I have a mains 240volt connection but I need to fit a 12volt transformer for lights etc. Does anyone know of a suitable transformer
Transformer
- Thread starter Veronica_374301672
- Start date
We need to know a little more
Are you planning to run the lights off a battery when not hooked up?
Do you need to charge a battery
If the answers are yes I would go for the kit from a scrapped van for the following reasons.
It would be expensive to buy new and if you are trying to design from scratch you will need an electrical/electronic background of some sort.
If it comes out of a scrapped van you should be able to test it and also know what it was designed for in terms of equipment.
If you simply want to run 12V lights from a 240V supply work out the wattage and buy a transformer for halogen lights from Screwfix, Maplins etc.
Are you planning to run the lights off a battery when not hooked up?
Do you need to charge a battery
If the answers are yes I would go for the kit from a scrapped van for the following reasons.
It would be expensive to buy new and if you are trying to design from scratch you will need an electrical/electronic background of some sort.
If it comes out of a scrapped van you should be able to test it and also know what it was designed for in terms of equipment.
If you simply want to run 12V lights from a 240V supply work out the wattage and buy a transformer for halogen lights from Screwfix, Maplins etc.
we used to use a "Purpleline Transformer" in our old van simply to power the 12 Volt Lights and water pump, it was brilliant we got it from Motorworld and it cost about
I used a 13.8 volt CB radio power supply with 3 amp cont cxurrent rating to power my hot water ignition & water pump using in line blade fuses for each of them, I've had no problems with it.
Hi Veronica, my main concern that has not been pointed out is that there are two different types AC an DC power supplies altough lights are not polarity consious other items such as TVs etc are, so i would recommend going to as already said dealer or Maplins, RS components etc.. a little more information as to what you would like to connect would help
Hello Veronica,
You call for information about a 'transformer' to power your 12V equipment. As has already been pointed, to define the best product we need to know exactly what you want to power up.
Most caravans these days have items like water heaters, fluorescent lights, and water pumps. All these require DC (Direct Current) power such as a battery provides.
A 'Transformer' only produces AC (Alternating Current) and if you were to connect any of the above items, at best they would not work and at worst they may be damaged. A 12V transformer is only a notional value, as in practice it would actually produce an output voltage swing of +16.8 and - 16.8V or a peak to peak swing 33.6V! not much like 12V dc. So a transformer by its self is not suitable to run the 12V equipment in a caravan.
Older caravans (pre mid 1980's) were mostly fitted with a battery charger. Such devices did produce a DC current, but it was a both unregulated, and unsmoothed and would in its self not produce enough power to run the 12V devices in the caravan, in other words its current out put was weak and lumpy' The unloaded output voltage could be as high as 25V which is also not suitable to run the caravan items that contain delicate electronics.
As the name 'charger' implies it was designed to have a battery connected. The battery provided three, essential elements. Firstly it loaded the charger and controlled the peak voltage, The battery also provide the necessary smoothing element to maintain the current to the items between the lumps of power from the charger, and it also provided the current capacity to run the items when the load would have been to great for the charger by its self.
After the 1980's, the industry started to fit more competent devices called power supplies. These contain all the necessary bits to ensure the output is fully controlled. Usually the output is 13.8V, and this is smoothed and regulated, They also usually have sufficient current capacity to run many items in the caravan without a battery.
A battery can still be used and it would be essential if you intend to use the caravan on sites without mains hook ups. The 13.8V out put from the power supply is sufficient to keep a battery well charged.
If you are not fully familiar with the above, then I strongly suggest that you have a competent fitter to choose and install the best device for you. Badly wired 12V equipment is just a capable of causing a fire as is 230V mains.
You call for information about a 'transformer' to power your 12V equipment. As has already been pointed, to define the best product we need to know exactly what you want to power up.
Most caravans these days have items like water heaters, fluorescent lights, and water pumps. All these require DC (Direct Current) power such as a battery provides.
A 'Transformer' only produces AC (Alternating Current) and if you were to connect any of the above items, at best they would not work and at worst they may be damaged. A 12V transformer is only a notional value, as in practice it would actually produce an output voltage swing of +16.8 and - 16.8V or a peak to peak swing 33.6V! not much like 12V dc. So a transformer by its self is not suitable to run the 12V equipment in a caravan.
Older caravans (pre mid 1980's) were mostly fitted with a battery charger. Such devices did produce a DC current, but it was a both unregulated, and unsmoothed and would in its self not produce enough power to run the 12V devices in the caravan, in other words its current out put was weak and lumpy' The unloaded output voltage could be as high as 25V which is also not suitable to run the caravan items that contain delicate electronics.
As the name 'charger' implies it was designed to have a battery connected. The battery provided three, essential elements. Firstly it loaded the charger and controlled the peak voltage, The battery also provide the necessary smoothing element to maintain the current to the items between the lumps of power from the charger, and it also provided the current capacity to run the items when the load would have been to great for the charger by its self.
After the 1980's, the industry started to fit more competent devices called power supplies. These contain all the necessary bits to ensure the output is fully controlled. Usually the output is 13.8V, and this is smoothed and regulated, They also usually have sufficient current capacity to run many items in the caravan without a battery.
A battery can still be used and it would be essential if you intend to use the caravan on sites without mains hook ups. The 13.8V out put from the power supply is sufficient to keep a battery well charged.
If you are not fully familiar with the above, then I strongly suggest that you have a competent fitter to choose and install the best device for you. Badly wired 12V equipment is just a capable of causing a fire as is 230V mains.
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