15" Sanyo TV

4

416rigby

New member
We were looking for a smaller TV for the spare bedroom and thought that maybe we could get one with a DC adapter that would suit two purposes. We managed to find a 15 inch LCD flat panel TV/monitor that came with the DC adapter. Question is this-Does anyone have any suggestions for running this TV and how much power it takes to run it. We read on a thread on another site that you shouldn't plug it directly into the 12 volt cigarette socket. Presently we use a little portable DVD player but thought it would be nice to occasionly bring this TV along to watch a movie while out on the lake.
Any help would be appreciated as if we can't do this I could go a lot cheaper on the spare room TV
Rick and Donna
 
Rick and Donna -

Are you guys nuts, or what? The muggy south got to your brains or something? Who ever heard of a big screen TV on a boat?

However, if you really want to do something like that, then maybe it would be cheaper to get an AC-only TV and a small inverter. I have a 250 watt inverter on board (one like you can get for under 50 bucks nowadays) that powers a knife sharpener, cell phone chargers, a cheapo DVD player, and yes, a flat screen TV. When I got the TV, it was on sale and I had some coupon things besides that got it down to $187. The cheapest comparable AC/DC set I could find at that time was more than twice that much.

The TV draws 44 watts, so the little inverter is barely working to run it. The kids have it on all the time.

Here it is in the stowed postion where it can be watched from the forward dinette seat.
TV1.sized.jpg


Here it is swung out on its one-of-a-kind pivoting hanger so it can be watched by the whole family.
TV2.sized.jpg

That dorky little UHF antenna on top gets us four channels locally that come in clear as can be (translators close by). We can usually find UHF channels wherever we go.

Just kidding about the you-being-nuts part. C-Dory should put those TVs in as standard equipment.
 
Rick, check your wall wart. Usually it'll give you the wall wart ratings which are close to the max power requirements. We have a nice 15" and rather than go the inverter route, which only adds more 12 volt draw, I checked the wart's output - 16 volts 3.5 amps and picked up a really cheap 12v to 16 v converter that works just fine.

Usually the warning about cigarette lighter usage is because folks forget to unplug the TV when they start the car/truck/bus/Dodge engine up and it's at that moment an alternator spike can occur and mess up your day. Never happened to me, but it is theoretically possible. AFAIC, about as possible as a cell phone starting a fire at a fuel stop.... :roll:

Don
 
I have a 17" wide screen LCD. Wasn't made for DC operation but it comes with an AC adapter that converts to 16VDC. Ah-ha! Went to Fry's and bought a Air/Auto DC to DC Travel Adapter kit with about 7 different fittings, about $69. Checked the size, voltage and polarity on one that appear to match. Crossed my fingers, plugged it in, voila...works perfect (sometimes I get lucky). Draws 3.8 amps + the DVD player at about 0.3 amps if I remember right. With the DC to AC inverter, then AC to the TV, I measured about 5.0 amps -- conversion losses.

Then I hooked up a $19.95 2 channel amplifier to my stereo speakers (with a switch to switch out the stereo), plugged the DVD player audio out into that and I have a pretty decent sound system as well.
 
And as you can see by the super-duper Costco clock with indoor/outdoor temperature and satellite time/date accuracy right next to the big-screen, I got right on the response to your query, having taken the picture a mere 14 minutes after you asked.

You can also see in the second pic, right below the left corner of the TV, a small hinged door in the cabinet. That's where the $44 Costco DVD player is, and it is plugged into the inverter and cabled to the TV all the time.
 
My TV has a standard AC plug and no transformer wall wart gizmo, so using the inverter that I already had there was the best route for me. I think a watt used is a watt used regardless of how it gets into use, so the inverter-vs-adapter question as it pertains to 12v draw is scarely worth considering.
 
I have been LCD TV's off 12 volts and cig lighter plugs for about 4 years with no problems. The Sanyo will work fine. I have one, gotten at WAl mart. I prefer to go DC 12 volts and 15" is plenty big on the boat.

In the past I have had some minor problems with electronics on inverters, such as interference--never with the DC--but I don't run them when running the RV or boat.

Have fun!
 
Mike,
I saw your TV setup before, very nice install job, well thought out and versatile. I'm a nature kind of person pretty much, but having a TV on board with energetic kids (me included) sure is nice to see a movie you've been wanting to see for a long time (too busy working on the boat to take time to watch it at home!).

By the way, I have to store mine and deploy it each time, your's is stored in an unused area and ready to go all the time, I'm envious.
 
Thanks for the input, gents, and yes, Mike, we ARE nuts. :lol: Would be nice to get a TV to watch the occassional movie, especially now that the weather is turning cooler and we'll be spending less time swimming...lake's cooling down.

We've been considering an inverter, but we really have no problems with the house battery we have, so not sure what we're going to do there yet. We've been spending weekends on the lake and run our 12v fan and portable DVD player for music...and lights at night...no problemo. I'm just curious as to how long the battery will last when using inverters for stuff like that TV or other gizmos we may try out like Donna's Senseo coffee maker. I guess the only way to find out is to get one. Probably a good investment anyway, eh? Is one inverter better than another? Donna did some checking and some are listed as being "whisper quiet" or have a low battery alarm feature. One said something about modified sine somethng or other and lines on your TV screen? Is bigger better? (No smart alec remarks on this one, Mike!) If we're going to get one, would we be better off getting a small one like 250 watts or a bigger one...a 1250 watt is about 100 bucks. As you can see, I'm no electrician.

I like that little Sanyo TV and was thinking that any cig lighter adapter for 12v should make it work.

Rick
 
Hi Rick,
I'm nuts too, but I like the creature comforts of home even when on the water. I am not much of a reader unless you post it on the web. I want my, microwave, radio/tv/dvd player and anything else that my be 110 volts to save buying the junk 12v devices. I purchased a 1000 watt with 2000 watt surge for $49.00 plus shipping and it is big enough to handle my needs. I is not "marineize" but I figure I can buy a new one every year for the rest of my life and still come out ahead in the long run. I do not intend to keep it on the boat in a fixed installation because I can find other uses for it in my business and when on the road in my truck or car.

If you need further details...contact me.

Mike
 
Although we have had inverters on all of our larger boats, we have refrained from one because of the battery capacity necessary. The larger amount of power you draw, the less capacity your battery has. Battery capacity is rated by a 5 amp or 20 amp draw over a peroid of time. A 1000 watt inverter draws 120 amps.

All resistive loads do fine with modified sine wave inverters (less expensive types). Some electronics and do not do as well with MSW--but we have run almost everything except high draw compressors successfully with inverters. I prefer a small inverter to run small appliances. We used to use an inverter for AA battery chargers-but now we have 12 volt chargers, and that is no longer an issue. There also small "hot pots" for coffee and tea etc as well as slow cookers from truck stops which run on 12 volts. The small 12 volt microwaves use inverters and are still quite power hungry. Right now we are staying with the Honda generator rather than an inverter--but it is nice not to have to fire it up....Microwaves run fairly well on the MSW inverters, but they make more noise and seem to be slightly slower in heating.

But for TV, if you can find a direct 12 volt--or 12 v to XX DC voltage, then it is probably more effecient....but $49 for a 1000 watt inverter--that is a good deal!
 
A 1000 watt inverter draws 120 amps.
Click to expand...

At full load, perhaps. With no load on the AC side, I think the current draw of the electronics in an inverter is measured in milliamps. I have always been taught that power is power. If you use enough battery power to run a TV, you use that much battery power, regardless of how it gets there so long as there is no appreciable "waste" in the circuit. Everything has to be paid for somehow. The step-up transformer from 12v to 16v costs something to run, also. As does whatever is inside the DC-ready TV. And I believe the difference between that and an unloaded inverter is probably small enough to make measuring it or worrying about it not worth the effort.

My vote still has to be for the small inverter, simply because the extra power cost - if there is any - is worth it for the other uses it provides. Shoot, Rick - fire up the motor to keep the battery up and Donna can run her durn hairdryer on low with that 49 dollar Costco 1000 watt job. Less time drying her hair = more time fishing for the family! And she can watch TV while she does it.
 
I'd like to hear more about that $49 1000w inverter. We are using small ones on the boat right now to power the tv/DVD player (they just plug into the 12v outlet). How does the 1000w hook up? Does it have it's own 110 outlet or have you wired in a separate box? Inquiring minds want to know. 8)

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
TyBoo":14b2dxpe said:
A 1000 watt inverter draws 120 amps.
Click to expand...

At full load, perhaps. With no load on the AC side, I think the current draw of the electronics in an inverter is measured in milliamps.
Click to expand...

You're right, Mike. Nothing is free and the draw is based on the design efficiency of the inverter. That in itself can vary, since inverters are typically rated at somewhere between 75 and 90% efficiency. What gets overlooked is that efficiency is rated where the inverter is most efficient, usually when providing half it's rated capacity.

I've not actually measured the draw of an unloaded inverter, but I do know that our small 300 watt inverter can get pretty warm and the fan runs constantly without anything plugged in so it ain't milliamps! OTOH, I can load the inverter with DVD/Directv/VHS stuff and it doesn't get appreciably warmer so I suspect there's a good size basic draw on the battery which is precisely why I went to a small converter, sized just big enough to do the job. It always runs cool, btw. Like boats, RV's and batteries have a close relationship. Unlike boats though, it's usually far less critical if you run down the house batteries.

a 1kw inverter would have a much higher basic power need over and above that drawn by the user. I'd love to see some real world data on just what various inverters draw when not in use. Next week I should be able to do some measurements and I'll post 'em if there's any interest.

Don
 
Don, absolutely! I designed a high-frequency (then) converter (110AC to +/-12V/5V) as one of my first jobs back in the 70's, hand-wound inductors, lots of books and theories to try and get the efficiency up (lower heat), was the name of the game (along with clean power that is). Struggled for months to get the efficiency to 80%, nowadays, 90-95% is common with the better technology.

Haven't done much with inverters except I know the cleaner the sine wave the more expensive and complex the circuitry. But isn't their a difference between no-load losses (quiescent) and percent conversion losses under various loads? E.g., it may draw 0.5 amps (12V) no load, but say under a 10 amp load it loses maybe 1 amp (90% efficient)?
 
Dora~Jean":1n8lkdez said:
Haven't done much with inverters except I know the cleaner the sine wave the more expensive and complex the circuitry. But isn't their a difference between no-load losses (quiescent) and percent conversion losses under various loads? E.g., it may draw 0.5 amps (12V) no load, but say under a 10 amp load it loses maybe 1 amp (90% efficient)?
Click to expand...

Thanks for wording it better, Steve. I wanted to get the fact across that quiescent losses cannot be assumed to be insignificant, especially in the larger size inverters. I suspect my cheap 300 watt inverter draws closer to an amp minimum, without anything plugged in, considering the heat involved. 1.6 amps in losses at the highest efficiency point. Meets my "sanity check." I'll know more when I stick an ammeter on it.

Oh, and one good thing re: DC-DC converters, there's no modified sine wave issues. :wink:
 
Don (or Steve, or?)

What's a DC-DC converter look like inside? Can they do it all with solid state circuitry w/o wire coils, which waste energy (heat)? Is the voltage output level (filtered) or bumpy?

Joe.
 
Tyboo Mike, how did you ever guess that a blow dryer on low would be a top priority after a good day of fishing! With all this inverter talk the possibilites are endless.......an electric leg waxer........wow! :D You sure know how to treat a girl!!!! :D
 
Here are the spec's on the $49.00 model I purchased. I will let you "Ready Killo-watt" types figure if it is suitable for the Dory folks or not.

SPECIFICATIONS: Model G1000INV-8

Continued Power
1000W

Peak Load Power Rate
< 2000W

No Load Current Draw
< 0.9A

Input DC Voltage Range
10-15V

Output Voltage Range
117 +/- 10%

Output Frequency Range
60 +/- 3Hz

Max Outer Temperature
< 65 C

Max Power Efficiency
> 90%

High Voltage Cut Off Level
15.5 +/- 1V

Low Voltage Alarm Level
10.5 +/- 0.5V

Low Voltage Cut Off Level
10 +/- 0.5V

Dimension (LxWxH) in
9.64 x 5.78 x 2.71

Weight
3.30 lbs

Input Voltage
DC 12V


FEATURES:

Anodized aluminum case for durability and heat dissipation
Wiring: AWG#6 (Black) and (Red) With Battery Clamps
Built in Cooling Fan
Two Three-Prong Outlets
Overload indicator
External replaceable fuses with Free Fuses
Detailed Instruction Manual
One Year Limited Warranty
Click to expand...
 
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