Cheap TV Solution for Off Grid Stays

Jun 26, 2017
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Last minute as always, we’ve just managed to book a few days on a site for next week. Only caveat is that there’s no EHU, and for us, that will be a first since we bought the van in March. As we are fortunate enough to have a 100W solar panel on the roof of our van, I really don’t anticipate any issues, but in anticipation of the usual Anglesey weather, particularly in the evenings, thought that the only implication would be no TV. Remembering that amongst the pile of “unwanted but mustn’t throw it a away” items in our somewhat cluttered garage was a 19” LCD TV that we were passed down in good faith by one of our relatives last year, just in case it would be of any use for our children (Kenmark, integrated DVD slot). I recovered it from the garage, blew the dust off, and decided that todays project was going to be to convert this TV so that it would take a 12V DC supply, if at all possible, anticipating a trip to the local electronic hobby store that rhymes with Chaplins. To my surprise it turned out that the TV was equipped with an external PSU with 240V AC mains input and 12VDC output !

So, I simply made a lead with a 12V Cigarette lighter plug on one end and a 5mm Jack plug on the other and hey Presto, works a treat in the van, and has a DVB tuner. Looking at the ID plate on the rear of the set, it’s rated at 47W, so I was anticipating a power draw in the region of 4A, but when I have the TV on in the van, without any lighting or any other consumers running, the total current being drawn from the leisure battery is displayed as 2.2A, so around half of the TV’s rating, albeit no DVD playing.

I just thought it may be worth sharing this as I have looked previously at TV’s marketed as 12VDC sets, and they really do seem to be rather expensive especially considering that they are not what one would consider to be a premium brand. I remember having a quick look at the back of a couple of branded 19”, 21” and 24” sets in the local branch of the only major remaining retail park electrical appliance store, and they all had a 240V feed directly into the rear of the set, so if anyone’s looking for an off-grid solution, or a 12VDC TV for any application, I think it may well be worth considering one of these. Mine’s a Kenmark 19LVD020, but I would imagine that this, or very similar sets would be marketed under numerous brand names, and wouldn’t be too difficult to obtain even brand new or second hand from one of the various on-line market sites for substantially less than those sets specifically marketed as a camping/caravanning solution.

If anyone does find this helpful, and has, or would like to source a similar set but is unsure about how to prepare a power cable, just let me know and I will post some detailed pics.

Ic.
 
Apr 19, 2017
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You have solved the issue in precisely the same way as me. As you say numerous small/medium size TVs operate from an external 12v supply.

You will get plenty of people who will tell you that the ( very overpriced) TV's sold specifically into the caravan market have been "designed to accept the wide range of voltage that may be experienced" . Some will even go on to cite 'modern battery chargers which raise the voltage to fully charge the battery'. ..... and go on to tell you that you must use a DC-DC regulated supply. Some will even claim that the 'special' TV's have been specifically designed to resist vibration damage. (!) ...... or even that they have 'an optimized viewing angle'

I have yet to hear of anyone actually reporting a failure of an ordinary 12v TV which has been proved to be due to using it on a caravan 12v DC system.
 
Jun 26, 2017
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Totally agree Vic. Voltage stabilisation wasn’t even a consideration for me. As I’m sure most would agree a 7 year old generic 19” LCD TV is of negligible monetary value anyway, and given the mass production and global market of “generic” sets that would not have been specifically designed for use with any one particular switch mode PSU, I would expect a certain amount of fluctuation to be accommodated anyway.
 
Aug 23, 2009
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Never seen the need for TV in the caravan 12v or not. Do people not talk and play board games anymore? Almost as good a selection of games in the van as we have at home. :whistle:
 
Jun 26, 2017
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In this day and age, I absolutely agree that TV dominates the lives of many, and I’m sure many caravanners do still talk and enjoy playing games just as much as we both do Martin. However, even as someone who watches almost no TV at all at home (except for the odd F1 race B)) , in the confines of a fairly limited space on a blustery dull evening, after a day of outdoor activities and then making up the front bed I quite like having the option of relaxing to half an hour of trash TV for a change.
 
Jun 26, 2017
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Icaru5 said:
Totally agree Vic. Voltage stabilisation wasn’t even a consideration for me. As I’m sure most would agree a 7 year old generic 19” LCD TV is of negligible monetary value anyway, and given the mass production and global market of “generic” sets that would not have been specifically designed for use with any one particular switch mode PSU, I would expect a certain amount of fluctuation to be accommodated anyway.
 

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