lcd tv.....what power source?

[sharpy]

all the 12volt lcd tvs we have seen in the larger caravan stores seem to be exactly the same ones you can by in your ordinary high street shops. so my questions are; are they the same models, or do the caravan shops sell 'special caravan' ones? as they all seem to come with transformers to drop the voltage from 240v to 12v would we be able to just plug the tv straight into our vans 12v supply or would we need a 240 supply first? we tried asking these questions at our local caravan superstore, only to be met by blank stares. so its over to the experts!

sorry to waffle, but all help gratefully received,

cheers,

sharpy.

 

[sparkes]

They are the same.

Did you know that with the price most dealers sell TV's for they could buy them from Tesco's, sell them to you and still make a huge profit.

When I started caravanning, I got a 12v 10" colour TV/video combo from makre for

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello .dave

What Sparkes says is broadly correct, though I must add a cautionary note.

If the TV says 12Vdc, then it means 12Vdc or something close to it. The dificulty with caravan systems is that when the charger is running, the 12V system can rise to 13.8V, and when its off, the voltage can fall quite dramtically. Most 12V equipment will continue to work down to 10.5V or lower.

The wide range of voltages in a caravan may not suit all 12V LCD televisions. Previously to your question the subject has been raised and some people reported problems with some makes which seemed to be atributed to supply voltage range.

I suggest that you let your retailer know in writing what you intend to use it for, and ask for a guarantee that it will function with wide range of supply voltages. Then if you have a problem, the retailer is obliged under the sale of goods to either replace or refund, as teh goods are not fit for purpose.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

We have been using a Manhattan 15in LCD TV for 3 years almost exclusively on 12V

We had a problem with voltage drop as the wiring to the TV point did a complete lap of the caravan before getting to the socket which was about 2 metres from the battery.

A shorter thicker cable run cured that problem which manifested itself as no picture but sound !

www.Leisurepower.co.uk among others do a voltage stabiliser for use with 12V TV's etc

 

[Tankie]

I bought the Thompson Model CDM03B from a Caravan dealers which runs on mains or battery, but the actual voltage into the set is 19volts! It comes with a transformer for use on mains and an inverter for use on 12volt batt. I know they are on the pricey side, but they are multi-standard so can be used anywhere in UK or Europe. Brilliant picture.

Tankie