Powering a TV at a tailgate party

[AndySTL]

I'm thinking about getting a 32" or 37" flat panel TV to take with me on college football trips for the tailgate party. I know there are a few different ways to power them, but I don't know exactly how to do it. Does anyone here have experience with this? I don't want to buy a generator because I don't really want to deal with gasoline and the noise. I know some people use deep cycle marine batteries. Do these then hook up to a power converter? Also, I am guessing that LED would be best since the power consumption is lower, but is it so much lower that it justifies the extra cost over LCD?

Thanks!

 

[Towen7]

You can use a power inverter that connects to the cigerette lighter (or directly to the battry) of a car. The inverter will take the 12vDC and output 120vAC. Just check the wattage for the set (it should be printied in the specs) and make sure the inverter can support the load.

I've used several different makes/models but have always had success with Tripplite.

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/pr ... riesID=815

The power consumption for LED is lower than LCD but I would not suggest an LED set for this purpose.

 

[AndySTL]

You can use a power inverter that connects to the cigerette lighter (or directly to the battry) of a car. The inverter will take the 12vDC and output 120vAC. Just check the wattage for the set (it should be printied in the specs) and make sure the inverter can support the load.

The power consumption for LED is lower than LCD but I would not suggest an LED set for this purpose.

That would be perfect since I have a 12v outlet in the back of the car, but how long could I use the TV before my battery is dead?

Just curious why you wouldn't recommend the LED over LCD for this? I was thinking the lower power requirement would make it ideal, but maybe I am missing something.

 

[Towen7]

If you connect to the cigerette lighter of a running car, you can watch TV until you run out of gas becasue the alternator will keep the vehicle battery charged. Without the car running the life of the battery would depend on the total electrical load and the condition of the battery. That can vary widely so I cant say for sure.

I wouldn't suggest an LED TV because it seems pretty silly to pay the premium for a TV you are going to be watching outdoors where picture quality isn't the priority. I understand the power efficiency but I don't think that will balance the equation.

 

[AndySTL]

If you connect to the cigerette lighter of a running car, you can watch TV until you run out of gas becasue the alternator will keep the vehicle battery charged. Without the car running the life of the battery would depend on the total electrical load and the condition of the battery. That can vary widely so I cant say for sure.

I wouldn't suggest an LED TV because it seems pretty silly to pay the premium for a TV you are going to be watching outdoors where picture quality isn't the priority. I understand the power efficiency but I don't think that will balance the equation.

I don't want to keep the car running. I think this is why some people use the marine batteries (I guess they hold a charge longer). Is connecting the inverter to the terminals on a battery easy and safe (i.e. kids running around won't accidentally shock themselves)?

 

[Batman]

Get a tripplite inverter, if you have a good battery, I wouldn't be concerned until about the 6-8 hr mark. The inverter should be small enough to stow under the hood and then hook up an extension cord. Or if you plan on using this rig often, mount the inverter in the trunk and hardwire it...

 

[Batman]

My tripplite inverter has battery status lights to warn of draining the battery excessively, this is a feature to look for...

 

[AndySTL]

Get a tripplite inverter, if you have a good battery, I wouldn't be concerned until about the 6-8 hr mark. The inverter should be small enough to stow under the hood and then hook up an extension cord. Or if you plan on using this rig often, mount the inverter in the trunk and hardwire it...

Would hard wiring it be better than using the 12v outlet in the back of the vehicle? And you think it could go 6-8 hours continuous without killing the battery?

Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-PV...ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1285184644&sr=1-1

 

[Towen7]

Deep Cycle batteries are not designed to deliver instantaneous "cranking amps" like a typical car battery. Thats why a "deep cycle" battery will be larger than a regular battery with the same cranking amps. Cranking amps are not the same as operating amps. "Deep cycle" batteries are designed to survive being discharged by about 80% over and over again and continue to deliver a steady source of power. Regular batteries have a 50% duty cycle.

The typical car battery is about 100 amps.
The average LCD TV consumes about 110 watts while the average LED consumes about 100 watts.
A fully charged battey is about 13 volts DC

Regular battery
110 watts divided by 13 volts = 8.5 amp hours
100 amps divided by 8.5 amp hours = 11.76 hours
50% of 11.76 hours = 5.88 hours of TV watching

Deep Cycle battery
80% of 11.76 hours = 9.41 hours of TV watching

If this is something you want to do than my advice is to buy a deep cycle battery and small battery charger to charge the battery the day before the game.. like this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SE-520 ... B0009IBJCG

You need a way to connect the battery to the inverter so buy one of these...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00065L2D8?tag ... 31NKCK85J&

Speaking of inverters. You don't want to run one at it's max capacity so I'd suggest one that can support at least twice the load. You may also want to plug something else in so buy one of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-PV375- ... to_title_0