Powering the TV

[winchman]

Whats peoples thought on this?
The TV is 12v but the Bongo electrical system can give out 14, so may damage the TV.
I have seen a regulators for sale but at £39 it seems a tad expensive, so do I really need this and is there an alternative?

[francophile1947]

I just plug mine into the cigar lighter socket and have never had a problem, even when the battery is being charged by my Lidl/Aldi charger. Never done it with the engine running though.

[haydn callow]

probably o.k. up to 15 volts....but why would you want to use it with the engine running ???

[winchman]

probably o.k. up to 15 volts....but why would you want to use it with the engine running ???

Kids can watch a DVD on the journey

[winchman]

Do you think they are required for LEDs?
My LED strip lights have 30 LEDs in them so would my maths be correct they are split in to 3 banks, so any over voltage would be shared over the 30 LEDs so shouldnt matter as its never going to hit 15v?
I was looking at these
http://www.reuk.co.uk/buy-12-VOLT-REGULATOR.htm

[scanner]

The answer is that some TVs are more tolerant of over voltage than others and there is really only one sure way of finding out how tolerant yours is.

http://www.caravanning4u.co.uk/forum/ar ... 20996.html

This guy found out the hard way..............

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135890

[winchman]

Must be a product to do this for less than £39?

[scanner]

Not reliably it would seem. The Amperor is pretty much the market leader.

[dave_aber]

Do you think they are required for LEDs?
My LED strip lights have 30 LEDs in them so would my maths be correct they are split in to 3 banks, so any over voltage would be shared over the 30 LEDs so shouldnt matter as its never going to hit 15v?
I was looking at these
http://www.reuk.co.uk/buy-12-VOLT-REGULATOR.htm

1 LED fed with 15v will see 15v. 1000 LEDs in parallel fed with 15v will all see 15v. Current is divided between each leg in a parallel circuit, voltage is common to all legs.

[winchman]

Not reliably it would seem. The Amperor is pretty much the market leader.

It looks to be the only opne available?

[winchman]

Do you think they are required for LEDs?
My LED strip lights have 30 LEDs in them so would my maths be correct they are split in to 3 banks, so any over voltage would be shared over the 30 LEDs so shouldnt matter as its never going to hit 15v?
I was looking at these
http://www.reuk.co.uk/buy-12-VOLT-REGULATOR.htm

1 LED fed with 15v will see 15v. 1000 LEDs in parallel fed with 15v will all see 15v. Current is divided between each leg in a parallel circuit, voltage is common to all legs.

Thanks

[Dodgey]

That post over on another forum about the guy plugging in a 12v TV and it going "plink" because his battery was at 13v is very suspicious. MUCH more likely he got the polarity the wrong way round. Most devices like 12V TVs have their own build in regulators. Even if they don't , the difference between 12v and 13v is marginal. It's more about current, and devices only draw the current they need.

All cars , as far as I've been aware, run at around 14v when the alternator is going, and yet, all car devices are sold as "12v".

[Simon Jones]

Many flat screen LED / LCD televisions run off 12v, but unless it came with a separate lead that plugs into the lighter socket (so is sold as suitable for car use), then I personally would not risk it. The TV will have some degree of regulation built in, but it is intended to connect to an external PSU that is designed to stabilise the voltage to much closer to the 12v level of the TV input.

The reason manufacturers of proper TVs intended for use in motorhomes such as Avtex are able to charge £50 to £100 more that Tesco or Morrisons is that they build in the correct regulation and smoothing circuitry to handle the range of voltages and interference found in a vehicle.

I face the same dilemma: I've got a brilliant 17" LCD TV for £90, but I'm going to continue to run it from the mains PSU until I either buy or make a suitable voltage regulator.

[winchman]

So how would you make one?