12 volt Smart TV

[Stan K]

Does anyone know if anyone makes a 12Volt Smart TV. Looking for a 24" for my Casita.

[redbarron55]

Originally Posted by Stan K

Does anyone know if anyone makes a 12Volt Smart TV. Looking for a 24" for my Casita.

Some of the smaller TVs have a separate 12 volt power supply and the plug could be adapted for the 12 volts DC operation in the trailer.
I have an Insignia TV ( not smart) with a DVD player built in that I could do this with, but haven't bothered as the Dish satellite receiver needs 120 VAC anyway.
Go into a store and look for one with the power wall wart and see what the voltage is.

[alan H]

A lot of truck stops carry a variety of 12 tv tv
Try a Pilot or Loves truck stop etc

[Larry C Hanson]

Hi,

Old thread....

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ion-89102.html

Larry H

[SnowballCamper]

Good luck! I got the Jensen (not smart) 12vdc tv a while back. Afterwards we upgraded the dvd/radio unit. Turns out the Furrion HDMI output is not compatible with Jensen tv. It sends video, but no audio. Completely baffles me... So whatever you find, it's buyer beware for compatibility with anything else you may have.

[Lockman]

Stan,


If your main purpose in getting a smart tv is internet streaming you may have to wind up paying extra for that purpose. Most all campgrounds frown on people trying to stream and hog the bandwidth. Most internet services are not that great to begin with.

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by Stan K

Does anyone know if anyone makes a 12Volt Smart TV. Looking for a 24" for my Casita.

I went through the same research with my new Casita. I did not opt for the factory 22" TV that Casita offers. For me, "Bigger is Better". I discovered that TVs under 32" are very limited regardless of the voltage they run on. Finding a "smart TV" at 24" is next to almost impossible. At 24" "smart" is not very smart. Inputs and outputs are even more limited. The sound on small TV's is definitely lacking.
I finally ended up with a Vizio 24" Smart TV (found on Amazon) that requires 120 VAC for power. I invested in a 150 Watt Inverter and a Bose Mini Link speaker (presently available at Costco) for the sound that I desired. The Bose Mini Link is battery operated and can be charged with the Casita USB ports available in two locations. The Bose will operate for up to 10 hours on a single charge.
I mounted both the Bose Mini Link speaker and the 150 inverter on aluminum plates using long hose clamps. I used pliers to bend the hose clamps to fit around the speaker and the inverter. Not wanting to drill holes in the structure of the trailer, I opted to use 3M Scotch mounting tape to secure both the Bose Mini Link and the 150 inverter to the cabinet above the TV. Tie-wraps and Velcro straps organized and tamed all of the wiring. I used a stereo mini-plug to connect the Bose Mini Link to the TV.
Results:
Pros: The sound is great. It can blast you out of the trailer if that is your thing. The Bose Mini Link provides excellent sound quality. If you are running a laptop, you can also link the Bose via blue tooth to your laptop, iPad, or smart phone.

Everything is powered by the trailer's 12 volt system. I bought the Zamp 230 watt solar panels and they work great and give me all of the power I need. I did not opt for the microwave. The Fantastic Fan provides excellent air circulation.
Cons: The inverter setup is not efficient and uses more power that a TV designed to operate off of 12 VDC. I believe I measured the TV power draw and it was less than 35 watts. I suspect due to inefficiency of the inverter system I am probably at 40 to 45 watts.

While I did what I considered a neat and clean installation, the setup is still somewhat hokey.

You are not able to adjust the sound level remotely and it requires getting up to adjust the sound when needed.
To watch the TV, you have to turn on the inverter, turn on the Bose Mini Link and adjust the sound level. All other controls of the TV are accomplished with the TV remote.
Notes: unless you are in very close proximity to the local TV stations, don't expect much out of the Casita installed TV antenna.
There is a reason that Casita does not offer the 24" TV as a factory option. The location and position of their TV mount is designed for the 22" TV. Mounting a 24" TV gives you less control over the viewing angle of the TV. I find that the TV is usually pressed into the Venetian blinds to some degree regardless of the viewing angle.
I am happy with my installation. I will stick with what I have until a much better TV comes on the market that would improve what I currently have. The installation gives me a good picture and sound.

[dmad1]

I bought a 22" from Target that was advertised as 12 volt. Found that you have to plug it into the 110 volt outlet and it then sends the 12 volts to the tv. Not what I had in mind at all. To run it off of the battery, I plug a converter into the 12 volt outlet and then plug the 110 tv plug into the converter. Not a good setup. I just wanted a tv that would plug into the 12 volt outlet. I have an old 9" Sony that does that but thanks to the Feds, it now needs a converter box and that requires the 110 volts again. Catch 22.

[redbarron55]

Just cut the cable and measure the + and - to match up and then wire it into the trailer.
The cheap power supplies are not usually very well regulated anyway so the 12 volst from the trailer should work just fine.
I have an Insignia that is made that way, but so far I have been too lazy to make the cord.
Often you can buy the plug and make a new cable for the TV and keep the original power supply uncut or you can put a plug to put that cable back together when you want.

[dmad1]

I looking for my cord now. I am thinking it says 110/120 in and 19 volts out. I may be thinking of the power supply to my computer. But like the link referred to, if it is close to 12 v, it sounds like you can just cut the line and install a 12v car adapter and plug it in. I live by Murphy's Law so will see how it goes. Thanks for the feedback.

Found the cord. It says input 100-240v, 50/60 Hz and output 19v at 1.3 A.
Would wiring it to straight 12 v still work or does the output need to be closer to the 19v and I will need to stay with using the converter?

Makes me wonder why it was advertised as a 12v tv.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by dmad1

/// It says input 100-240v, 50/60 Hz and output 19v at 1.3 A.
Would wiring it to straight 12 v still work or does the output need to be closer to the 19v ...

Probably needs to be closer to 19 volts.. and that could even be AC (50/60 Hz) on the output also instead of DC. If you can verify that the output is DC then chances are that trying it on the campers 12 volt (10-14.7 VDC) system will not harm the TV but may cause it to not run well, if at all. Chances are.. its a chance. Do you feel lucky?

[dmad1]

Hmmm. As I said before, I live by Murphy's Law. (He lives upstairs and I see him often) I think I already know how it would turn out. Not that it would be a big loss.

[redbarron55]

Get a meter and measure the output of the cord to see if it is ac or dc and what the actual voltage is.
A lot of the unregulated power supplies put out a much higher voltage than stated with no load.
Also many TVs the first thing that happens when the power goes onto the circuit board it goes through another regulator to regulate it down further. Low voltage will probably not hurt anything and it may work just fine.
Remember, however, Murphy was an optimist.

[dmad1]

I will check and see what kind of readings I am getting. Good idea.

[Eric in mich]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...c1f2af262&th=1

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by dmad1

Hmmm. As I said before, I live by Murphy's Law. (He lives upstairs and I see him often) I think I already know how it would turn out. Not that it would be a big loss.

You should lock Murphy in up stairs. He gets out and comes and visits me all too often.

[bigangelman]

A number of years back I bought the largest Samsung tablet you could get, 19" I think.
I have used this thing very much. It does many games, I watch YouTube and Netflix all the time with it. The power supply is 120 converted down to 19vdc. But the battery last almost all day without being plugged in. Mine is doesn't connect to the cell system but it does connect wifi to my hotspot.
Much more that a TV in my book.
I have not tried to get regular TV with it or what you'd have to do.

Tom

Originally Posted by Stan K

Does anyone know if anyone makes a 12Volt Smart TV. Looking for a 24" for my Casita.

[Gompka]

Also, you can just get a standard tv and just pick up a $30 chromecast or amazon fire stick and voila, smart tv.

[Lanarkwanderer]

Like the others we bought a 110 V tv and run it off a small inverter if we don’t have shore power. The selection in small tv’s is poor.

We got a 21”, Sharp, Roku at Bestbuy, for $110, it has a remote. We added a Chromecast to it, and have the factory active antenna on our Escape 17B.

The 21 mounts on the Escape factory supplied arm with a 1/8” aluminum adaptor plate.

We down load movies from Netflix etc to our iPad and watch one in the evening, off air is for news and weather.

Bob

[ridetechy]

Depending on what you currently have...

I had a Note 10+ that has a Dex feature when connected to an external monitor. Bought a Lepow portable monitor that can be powered by 12v USB and takes USB-C input. Hook it all up and it is my TV and computer. Internet on phone with cell service, Google Assistant, Netflix, Prime Video...it is all there...download to phone when service won't be available and still have some entertainment at the ready.

A BT mouse helps navigate when laying in bed. Also have a BT keyboard for computer uses. Could also be a second monitor if you use a laptop.

Portable and super light so can take it outside or wherever I want to watch. I have it mounted in my Scamp with Neodymium magnets (sheet metal plates inside upper cabinets).

Been very happy with this setup so far.