I'm curious how everyone out there powers there front AC 12" TV without the generator running? It seems no matter what portable cigerette style invertor I've tried, I get mixed and inconsistant results. Sometimes the TV works and most times it don't. I've tried 300,400 and even a 1000 watt invertor. I replaced my house batteries with two new 6v units too. Is my AC TV/vcr TV too old and drawing too much power? Should I switch to a 12V DVD/TV? Has anyone tried one of those flatscreen's with built in tuners they sell at costco? Should I just take the easy way out and buy a new RV propelling me into eternal debt for the next 25 years? I hate running my generator while I watch the titanic sinking!

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Larry and Heidi from CA

I forgot to add that the invertors I'm trying are of the $60-100 Range that you would find at "Best Buy" or Pep Boys. The red "Low voltage" buzzer always goes off. I also make sure the house batteries are fully charged at all times.

Hello Larry and Heidi! I bought a 12v 13" tv/vcr player a few years back at costco for a little over 200 bucks. I had extra cigarette style 12v outlets put in motorhome and boat. Worked like a charm! Best wishes,-Jeff

There are often compatibility problems. Most low power inverters put out pretty dirty AC. A look on a scope would frighten Tesla.

It might be more cost effective to buy another TV than to buy a high grade inverter. But a good US made inverter will be a one-time purchase, and can be moved when you upgrade.

Most of the DC powered TV/players I have seen are Chinese made and are OK for the limited time they work, but are throwaways when they fail.

WOW, another Barthmobiler in Costa Mesa! Hi Jeff!! I live near South Coast Plaza at Paularino and the 55 frwy. How about you? Did you find a Barth yet?

I have a 12v TV up front, but my Tape/DVD/Tuner is 110vac and that along with my computer system run off a 400-watt inverter similar to what you are describing. I had problems using the cigarette lighter also similar to what you are describing. I had an isolator that was factory installed to charge the house batteries from the engine alternator that was disconnected, so I used the 1/0 gage wire that arrived in the outside dashboard area to provide a fused high current bus to my 12v ‘stuff’ in the front of my coach. It works well, and no more low voltage problems. The standard converter will not maintain the batteries up well enough to power all that stuff, and even with solar charging during the day, sometimes if I am not careful, I’ll get low voltage indications off my 4 golf car batteries. I use a 10-amp auto charger on line if I’m using lots of DC power and in the shade and have a ‘hookup’ HTH

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89 Barth Regal 32
Runs like a Deere
New Hampshire

Sorry folks if you hear a sarcastic lilt in my voice when ever I respond to a Californian in the winter , "I HATE YOU ALL"

I had the same problem when I chucked my 9 in Phillips the coach came with and bought an 800 w inverter at Wally world. My former RV guy told me the wire from the battery to the TV area wasn't large enough to handle the power needed during the degaussing??? which happens when you first turn the TV on. (some one will explain this before the night is over.) Even if you TV says that it only draws 400W apparently when you first turn it on it can be 1200W for a mega second and that is what messes you up. So my guy ran a much larger wire from the battery and it started right away. However, it still cycles a couple times before it actually comes on.

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Five dollar word: Degauss

Five cent word: Demagnetize.

As usual Dave has hit the nail/wire on the head. The cableing to the outlet where you are plugging in the converter is to small. Usually there is a fuse in the line somewhere that will blow. If you are going to use a converter to it's max you need a dedicated heavy guage line to the unit.

I speak from experience on this one.

[This message has been edited by eric (edited November 10, 2004).]

Hi to Larry and Heidi from Costa Mesa. I am still looking for the barth of my family's dreams. Currently, my dreams are on hold because my kidneys failed and I am on dialysis four times a week. However, I am very high on the waiting list for a kidney/pancreas transplant at U.C.L.A.! We live right next to South Coast Plaza (for my wife's shopping convenience?) Wold love to see your Barth someday! Best regards-Jeff

Dave, sorry to hear about the vandalism incident. Maybe it's god's indirect way of saying, "you need to put some miles on them new tires!!!" Thanks Jack and Eric, i've had a suspicion about the power delivery to the cig. lighter. I'll pick up some heavy guage wire and run a fused lead to the accessory side of the ignition?
By the way, I recently added another engine side battery bringing the total to Three batteries for the engine. Is that OK? I had this brand new deep cycle battery sitting around and didn't know what to do with it..I throw a charger on them before I store the coach. So that should be plenty of spare juice for this TV?

Have you ever wrote a really long response to everyone only to find out you typed your username incorrectly so your reply is lost? I wanted to wish jeff all the best and I hope you get better soon. I would love to see you get a Barth so we can go Barthmobiling together. Imagine that, a Barthmobiler 1 mile from our house. So I think between Bill, Don and Heidi, youself and me, thats 3 of us in Southern California? Dave, are you coming out this year in January? We could go for a motorcycle ride together...

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Larry and Heidi from CA

Me too, me too..... copied from one of my favorite children’s books about a little duck that is always last in line behind his mother.

So that makes four. At the moment the motorcycles are all street bikes.

We have a 25 foot 1973 that lives at Tim and Lana’s on most weekends in Studio City and at work in Orange County during the week.

Timothy

P.S. Larry and Heidi, yes and as a dyslectic I find composing the messages in word, spell checking and then pasting them into the forum not only prevents loss it makes them readable.

[This message has been edited by timnlana (edited November 10, 2004).]

Larry and Heidi, If anyone looks at the times I leave my posts you will know that I don't sleep like a baby. When I offered the CD's of Carl's Spam I was asked to display some of the stuff on the site. I spent something like 1/2 hour at 2AM saving photos and text, transferring them to Photobucket.com so that I could link to them on the post. I must have been tired and put in the wrong something because it all disappeared. I woke up Deb when I yelled Crap and as you can see I haven't finished the task yet.

[This message has been edited by davebowers (edited November 10, 2004).]

The LCD TV should draw a lot less power (all laptop computers come with a LCD screen) a. Check out CNET.com for the best TV with all the specs. Sharp makes one of the best LCD's out there and Samsung makes a computer monitor with a built in TV tuner. Also, you can put in a bigger set than the built in box can hold by mounting it in front. The padded doors on the cabinets can be replaced with smoked plastic so that remote controlled DVD player can be installed.