Most caravan TV's are 12v and just plug into the caravan 12v socket, they also come with an adaptor / transformer so you can use on 230v. Avtex are a good range.
A transformer only reduces voltage downwards ie from 230 volts to 12 so would not be of any use running a television.
There are devices called ' inverters' which increase voltage from 12 volt to 230 but which would run your battery down too quickly to be of any practical use.
You have two choices
1. If you always use an electric hook up on site then your cheapest option is to use a normal domestic 230 volt television.
2. If you want to run the TV from your battery then you need to buy a 12 volt model.
As above you can normally run these by using the supplied transformer when 230 volt is available.
I must be a bit silly or something DaveS1 says "a transformer only REDUCES voltage ie 230 to 12 volts". Doesn't this mean that if I bought a 12 volt TV I couldn't then increase the voltage with a transformer?
We have just got a 2002 T4 VW Reimo conversion campervan so being a bit elderly it doesn't come with a dedicated socket. We'll be doing a mix of electric hook up sites and ones without such mod coms.
I have not used electric hookup for many years, just run off leisure battery topped up with a solar panel.
I have found that most 12Vdc TVs are pretty rubbish with very poor viewing angles and very expensive to buy.
I currently run a lovely 230Vac Samsung 21" model via a 300W inverter. The inverter transforms the voltage from 12Vdc up to 230Vac. Mine is rated at 95% efficient. The TV consumes 18 Watts at 230Vac therefore about 20 Watts through my inverter at 12V.
I have changed my lighting to led and I can easily survive a week without electric hook up and still have a couple of hours TV a night, charge tablets and phones and still have enough left in the leisure battery to use the mover at the end of the week.
Certainly agree with you, Crypto about some of the 12v televisions -- particularly the viewing angle.
Jimelaine makes no mention of a solar panel which would certainly help but even with one I am surprised that you get such good results. Still, the proof of the pudding etc and I stand corrected!
Jimelaine. Just to clarify the words, a 'transformer ' reduces voltage and changes it from AC to DC : an 'inverter ' increases voltage and changes it from DC to AC.
DaveS1
Some Tv's are 12 volt and used a power supply to reduce the voltage, however a 12 volt battery is not 12 volt, it's between 11.5 and 14.8 volt, and one can't be sure a 12 volt TV will not be damaged with the extra voltage. You would need to look carefully at the spec.
Transformers only work with AC, and the battery is DC. So to use a transformer to change a dc voltage it has to be converted into ac first, years ago it was a vibrator, now all electronic.
The whole unit is called an inverter, some use a lot of power just ticking over, but most today are very good. So although it seems daft, to use an inverter and a 230 volt TV is likely a good idea.
But be it 12 or 230 watts are still watts, so a 100 watt TV will need around 8 amps even with no losses, so 110 AH battery is good for around 12 hours, not very long.
I have been looking at units that turn tablets into Tv's. However same connection is used to charge as the adaptor uses so limited to one program a night.
Laptops can use as much as a TV, of the same size, but this is the point, you have a problem finding a small TV.
Again computers are improving using less and less power.
Sorry to be pedantic, but a transformer can be used to step down voltage, or step up, but it ONLY works on AC! What is often referred to as a "transformer" in a caravan or motorhome is actually a battery charger or transformer/rectifier. The transformer part reduces the voltage from 230/240 volts AC to around 16 volts AC, which is then rectified, turning it to DC to run equipment and charge the battery. The additional voltage is to allow for losses in the rectification.
An inverter is in effect the reverse. 12 volt DC from the battery is converted to AC, then passed through a transformer to step it up to 230/240 volts AC. Consequently, an inverter draws power to run itself, hence it takes more out of the battery than just the current used to run the appliance (such as a TV).
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Topic: TV Question
DaveS1 says "a transformer only REDUCES voltage ie 230 to 12 volts". Doesn't this mean that if I bought a 12 volt TV I couldn't then increase the voltage with a transformer?
