Solar chargeing question

[Alpha-y2k]

So due to unforeseen circumstances I am currently residing in my van and have for a few years.
That given this covid 19 thing has me searching for alternitive power source.
I am on a limited income atm, so this is my situation:

I have a 7" portable 12v digital tv that i currently run on my van, problem is i would rather not sit and idle to watch it.
So I was searching around and landed on a harbor freight 13watt solar brief case.

I am trying to do this as minimal as I can, ie: not have to have a battery poor other stuff in the chain of stuff.

This is the tv I am currently using
7" Portable Digital LCD TV

The tv has a max power consumption of 10watts, and this is the only single item i would be running off the solar, but it would be probably for a lengthy time period, 6-8 hrs I'm guessing.

So since the tv is 10watts max, would the 13watt solar be enough to sustain it as a steady flow off power (providing of course that there is sunlight) and let it run 6-8 hours, without having a battery in the mix?

I'm not too savvy on conversion of amps and volts and such, and I do realize that 13watts is not a lot, but was hoping it was enough to use with the tv.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Alpha-y2k

I'm not too savvy on conversion of amps and volts and such, and I do realize that 13watts is not a lot, but was hoping it was enough to use with the tv.

The TV needs to run from your battery, not from the panel. The panel needs to be larger, maybe 80 to 100 watts (with a charge controller) to charge the battery. That will allow for cloudy days and over night operation. If you do use a small 13 watt panel you will have limited operation but may get by without the controller.
PS: Harbor Freight is priced much higher/watt than Amazon.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

The TV needs to run from your battery, not from the panel..

What I suspect you missed is that the TV has a a built-in rechargeable battery. But I cannot find any info on the capacity of the battery. So my question is.. how long does the TV run at max screen brightness on the internal battery?

[Raspy]

It might do it, but the rating is probably the max it can produce under optimal conditions while aimed directly at the sun. Not sure how the controller would respond with no battery in the loop.

Why not connect it to your van battery and then run the TV from the van with the engine off? If the panel can't quite keep up, the battery will still not be drained because the difference will be small.

It would be nice if you could get a system of about 50 watts. What if you want to use power at night? Or on a cloudy day? Or you want to run lights too?

I found what appears to be the same one on Amazon and it says 1.5 to 2 hours run time on a charge. So the DC input charges it as it runs, I guess. That means the controller is charging a battery and not running a load directly.

It would be nice if you were closer as I'd give you a couple of 6v deep cycle batteries that are looking for something to do.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by gordon2

What I suspect you missed is that the TV has a a built-in rechargeable battery.

Yes I missed that part

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

Yes I missed that part

Dont feel bad (LOL).. Raspy seems to have missed it also.

Originally Posted by Raspy

... Not sure how the controller would respond with no battery in the loop....

I would argue that a more robust solar and battery system is well worth the price, but if the OP is really sure that he only wants to run a 13 watt television with internal battery for 6-8 hours then its reasonable to consider a more modest solar system by itself.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Dont feel bad (LOL).. but if the OP is really sure that he only wants to run a 13 watt television with internal battery for 6-8 hours then its reasonable to consider a more modest solar system by itself.

And TV is not life and death, (like morning coffee).

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by AC0GV

And TV is not life and death, (like morning coffee).

Well you are gonna need a bigger solar panel to run that coffee maker!

Back on topic.. when relying on solar power I would like to have at least three or more days of power usage stored up. So if the TV can run for your 6-8 hours a day for three days (up to 24 hours), then the internal battery would be sufficient. But I doubt it would run that long. So a small 12 volt deep cycle battery is likely appropriate with a solar system sufficient to recharge it after 3 days of little or no sun while using the TV for 6-8 hours a day. Still we need more info on the TV internal battery.

[Glenn Baglo]

With production of new shows suspended by Covid 19, there will be nothing but reruns on TV anyway.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

With production of new shows suspended by Covid 19, there will be nothing but reruns on TV anyway.

Exactly! The old shows are the best. New shows are crap (and way too much fake reality).. And the best part is that you can get them with over-the-air TV for free - no streaming required! Give me my METV!

[Jon Vermilye]

Expecting a 13 watt panel to be capable of supplying 10 watts over a 6-8 hour run time is optimistic. First, you are going to need to keep the panel perpendicular to a clear sun to get the rated wattage. Second, even with a lithium battery, you need to put a bit more into it than you take out.

If your viewing time is not critical, it might work, but for around the same price you could purchase a 50 watt panel and a small solar controller that would do the job plus, if connected to your vehicle battery, help keep it topped up.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Alpha-y2k

So due to unforeseen circumstances I am currently residing in my van and have for a few years.
That given this covid 19 thing has me searching for alternitive power source.
I am on a limited income atm, so this is my situation:

I have a 7" portable 12v digital tv that i currently run on my van, problem is i would rather not sit and idle to watch it.
So I was searching around and landed on a harbor freight 13watt solar brief case.

I am trying to do this as minimal as I can, ie: not have to have a battery poor other stuff in the chain of stuff.

This is the tv I am currently using
7" Portable Digital LCD TV

The tv has a max power consumption of 10watts, and this is the only single item i would be running off the solar, but it would be probably for a lengthy time period, 6-8 hrs I'm guessing.

So since the tv is 10watts max, would the 13watt solar be enough to sustain it as a steady flow off power (providing of course that there is sunlight) and let it run 6-8 hours, without having a battery in the mix?

I'm not too savvy on conversion of amps and volts and such, and I do realize that 13watts is not a lot, but was hoping it was enough to use with the tv.

I would think to keep your battery charged you would need something a bit larger, a 50 watt solar panel would probably work for you. You would need a charge controller. This would allow you to keep your battery fully charged for those cloudy/rainy days. I have a 65 watt solar panel and a 6 amp charge controller which is more than I need.



A bit of advice when hooking up a solar panel to a charge controller, you don't need to connect the load terminals. My 65 watt panel maximum output is 4.1 amps. therefore a 6 amp charge controller works as needed.

[Alpha-y2k]

I basically wanted to connect solar panel with a lighter plug in, plug the 7" tv in and have it sustain the tv to watch it.
The tv draw a max of 10watt 1.12amps, so if I ran only the tv the 13 watt solar panel should be enough to sustain it, at least I though so.
I guess that's not the case, so i decided to hook up a regulator to a battery to even see that output the solar was giving if any.
So I proceeded to hook the regulator up between the solar and battery, hooked the battery up it said 12.9v, so I'm good there, then I hooked the solar panel up, switched to solar input on my lcd and it reads 00.0A ie: nothing.
I don't have full on sun, but there is partial sun, so it should show some, at least 00.1A if anything, but I guess not.

At this point as new as I am to solar and limited funds, I've basically reached my end, so for now I'm going to return the products and just wait until i have the funds to go all out ie: install panels on tht roof, get a decent sized battery and such.

Just kinda disappointed there wasn't a way to go directly from solar panel to the tv and sustain it, don't even care about charging it at all, i just want to sustain a charge enough to watch it without running the vehicle. Sadly I don't see a way to do that.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Alpha-y2k

I basically wanted to connect solar panel with a lighter plug in, plug the 7" tv in and have it sustain the tv to watch it.
The tv draw a max of 10watt 1.12amps, so if I ran only the tv the 13 watt solar panel should be enough to sustain it, at least I though so.
I guess that's not the case, so i decided to hook up a regulator to a battery to even see that output the solar was giving if any.
So I proceeded to hook the regulator up between the solar and battery, hooked the battery up it said 12.9v, so I'm good there, then I hooked the solar panel up, switched to solar input on my lcd and it reads 00.0A ie: nothing.
I don't have full on sun, but there is partial sun, so it should show some, at least 00.1A if anything, but I guess not.

At this point as new as I am to solar and limited funds, I've basically reached my end, so for now I'm going to return the products and just wait until i have the funds to go all out ie: install panels on tht roof, get a decent sized battery and such.

Just kinda disappointed there wasn't a way to go directly from solar panel to the tv and sustain it, don't even care about charging it at all, i just want to sustain a charge enough to watch it without running the vehicle. Sadly I don't see a way to do that.

What happens after dark?

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Alpha-y2k

Just kinda disappointed there wasn't a way to go directly from solar panel to the tv and sustain it, don't even care about charging it at all, i just want to sustain a charge enough to watch it without running the vehicle. Sadly I don't see a way to do that.

How about what I suggested yesterday? Use a 50 watt panel and charge the van battery. Then run the TV, from the van battery, without starting the engine.

Do this with a cigarette lighter socket and wires, alligator clipped to the battery, or by turning the ignition key to accessory and using the socket in the dash.

That little TV does not draw much power, and even if you ran the battery too low to start the van, the panel would re-charge it sufficiently then next day.

You already have the TV. All you need is the 50 watt panel, and hopefully, a cheap charge controller. Worst case, just hook the panel directly to the battery the morning and unclip it in the evening, then you don't even need a controller. This can be done with a simple lamp cord clipped to the battery and leaning the collector against the van. Been there, done that, and it works well.