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Old 08-09-2017, 11:22 AM   #1
ADQ K9
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How big of an inverter do I need to run the TV?

2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE came with a 12 volt Furion DV 3200 entertainment system, 120volt 32" Furion TV (might be 29") running a 450watt Samlex inverter from the 12 volt output plus a Sony Blu Ray player overloads the inverter and the TV will not come on. Am I out of luck to run the TV on battery power? do I need a bigger inverter, or do I need to just get a 12Volt TV? Currently running a dual 12 volt battery setup, thinking about going to a dual 6 volt setup or the larger group 27 12 volt batteries. I find it funny that Furion does not offer a Blu Ray player on their systems and the TV is 120 Volt. Not to metnion the TV and entertainment sysyem is connected by a red white and yellow video cable instead of an HDMI when HDMI input and outputs are available on each unit. Thoughts and suggestions.
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:12 PM   #2
chuckster57
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If your using the 12V outlet at the booster plate, your probably overloading the wiring. A pair of gp 24 batteries should power your TV and Blu Ray player.

I would look into heavier gauge wire and a dedicated circuit from either the fuse panel or better yet the batteries.

The further away the inverter is from the batteries the more it takes to run it.
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:35 PM   #3
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The Furion TV should be about 25 watts and the Blu Ray player is around 10 watts so one would think a 450 watt inverter shouldn't have any problems. According to the Samlex manual, that should (only) be pulling about 3.5 amps off of your battery. What are the LEDs on the inverter doing when it cuts out? If possible, get voltage readings at the DC input to the inverter a) with neither device on, b) just the TV on, c) just the Blu Ray on, and d) both the TV and Blu Ray on.

EDIT: ... and what chuckster said ^^^ ... the voltage at the DC input to the inverter is important. If there is enough voltage drop in the wiring, you might be dropping below the minimum 10.5 VDC input required to run the inverter.
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:40 PM   #4
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Yeah the batteries are at the front inverter in the back and TV in the middle. Tried both the booster plate and the other 12 Volt outlet that includes 2 usb ports No difference between the two. The quick more expensive fix is to get a 12 volt TV but it sounds like that will not be a guarantee for even a 12 Volt TV to work if the wires are too small to handle the load. Hind sight is 20/20 there are things I overlooked when buying but I can live with them. its the wife I gotta keep happy.
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:46 PM   #5
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Next time Im out I will bring my meter the LED turns yellow and the inverter emits a loud noise.
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Old 08-09-2017, 12:55 PM   #6
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Ahh, okay. The input voltage is definitely the first thing to check then. Here's from the trouble shooting section of the Samlex manual.

ISSUE: No AC output - Green LED is not on, Yellow LED is on, Buzzer is ON

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Low DC input voltage shut down due to DC input voltage at the inverter terminals dropping below 10.0 VDC. Auto reset when the DC input voltage is > 11.5 VDC.

SUGGESTED REMEDIES:
  • Low battery terminal voltage. recharge the battery. If battery voltage does not rise to fully charged voltage even after long charging time, replace the battery.
  • Excessive drop in DC input wires due to thin DC input wires. Check firmness of connections and increase wire size
  • If the battery terminals read higher voltage at no load but the terminal voltage drops appreciably when the load is turned on, the battery may have sulfated due to undercharging. Equalize the battery (only flooded or wet cell types)
That third bullet point that they list is voltage reading at the battery terminals. Not too likely that you have a sulfated battery but you might want to get readings there as well since the difference between both ends will give you the total voltage drop in the wiring.
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Old 08-09-2017, 01:00 PM   #7
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Look at the back of your TV, you'll find a data plate with a statement about the power requirements. There are two basic "types" of flat screen TV's. First is LCD/CCFL screen which has fluorescent tube lights behind the flat screen to "illuminate" the screen. That type of LCD TV uses significantly more power than the second type which is the LCD/LED TV. It uses LED's to illuminate the screen, doesn't use as much energy, doesn't produce as much heat and doesn't consume as much "battery juice" or "inverter juice" as the LCD type of TV.

A typical 32" LED TV will require about 1/3 less power. That may not seem to be much savings, but it makes a significant difference when operating on battery power. Our LED TV uses about 50 watts of 12 VDC power. We have a 100 watt "cigarette lighter inverter" that we attach to the Winegard booster socket and plug the TV into that to operate the TV. No problems and no "cutouts" with the inverter.

If you're using a 400 watt inverter and it's shutting down, I'd suspect you may have a LCD/CCFL TV and/or you may have a power input problem with the 12 VDC source from your battery to the inverter. Most 400 watt inverters require a "direct battery connection" and will only operate at reduced power if connected using the cigarette lighter plug. Typically, that power source will only provide 100 watts of inverted power.
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Old 08-09-2017, 01:21 PM   #8
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Yeah planning on working on it this weekend and will see then might pick up a 100w inverter and try that too.
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Old 08-09-2017, 07:06 PM   #9
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Typical inverter installation is as close as possible to the battery with as large and as short a cable as possible and a fuse between the inverter and battery.
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