Topic: Replaced 24 inch tube type TV with 32 inch LCD TV (Read 1284 times)

Clay L · « **on:** November 12, 2009, 06:05:52 PM »

I just finished the project. The new TV is mounted on an articulated arm so it can open out for access to the new storage area behind.
I lined the storage area with 3/4 inch plywood and covered it with laminate flooring left over from that project. The arm is though bolted with 1/4 inch bolts and fender washers to the right side of the storage cabinet. I used 3/4 inch plywood instead of 1/2 inch because I thought the extra strength might be a good idea due to the rough ride I get from the new Koni shocks I installed a year ago.

The fiddle on the front bottom of the storage area raises up to allow access to the bottom storage area which is a good place for remotes and so forth while traveling.

The four hold-downs aren't shown but are made from an oak closet rod cut into about 4 inch lengths and rectangular oak pieces. The rods have holes drilled through them. Thumb screws with all-thread welded to them to get the right lengths screw into T nuts inserted in the back side of the frame. The oak pieces extend over the edge of the TV and are tightened down with the thumb screws for travel. The oak pieces are backed with shelf no-skid so they won't mar the TV.

As you can sort of see in the "ripped out" photo, Winnebago uses a steel cage that connects to the rectangular steel tubing in the ceiling to build the sides and back of the whole set of cabinets across the front of the cab above the driver and passenger.

aka Porky · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2009, 06:17:44 PM »

Nice job Clay. What model TV did you choose?

PatrioticStabilist · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2009, 06:20:29 PM »

What a great idea. Have to show hubby as we are trying to decide how and where to put a tellie. He said the best place was the miiddle but we don't want to attach it to the ceiling. This may give him an idea of what to do. Nice setup.

ArdraF · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2009, 06:39:46 PM »

Sue Ann,

A number of Forumites have made the changeover from tube to LCD. I think if you use the red Search button you'll find plenty to keep hubby interested!

ArdraF

JNewkirk77 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2009, 07:28:14 PM »

Sue Ann,

If you've not worked with an LCD set before, your mounting options are many. I've seen swing-arm mounts, wall mounts ... there's a mount out there that I'm sure you'll find just right for you.

I've not made the leap to put an LCD in our rig yet, but I sure have gotten some great ideas from searching around here, as Ardra recommends.

Jeff · « **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2009, 10:49:38 PM »

Clay:

Several of us are still struggling with hold downs for travel,(straps, velcro, etc) Yours sounds better so would you mind taking a couple of shots of them to post?

Thanks

scottydl · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2009, 11:15:03 PM »

That looks great, and this is a project I anticipate doing eventually when LCD prices come down a bit more. I've already replaced the tube TV once, from the original motorhome 19" Sharp (picture was starting to fail) to a used 19" Fisher we had stored away. After remounting the 2nd tube TV that is ONLY held in by two little L-shaped brackets and always seems like the TV is going to come crashing down on my head while driving... I keep dreaming of the larger, lighter, flatter set that could be up there.

PatrioticStabilist · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2009, 12:17:41 AM »

The other folks had theirs inside a cabinet so none is there, actually I'm happy about that or hubby would think that is just great. Soooo, we have to buy one, he says an 18 inch is big as we can use, I'm thinking 21

.

We have thought about just leaving it on a pedestal and sitting it up on the cabover when stopped and putting it away when traveling, but I think its safer secured.

By the way

Mom = Carolyn
Daughter = Sue Anne

But I answer to most anything!!

Clay L · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2009, 11:14:48 AM »

Quote from: Porky (aka Onaquest) on November 12, 2009, 06:17:44 PM

Nice job Clay. What model TV did you choose?

I got the Samsung Model: LN32B550K1. You can see it with specs HERE

I did have to trim 1/4 inches off the two adjacent cabinet door edges so the TV would fit between them. Some light oak stain and some polyurethane varnish and you really can't tell they were trimmed.

Clay L · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2009, 11:16:42 AM »

Quote from: Jeff on November 12, 2009, 10:49:38 PM

Clay:

Several of us are still struggling with hold downs for travel,(straps, velcro, etc) Yours sounds better so would you mind taking a couple of shots of them to post?

Thanks

I haven't taken pictures of them yet but I will and will post them.

Jeff · « **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2009, 02:24:04 PM »

Thanks !

ArdraF · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:33:02 PM »

Quote

We have thought about just leaving it on a pedestal and sitting it up on the cabover when stopped and putting it away when traveling, but I think its safer secured.

In the "olden days" before they installed TVs in motorhomes we had one we tied down for travel or put in a cupboard. That routine gets very old very fast, so you really might want to think a bit harder about a permanent mount. We've now changed both the lounge and bedroom TVs to LCDs and are quite pleased with them. In the bedroom we were able to find one that just fit into the old hole. Jerry tied it down in back by cutting a hole in the bottom of its cupboard and reaching up to secure it with bungee cords. No one would realize that's how it's held in place if we didn't tell them.

The main difficulty is not buying an LCD or even installing it (although the bedroom was a bear) but trying to find one that fits. Thirty inches was what we needed and they make 28 or 32, but not 30. Not fair! But, as they say, whoever said life was fair. They just want to keep us on our toes.

ArdraF

PatrioticStabilist · « **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2009, 10:13:28 PM »

I think they have had one in the bedroom where the 2 twins are on the drawer unit in back as there is velcro there. We have also found all kinds of TV wiring in the front and back so I know they had them. But in front in a cabinet and I'm sure its a small one that fit in there. Also found the hookup for XM radio, I have Sirius but its hardwired in my truck. Don't mind getting another subscription though I really like it to drive by.

Will just have to see what will work.

jeverden · « **Reply #13 on:** November 14, 2009, 09:38:31 AM »

I am just doing mine. Did you upgrade the cables to HD or are you keeping the Regular Cable?

What was involved in upgrading the cable? I am puzzled on this part as what about the rear bedroom tv and the cable going back there?

Nice job by the way!

Jason

Jeff · « **Reply #14 on:** November 14, 2009, 10:11:53 AM »

Quote from: jeverden on November 14, 2009, 09:38:31 AM

I am just doing mine. Did you upgrade the cables to HD or are you keeping the Regular Cable?

What was involved in upgrading the cable? I am puzzled on this part as what about the rear bedroom tv and the cable going back there?
Jason

Jason:

If you are referring to the cable coming from a Satellite or cable they do not get changed. The HD Satellite receiver box has HDMI outputs that connect to the TV. Our rear TV is still HD.

Clay L · « **Reply #15 on:** November 14, 2009, 10:20:50 AM »

Quote from: jeverden on November 14, 2009, 09:38:31 AM

I am just doing mine. Did you upgrade the cables to HD or are you keeping the Regular Cable?

What was involved in upgrading the cable? I am puzzled on this part as what about the rear bedroom tv and the cable going back there?

Nice job by the way!

Jason

Thank you.

I went to an HDMI cable from the DVD/CD/MP3 player to the TV, but for now I still have to use the composite cable from the satellite receiver to the TV because the sat receiver only has that output. Next year when we get the Winegard HD capable dish I will upgrade the sat receiver and get the HD add-on to my Direct TV package. I have the HDMI cable waiting. I got the cables from Amazon quite a bit cheaper than the ones at BestBuy. They are made by Belden and hopefully are good quality.

As far as the bedroom TV goes we don't have one back there. We use the space for a wireless printer.

The maximum recommended length for HDMI cables seems to be about 50 feet (see HERE ) but signal restorers are available. It would seem to be a challenge to run HDMI to the back .

jeverden · « **Reply #16 on:** November 14, 2009, 10:21:07 AM »

Thanks!

Jason

Tom · « **Reply #17 on:** November 14, 2009, 11:47:02 AM »

When I switched out our front TV, I went ahead and upgraded the two coax cables from the antenna to the receiver. Since I already had the TV out, access was easier than trying to do it later.

scottydl · « **Reply #18 on:** November 14, 2009, 11:55:25 AM »

Buying cables in retail packaging from a store like Best Buy or Radio Shack is a good way to waste perfectly good money.

I was once referred to the site http://www.monoprice.com for a computer-to-TV cable (so I could watch internet videos on my 37" LCD at home) and that's the only site I buy cables from now. Best quality and best price. Amazon is a good site to compare prices also, as their inventory always changes and they can have some good deals too.

PatrioticStabilist · « **Reply #19 on:** November 14, 2009, 12:48:47 PM »

I will get my tenant to look the TV stuff over when we get to that. He knows all about media stuff. He is telling me there is some kind of deal I can get that just plugs in like a memory stick and I can get TV over it and don't have to buy a satellite dish. I have no idea what he is talking about at this point. Need to sit down with him and go over it. I guess you pay a monthly fee for it also, but I need to find out all about it.

JNewkirk77 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 14, 2009, 05:24:36 PM »

Quote from: PatrioticStabilist on November 14, 2009, 12:48:47 PM

I will get my tenant to look the TV stuff over when we get to that. He knows all about media stuff. He is telling me there is some kind of deal I can get that just plugs in like a memory stick and I can get TV over it and don't have to buy a satellite dish. I have no idea what he is talking about at this point. Need to sit down with him and go over it. I guess you pay a monthly fee for it also, but I need to find out all about it.

It sounds like, in this instance, what he's talking about is a TV tuner that plugs into the USB port on a computer.

You can just hook up an antenna to one of those and use a laptop computer to watch TV, but that's not something I'd consider all that convenient for the whole family ... unless, of course, you then have a VGA or S-video cable (whichever the computer in question supports) to take that signal to the LCD TV. It's more complication than you really need, although it might be handy if you want something light and easily portable to watch TV in the bedroom.

scottydl · « **Reply #21 on:** November 14, 2009, 08:01:16 PM »

Woot.com (site that sells a single different item each day, usually at an incredible price) had one of those USB tuner sticks for sale last week. I thought about buying it for camping, but its usage would be limited and I doubted how well the small included antenna would pick up reliable digital signals in rural areas.

JNewkirk77 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 14, 2009, 08:13:43 PM »

Quote from: scottydl on November 14, 2009, 08:01:16 PM

Woot.com (site that sells a single different item each day, usually at an incredible price) had one of those USB tuner sticks for sale last week. I thought about buying it for camping, but its usage would be limited and I doubted how well the small included antenna would pick up reliable digital signals in rural areas.

The included antennas are OK if you're close to the stations' towers, not so much if you're, say, 25+ miles out. When we were still tent camping, I took a homemade coat-hanger antenna (half of the unit you can find plans for here) and about 10' of coax with me, and just strapped it to the highest tent pole on the outside. It worked fine. Of course, in an RV, you can just connect to the antenna, again with plain old coax.

Clay L · « **Reply #23 on:** November 20, 2009, 12:34:48 PM »

Okay here are the pictures of the hold down scheme I used. It seems to hold the TV set securely.

Not shown is the weather stripping on the back of the oak pieces that should help avoid wear or scratches on the TV.

I put plastic bumpers on the TV and felt discs on the frame to provide some resilience.

The T-nut picture shows the back of the frame with the T-nut inserted.

Bill P. · « **Reply #24 on:** November 20, 2009, 05:19:11 PM »

My philosophy is there is no television that is too big. I just replaced a 26" lcd that was mounted inside the opening with a 32" lcd using an articulating mount. The tv pushes up against the opening. Amazon has some great prices on Peerless articulating mounts if anyone is interested. This is a very easy to do project. Bill

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Author Topic: Replaced 24 inch tube type TV with 32 inch LCD TV (Read 1284 times)