# Not sure if anyone can answer this so I can understand it



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

But, our TV is about 18 watts according to the manual, it has a power supply with an output of 12v, but the nice man in the shop said don't run it on 12v as it's not stable, so I was wondering what the real drain on the LBs would be if I run it from the 600w inverter, or on 12v direct from the LBs?


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Without doing the sums, the drain would be greater if you use the inverter.

Inverters are not very energy efficient, and in any case, however good it was there is always some loss of energy whenever it is converted in any way.

If there wasn't, you would have won a million quid for inventing a perpetual motion machine! :wink: 

Dave


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## froggy59 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi Kev
I run our TV direct from the 12v socket which I think is wired direct to the LB have done this for 12 months and 2 years in our last Mh.
fingers crossed no problems up to now.

Alan


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

Easy answer is buy a stabilised 12v supply.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/12v-3a-universal-dc-power-supply-with-6-power-tips-a92jh


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Not a clue

But I'm bored :lol: 

Aldra


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## Brian-the-Snail (Dec 1, 2011)

Hi Kev,
I got a 12 volt stabalised supply from Maplins, one with various outputs and a socket which matched the TV. Had no problems TV works great. From memory I paid around £10 when it was on an offer.

Clive


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

The voltage on your leisure batteries is about as stable as it gets, can't see why the guy in the shop made that comment. The TV will have its own internal switch-mode power supply anyway to give the required internal voltages that it needs.

With the solar panels running, our batteries vary by less than 0.25 volts over a 3-hour period, so that's more than good enough for the TV.

The only thing that would upset it a little bit would be switching on a big battery load, but apart from that I'd not worry about it.

Our Avtex has a separate 240V to 12V supply, but we always run it on 12V off the batteries.

Peter


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## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

It all depends on what "IT" refers to the TV or the supply?
If (as I suspect) it is the supply your nice man is saying that the TV requires 12.0V quite accurately and is intended to be used with the power supply provided.
If it is provided with a "12V" lead it is presumably intended to run from about 11.6-13.9V and has the requited regulator internally. That would be usual for a camping TV but they tend to be more expensive.
You can do one of two things;
(1) Buy a Maplin or other regulator.
(2) (as I did for many years) make sure that when we used the TV on 12V the charger was not on. The normal voltage drop along the wire then kept the voltage quite close to 12 V. If the voltage had dropped too low no harm would be done but the TV would have just stopped working or worked badly.

I would not use an inverter because it may not give too good a waveform and the inverter might be unhappy. (Unless it is a rather expensive one.)
Also less efficient and weighs a lot more.


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## Ian_n_Suzy (Feb 15, 2009)

*Re: Not sure if anyone can answer this so I can understand i*



> or on 12v direct from the LBs?


1.5 Amps per hour (18watts /12v)


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

If you have a Sargent electrical control unit it separates the charge voltage (anything up to over 14 volts) from the habitation supply which remains at 12 volts. 

I bought a cheap (230 volt) telly/DVD combo off EBay and run it off an equally cheap non sine wave 500W inverter. I have 2x 110ah leisure batteries. 

I have watched 5.5 hrs of TV without any battery drain issues, and that includes interior (LED) lighting plus truma heating as well. 

A 230 volt TV and cheap inverter works out at much less than dedicated 12v TV AND it can be used as a spare at home so don't think it's ESSENTIAL to only have a 12V television in your MH. With a couple of half decent LB's you will be fine providing you don't stay stationary or off EHU for too long.

Others will insist you must have 12V everything, my experience tells me otherwise.


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

listerdiesel said:


> The voltage on your leisure batteries is about as stable as it gets, can't see why the guy in the shop made that comment. The TV will have its own internal switch-mode power supply anyway to give the required internal voltages that it needs.
> 
> With the solar panels running, our batteries vary by less than 0.25 volts over a 3-hour period, so that's more than good enough for the TV.
> 
> ...


Absolutely right, there can be no more stable supply than a leisure battery. Your TV cannot be damaged by the use of leisure batteries.
All TVs have a built in stabiliser to ensure that the voltage is correct for the components.
Gerry


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We run ours on 12v direct, and always have.... before we had solar panels and when we were not on EHU the TV was the best indicator that the battery was getting low - the picture went and the sound stayed....

The 12 v option is the most efficient and frankly modern 12v TV's are perfectly OK on MH supplies......

The man in the shop may be right for some things, but is probably NOT an MH specialist - he has simply read somewhere that 12v is less stable and never thought what that means.....

12v on a single small battery may well drop - as we used to see, but on a battery bank with solar panel top up, the voltage will be OK provided you don't spend all week watch TV 24/7 in a tunnel without the engine running or on EHU....

Dave


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Mrplodd said:


> Others will insist you must have 12V everything, my experience tells me otherwise.


I don't think anyone is 'insisting' on running everything on 12V?

The original query by Kev was whether or not he needed an AC adaptor for his TV which already had a 12V input facility.

Running inverters is fine, but adds to the overall losses in the electrics, plus it's another gadget to go wrong/need updating.

We run most of our stuff on 12V because that's what it is there for, that is why you have a 'leisure battery' in the first place, to run low voltage lighting and appliances.

Peter


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## Tucano (Jun 9, 2006)

Gents, and Ladies, reading this with interest although I am not much of a TV watcher myself, may I ask a question relating to the Maplins thingy, would that piece of kit be correct to run an I-Pad from.

Thanks in advance.

Norman.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

My TV supply is 12v from 2 x 125ah LBs, the 12v lead supplying the TV came from the old set I managed to kill (it had pixels out all over the place so consider it TV euthanasia) and it has a the magnet thing on the end nearest the TV, the supply comes in via 3mm2 cable, is earthed to the van chassis within 1.5 metres, is switched in conjunction with a cut down and embedded USB power supply for charging iPhones and Android phones, so both come on and o off together as neither are needed when travelling or at night.

What does the magnet do anyway :?: :?:

I do sometimes check something with the TV while on EHU on the drive, (but never while away, as we wild) so I'll turn off the Ctek in future or the EHU which ever is nearest.

The guy at Direct TVs was very techy and we talked for ages about all sorts, but he said a lot of people bought the smaller TVs specifically for MHs, and he had had loads back after being run direct on 12v, I obviously didn't get too involved with that as we were going to do just that, but I thought I would ask the question re which would use the most power and how much more would it use.

We just got the 22'' Cello it seems to be a good TV, does all we need, plays stuff from the USB flash stick, music and movies, and photos, also DVD, is a PVR, for £120 what more do you want.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

The 'Magnet Thing' is a ferrite core which is there for spike suppression on the supply.

Peter


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

listerdiesel said:


> The 'Magnet Thing' is a ferrite core which is there for spike suppression on the supply.
> 
> Peter


Ah I see, so a good thing then, laptop has one on it too.

Ta Peter.


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## RitaChris (Apr 6, 2013)

*Re: Not sure if anyone can answer this so I can understand i*



Kev_n_Liz said:


> But, our TV is about 18 watts according to the manual, it has a power supply with an output of 12v, but the nice man in the shop said don't run it on 12v as it's not stable, so I was wondering what the real drain on the LBs would be if I run it from the 600w inverter, or on 12v direct from the LBs?


We have had a Logic TV/DVD combi reconditioned from KCR Electrical on e-bay for about 3 years. We use it on 12V with a box from Amperer which smooths out the 12v supply, I think it cost less than £30 but that was a few years ago and we bought it for another cheap TV from Tesco which we use on our boat. We just take the box to whichever we are using. Everything works perfectly. I think that perhaps the expensive TVs which are specifically marketed for MHs probably just have this box incorporated into the TV.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

> Gents, and Ladies, reading this with interest although I am not much of a TV watcher myself, may I ask a question relating to the Maplins thingy, would that piece of kit be correct to run an I-Pad from.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Norman.


If your ipad has a USB charging lead (like my non iPad tablet has) you just need a 12v- USB adaptor that plugs straight into the 12v socket.

Like (but not necessarily) this one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/3906...f11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

The one Stanner links to is the exact one I have, I used a Dremel to cut the back of and soldered wires to it and fitted it so it just pokes through the wall over the bed/sofas, I also have another unadulterated on in a 3 way ciggy jobby on the shelf over the screen.


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## Tucano (Jun 9, 2006)

Stanner, Kev-n-Liz,

Many thanks and my apologies to all for butting into this thread.

Norman.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

> Stanner, Kev-n-Liz,
> 
> Many thanks and my apologies to all for butting into this thread.
> 
> Norman.


It was as good a place to ask as any. :wink:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Twas


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