other breakers off. Simpler in my case.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Dec 17, 2014
    fisher99 wrote:
    Yes, the current Jensen TV is 12v. I agree about the shortage of 12v options. My favorite TV's (Samsung) don't have a 12v option at all. Which is why I'm looking at recommendations for a good inverter. Is "Pure Sign Wave" the brand of your inverter or is that a generic description? Would be interested brand/model if it is working well for you.


    Lot of good inverters out their and a lot of junk too. Good brands are Morningstar, Go Power, Samlex, Xantrex, and some others. The better ones have a thermo controlled fan, the cheaper ones have a fan that runs all the time. The best like Morningstar, don't use a fan at all but are pricey. I went with the Samlex 300w PST series for about $150 from bestconverter.com and it works great. Samlex makes a cheaper 300w psw inverter for about $100 but no thermo controlled fan and gets bad reviews for being noisey. You want to go with a Pure Sine Wave inverter as some electronics don’t play nice with the MSW inverters, while some members have had good luck with the cheaper MSW inverters so be aware it can be hit and miss with MSW. 300w is the sweet spot IMO for just running electronics.
  • fisher99's avatar
    fisher99
    Explorer
    Dec 17, 2014
    Yes, the current Jensen TV is 12v. I agree about the shortage of 12v options. My favorite TV's (Samsung) don't have a 12v option at all. Which is why I'm looking at recommendations for a good inverter. Is "Pure Sign Wave" the brand of your inverter or is that a generic description? Would be interested brand/model if it is working well for you.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Dec 16, 2014
    Does your Jensen work off 12v now? The 12V TV selection is going to be narrow for you as most of the better ones are 120v. If you find one with a 12v wall wart, you can wire it directly to 12v. I run my Toshiba and Panasonic TV's off a 300w Pure Sign Wave Inverter when necessary.

    As to the mounts, the mfg's do funny things. On my new Rockwood Windjammer, I could not for the life of me figure out how the TV came off the wall as you really couldn't see behind it, and there were no latches, etc, to lift or swing it out. I had to email Forest River to get the answer. They attach a an aluminum plate to the back of the TV with slotted holes. You have to lift the TV up and and it releases of of pegs. Works quite well actually once you see how it works.
  • krobbe's avatar
    krobbe
    Explorer
    Dec 16, 2014
    I tried a low cost Schumacher 12v to 120v 400w inverter for my Samsung. But there was interference or noise on the tv when using it. A pure sine wave inverter works better without interference at 3 to 4 times the cost. You could easily sell the Jensen 12v on CL to offset the cost of replacing it.

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