12 volt television

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RVingNewb

RVingNewb

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Joined
Jun 22, 2014
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Location
Savannah, GA
Having the hardest time finding a 12 volt TV for my TT. There are a couple of models at Camping World, but they're $300+ and I can't swing that. Amazon and Best Buy are surprisingly disappointing. Any other sites or stores I should check?

I don't need anything large- 16-19 inches, I think.
 
Just wondering ..can you run Dish or Direct TV off 12V? 

Personal, I rather watch the fire with an adult beverage.

WildBill
 
Take a look at a small inverter and 120 volt TV.  Unless you are going to be super critical about power consumption, I think you'll find this option much more affordable.
 
I second that regarding an inverter.  I had a 12v LCD TV once.  It lasted about a year.  When it died it was replaced under warranty with a 120v model, which still works years later.

An inverter will protect the TV from low voltage by shutting down entirely when there is not enough power in your batteries to run it.

Most LCD TVs don't use much power so a 100-150w inverter will be plenty.
 
Got my 12 volt tv/dvd player off Ebay. Do a search and you will get a lot of hits.
 
here is where I got my 12 volt LED TV.  I love it.

http://www.my12voltstore.com/
 
You may already be considering this.....
but just to make sure...
Many TV's sold are powered by a brick transformer in the power cord.....  They may not say 12VDC on the box, but don't use the brick and and that's what you've got....
I just bought a small one at Best buy over thanksgiving, TV/DVD combo, no name brand at best buy.... Insignia maybe....I think it was either a 19in or 21in....bought it for use as a computer monitor.....
no name brand, but they work just fine.....

here's a few that would work....
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-24-class-24-diag--led-1080p-hdtv-black/2799034.p?id=1219077479420&skuId=2799034
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-19-class-18-1-2-diag--led-720p-hdtv-black/2799043.p?id=1219077483779&skuId=2799043
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-24-class-24-diag--led-1080p-hdtv-black/2799034.p?id=1219077479420&skuId=2799034
and here's one that says 14VDC
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-19-class-18-1-2-diag--led-720p-hdtv-black/7844042.p?id=1218861115647&skuId=7844042
I'd dig into the specs a bit more but I wouldn't be surprised if it wouldn't work.....
 
I suggest that you check the voltage of the 'brick' with a meter first.  Many current TVs require 18 volts and giving it only 12 may cause the built in voltage regulators to draw more current than they can handle as they attempt to step the voltage up.  Poof!  Not all TVs have regulators in the TV, they might be in the brick.

Also keep in mind that while we call it 12 volts the actual voltage in an RV can be anywhere between 10~ and 14~ volts depending on state of charge and whatever your charger is doing.  IMHO using 12v (RV) on a TV not specifically designed for it is a gamble. 

With that being said: I did it for several years with a Samsung LCD TV, the one that still works.  But I suspect it was low voltage that killed the first one.  They were both small TVs, 17-19 inches.

Good luck in your search.
 
Both of the lcds in my camper are insignia brand and are 12v. Less than 100 each. I just modified the cords with cigarette plugs.
 
RVingNewb,

I have an almost brand new 12v Jensen (same as sold by Camping World) that I took out of our Lance camper. I would be willing to sell it for $100 - it is, I think, 19 or 20 inch.

I will be out of town for a week, but if you will call me at 870-492-2338 after 12/28, maybe we can work something out. The unit is in Arkansas.

Bill
 
8Muddypaws said:
I suggest that you check the voltage of the 'brick' with a meter first.  Many current TVs require 18 volts and giving it only 12 may cause the built in voltage regulators to draw more current than they can handle as they attempt to step the voltage up.  Poof!  Not all TVs have regulators in the TV, they might be in the brick.
Click to expand...

Low voltage for electroincs is not as bad as you seem to think, for motors it is death but most electroincs if the voltage is not high enough, simply do not work.

Most power bricks will put out a much higher voltage no-load than they do working, IN fact IF the voltage regulator is inside the TV then the power brick WILL put out too much voltage no load, so any measurement you take of the brick is meaningless less you test it under load Which requires you tap into the leads or open the brick to access the brick end or open the TV to access the power inlet terminals.

I have seen 9 volt bricks put out 18 no load.  In fact, just last week.  But load em down and that drops fast
 
That's true of analog. 

LCD TVs aren't analog.  They're computers.  Somewhere before the power gets to the processor board it will be regulated by something smarter than a resistor.  Silicon based voltage regulation does not fluctuate more than a few percent either way regardless of load until it's load specification is exceeded.  At that point they usually self destruct.

But the regulators may be in the brick or in the TV.  That's why I said it's a crap shoot to use just any TV with an external brick.
 
If you measure 18 volts off a 12 volt brick, he regulator is in the TV

Another thing, Inverers and converters run around 90% efficien, so the combined loss would be what, around 20 percent (rounded) 20 percent of what,, Most modern small LED/LCD Tvs are under 100 watts We are basically talking less than one light bulb of wasted power.

 
I went in the opposite direction. I had a 110 DVD player and a 12 volt Jensen tv. I wanted everything to be 12 volt, so I got rid of the DVD player and got a 12 volt NAXA DVD player.  Since the NAXA only plays DVD's, I am getting rid of that and getting a Blue Ray 12 volt player.
 
searching through the forums about 12v tvs, and while I know this is an old thread, it's a bummer to hear some people say they don't last very long.  We're hoping to put one in our new bus conversion.  Has anything improved over the years?  Any of these 12V tvs make the cut? https://buyitforvanlife.com/best-12v-rv-tv-2018/  Or are they all not going to last very long?
 
We had a Jensen 19" 12V TV in our last camper for 7 years. It worked well until the day we sold the camper (with the TV). We also brought it in the house in every winter and used it in the kitchen. The only thing I did not like was the side viewing angle was poor - step just a few degrees off center and the picture was gone.
 
pennyrobbins said:
searching through the forums about 12v tvs, and while I know this is an old thread, it's a bummer to hear some people say they don't last very long.  We're hoping to put one in our new bus conversion.  Has anything improved over the years?  Any of these 12V tvs make the cut? https://buyitforvanlife.com/best-12v-rv-tv-2018/  Or are they all not going to last very long?
Click to expand...
See the post about best buy it is eight above yours, still applies today.
The brick even states 12 volts out but check BEFORE you leave the store with unit
 
We just put a conventional (120volt) into the bedroom of our little class c. We didn?t want to run the generator every time we wanted to watch television and there was a 12 volt ( cigarette type receptical) already installed.
  We simply bought a small inverter (with the male plug compatible to the 12 v receptical), vel-cro?d it to the back of the television, and plugged it in to 12 v power.  Television!
 
Very little is 12 volt. I have a Samsung that is 14 volt per the brick.
The "Concern" many have is that battery voltage is really 13.6 float and 14.6 charging and they feel that will "Damage" a 12 volt unit.

Well that's 12+/-20% (or 2.4 volt) so though 14.6 might be a bit high. 13.6 wont'

THe 14 volt Samsung will work on 12 volts (14-20%=11.2) by the way.
 
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