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11-30-2017, 04:05 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Olympia wa, Washington
Trailer: 5.0TA 2017
Posts: 2,255
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small inverter for TV
I'm thinking of buying a small inverter to use with my TV when I'm on battery power. Any suggestions? 500 watt? anything special i should look for?
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11-30-2017, 04:21 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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The best one I know of is the 300w pure sine wave Morningstar, you need to hard wire it.
However you don't need pure sine wave for a TV, any one will do the job. I bought this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 when I wanted a portable, worked fine for the TV but you can hear the little fan running all the time.
FWIW, depending on what the fuse size is for the 12v circuit you use, you probably can use anymore then 180W of whatever size inverter you get. 12vdc x 15a = 180w, or 12vdc x 10a = 120w, I think a TV is down around 50w.
Try to find one with as quiet a fan as you can get.
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Happy Motoring
Bob
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11-30-2017, 04:29 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Google for a 12V adapter for the TV you have. Right now your TV is probably going from 120V through a brick that steps the voltage down. My TV came with 12V adapter and 120V.
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11-30-2017, 06:28 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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FWIW, unless you had the wiring upgraded to your 12v outlets, using the full output of any inverter 300 watts or more which plugs into a 12v outlet would pull more current than the wiring could handle. Before anyone jumps on me, I am quoting Reace when I make that statement. We had a discussion about inverters and 12v outlets. A 150 watt inverter will easily handle today’s LED TVs. Personally, I would spring for a pure sine wave inverter for any electronics, because at some point you may want to use it with a laptop when off grid.
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What a long strange trip it’s been!
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11-30-2017, 07:40 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,363
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While most laptops as well as most other devices will be OK with a modified sine wave inverter, there are a few things to avoid. The controls on most modern electric blankets will likely die when exposed to a MSW inverter, as will a couple models of Black & Decker coffee makers, and some battery chargers. I'd be suspicious of anything that has an electronic timer or thermostat. The safest thing to do is go the additional expense for a pure sine wave inverter.
Remember that the 12V side of an inverter draws at least 10X the current on the 120V side. Choose your wire sizes & connectors with that in mind. While I've seen the standard cigarette lighter 12V connector rated as high as 15 amps, any more than 10 amps is pushing the connector. Even at the 9 amps my 12V power supply for my MacBookPro laptop drew, the center pin on the connector got hot enough to brand with! That means you are limited to around 1 amp @ 120V, or around 100 watts.
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11-30-2017, 07:46 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Steveston B.C., British Columbia
Trailer: 2012- 17'B.... 2016 Tacoma SR5 TRD
Posts: 504
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Our 110V- TV runs on a 75w inverter from crappy tire. Goes in the 12V plug.
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Almost been everywhere.....
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11-30-2017, 08:33 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermilye
While most laptops as well as most other devices will be OK with a modified sine wave inverter......
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John, I can say with a rather high degree of certainty that Dell recommends pure sine wave inverters rather than modified sine wave inverters if one wishes to power their laptop with an inverter. And if memory serves me correctly, I believe that I read at one time or another that Toshiba recommends the same, so my take on it is “why take a chance?”
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What a long strange trip it’s been!
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11-30-2017, 08:53 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,126
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Agree to check first if it is actually a 12V TV. Our Insignia is and I simply bought a 12V outlet adapter to use direct instead of the power brick that took 120V AC in and delivered 12V DC to the TV. If you know you definitely need an inverter you may be able to get away with a compact 100W model like this. This is what I used to do. No fan so it is quiet.
http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-EN10.../dp/B00VMRHE7C
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11-30-2017, 09:49 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327
Agree to check first if it is actually a 12V TV.
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Even if it's not it might still be usable. If it has a brick check and see what the output voltage is. Mine was 14 volts. The TV works fine straight off my battery.
Ron
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12-01-2017, 07:08 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
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I have used a 200W inverter to run my laptop and 24" TV at the same time.
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2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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12-01-2017, 07:34 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt
I'm thinking of buying a small inverter to use with my TV when I'm on battery power. Any suggestions? 500 watt? anything special i should look for?
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We use an in-line cheap-o from Harbor Freight. Works just fine. (Why 500W?)
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Rich & Mary
"Everything in moderation, including moderation."
- Oscar Wilde
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12-01-2017, 08:45 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Bellingham and Glacier, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15A
Posts: 2,051
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt
I'm thinking of buying a small inverter to use with my TV when I'm on battery power.
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I second gbaglo's suggestion of just checking for a simple adapter (see post #3). My television had a DC input on the side and in the rear. Easy--and cheap--solution. (Although I do have a small 400-watt inverter for other uses.)
Here's what I have: https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Power-Ci...lighter+socket
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Karen Hulford
2013 Escape 15A, "Egbert"
'93 Ford 150 XLT or
'22 GMC Acadia Denali
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12-01-2017, 08:59 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Thomas not BVI., Ontario
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0TA / 2016 Ram Eco Diesel 4X4
Posts: 8,035
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zardoz
We use an in-line cheap-o from Harbor Freight. Works just fine. (Why 500W?)
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Hi: Zardoz... We use a 10 buck 75/60 watt continuous 12 V. inverter in the 12 V. socket by the door. Works well for some weather report viewing while boondocking. It's easy and did I mention cheap too!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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12-01-2017, 09:00 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 2013 19' & 2013 15B
Posts: 2,634
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My tv came with a "brick" transformer that has an AC plug on one end and another plug on the other end that plugs into the TV. I simply found an old car adapter with a 12V plug on one end and a plug on the other that fit the socket on my TV, and it works great. We use the tv to watch DVD movies quite often while away camping, and we rarely have sites with electrical services, and do not own an inverter.
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