I want to purchase a Xantrex invertor(modifies sine wave) and want to run a new LCD TV. Does anyone use this setup and are there any problems with the TV using modified sine wave.
Which invertor works for LCD TV
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Do you already have the TV? Some TV's work okay with MSW but most prefer SW inverters. Consider the Xantrex ProWatt SW models. They are VERY reasonably priced and are quiet.
http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-inverters/prowatt-sw.aspx
If you don't already have the TV I would suggest buying a 12V model like a Skyworth as it will consume a lot less power.
http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-inverters/prowatt-sw.aspx
If you don't already have the TV I would suggest buying a 12V model like a Skyworth as it will consume a lot less power.
I haven't bought the TV yet but the ProWatt true sine wave you recommended does seem cheaper than the Xantrex Pro Series invertor I was looking at.Wonder why. Also I was looking for an invertor that would allow me to direct wire to the invertors AC output side rather than just a GFI plug.This would allow me to fire up the 3 outlets in the boat.
It lacks auto switching from inverter to shore power. There is nothing preventing you from installing the ProWatt to power other outlets. Just install a three prong plug on the wire that goes to the outlets. However if installing one to power your AC panel you NEED to have a transfer switch so you can't have two "sources" on at once.
A dedicated 12V TV will still use as much as 35% less power than an inverter and 110V TV. Wiring to the AC panel or the AC panel outlets requires some solid understanding of marine AC wiring. One of the number one things I see improperly installed are inverters. Also if this is just to run a TV then you would not need an auto switching inverter or one that is even permanently installed to the AC system and it would depend upon the draw of the specific TV. The smallest ProWatt is 600W..
I think I will go with the ProWatt you recommended, just to prevent any problems with an LCD TV. I don't know much about 12V TVs. What is the best way to fuse the supply wire from the battery switch to the invertor.Do they make #4 cable with fuses holders installed already.?
12V DC TV sources
http://www.roadtrucker.com/
From your questions, it appears that you may need to do a lot more studying of electrical systems before you try tackling an inverter installation. Please re-read Maine Sail's posts. You may want to consider having an electrician help you or do it for you, 'cuz if you mess it up, you'll either fry the new equipment, or your electrical system.
http://www.roadtrucker.com/
From your questions, it appears that you may need to do a lot more studying of electrical systems before you try tackling an inverter installation. Please re-read Maine Sail's posts. You may want to consider having an electrician help you or do it for you, 'cuz if you mess it up, you'll either fry the new equipment, or your electrical system.
Get yourself a 12V TV from a truckers supply store and save yourself a LOT of money and amp hours. The wire for an inverter needs to be sized for the voltage drop and the fuse needs to be sized for the max ampacity of the wire and have a sufficient AIC rating. The case also needs to be grounded meaning lots of big diameter and expensive wire plus the proper tools to crimp the lugs on.
The Skyworth TV's are great and are specifically designed to run on 12V.
Skyworth TV's
Alright.... that's the way to go. Wish I'd thought of that before I bought my regular TV.
Yes Naxa is one of the other large suppliers of 110V/12V TV's. There used to be tons of TV's that had wall worts/bricks that converted 110V AC down to 12V DC but most have now disappeared from the market. One issue many of them had was that they were designed for 12V only as the power supply brick was designed to send out a regulated 12V. If they saw 14.4 volts some of them could fry.
The Skyworth or Naxa TV's are specifically designed for 12V and will accept a range of voltages normally found in trucks, cars, RV's and boats. We hav a Polaroid TV that works of both 12V and 110V but was not specifically designed for it. I had to call their engineering department to confirm it was okay to do.
That said the dedicated 12V TV's now often cost less than a 110V TV and an inverter suitable for it. Most of them are actually in-line price wise with their 110V only counterparts.
Read the article below to get a better understanding of inverter inefficiencies when used to power devices such as TV's. I used two inverters a 400W and a 1200W for the comparison as well as direct 12V.
Inverter Inefficiency When Powering a TV (LINK)
My Heart inverter (now Xantrex) modified square wave inverter works just fine on my LCD TV.
It actually works better than the old CRT TV that I had previously which had an annoying interference line down the screen caused by a stray magnetic field from the inverter affecting the electron beam inside the cathode ray tube.
LCD TVs reduce the mains incoming voltage to a low DC level such as 12V and their power supplies can effectively filter out the steps in the waveform of the inverter.
Incidentally the reason for 'modifying' the inverter's output waveform is so that it will operate electronic equipment satisfactorily.
You may locate an LCD TV with an external 12v DC power supply and which will then run directly from the boat's supply without need for a power brick.
It actually works better than the old CRT TV that I had previously which had an annoying interference line down the screen caused by a stray magnetic field from the inverter affecting the electron beam inside the cathode ray tube.
LCD TVs reduce the mains incoming voltage to a low DC level such as 12V and their power supplies can effectively filter out the steps in the waveform of the inverter.
Incidentally the reason for 'modifying' the inverter's output waveform is so that it will operate electronic equipment satisfactorily.
You may locate an LCD TV with an external 12v DC power supply and which will then run directly from the boat's supply without need for a power brick.
Actually the path we have suggested for the op is very likely to cost less money and far simpler to install and will use less on-board power. Our TV can run both 110V and 12V. On 12V it burns just 3.9A of current using the internal DVD player, and on a 1200W inverter it burns 5.8 amps which is 33% more battery consumption.
A 22" Skyworth HDTV W/DVD can be purchased for only $272.00. It will run off BOTH 110V and 12V sources so you could bring it home in the off season for a bedroom and get double duty. This pricing is actually fairly in-line with most brands of LCD TV's even though most others do not offer a 12V option.
Add an inverter to a comparable 22" 110V only model, with built in DVD, and you'll likely be at a more expensive installation before you're done, and less energy efficient.
These are some of the manufacturers of 12V TV's I am aware of:
Skyworth
Naxa
Jensen
Audiovox
Supersonic
Pyle
Majestic
In my kitchen, I have a 20" LCD Insignia television that I picked up at Best Buy for something like $200 maybe. The television has one of those small DC power supplies like a computer or other electronic device has. Reading the specs printed on it, the output is 12VDC. You could get something like this and wire it directly into your DC panel and skip the inverter altogether. Of course, a larger television will not likely have this type of power supply but most smaller one's do.
No way on God's green earth your way is cheaper. He already has the LCD TV. Another $50 for an inverter and he's done.Maine Sail said:
I have a Xantrex Freedom and it works fine on an LCD as well as LED TV. I suggest getting an LED instead of LCD for several reasons. They use quite a bit less power than LCDs, many of them run on 12 V from an converter box in the power cord (like a laptop) so you could rig a straight 12V input from your power system (which I haven't done yet), and they are lighter and thinner. I have a 24" Viore LED on my boat.
Stephen,
Please read the entire thread before making assumptions and jumping on others for trying to cost the OP more money. He has not yet purchased the TV...
From post #3 and posted by the OP:
Steven, I am not the original poster on this thread. My simple comment was that I never even thought of getting a 12 volt tv.... and I wish I had. I bought an inverter also, but I rarely hook it up when I'm out sailing.. except during football season, of course.
But.. more importantly... please read and understand the entire thread before you comment.... you were a little quick to criticize Mainsail & others... and that's BAD KARMA, brother.
Yeah, I wasn't going to respond, but now that you mention it...
I was responding to you, who DOES already have a regular TV. Secondly, I did not criticize Mainsail or anyone else, I criticized IDEAS, which is what you have to have in all forums like this. It is Mainsail who was wrong. He needs to be very careful not to take offense at people criticizing his ideas, even when he is right and they are wrong. Do you really want to be in a boat forum where someone who thinks they can save you money is afraid to make a mistake, so they don't say anything? No, you want an open exchange of ideas where you can judge for yourself who is right and wrong. Moderators should stop people from attacking people and encourage people to attack ideas. That's what these forums are for.
Being a moderator who is also a participant is extremely difficult because as Dale Carnegie said, no one likes to even have their ideas criticized. But forums like this won't work unless people feel free to correct others' mistakes. He should encourage that and never chastise anyone for being wrong, only for being insulting.
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