Inverter - Lidl £22.99

[OliveOyl]

Lidl are selling inverters for £22.99 this weekend.

2 questions:-

As the Cello TV on my little boat appears to be dead as a dodo, should I buy one of these inverters and buy myself a cheap little 2nd hand TV from somewhere and run it off a battery?

Will I be able to connect said inverter up or does it need amazing skills and know-how wot Olive does not currently possess?

(New 12v TVs appear to cost loadsa money, hence my questions).

Thanks y'all

Olive

 

 

 

[stegra]

Plenty of new TVs work from 12v transformers but this isn't mentioned in the description. Best to ensure a stable 12v supply as an alternator will give more than 14v. That's probably why with manufacturers don't encourage 12v battery use.

Just looked on their website but couldn't find the inverters. At that price they're most unlikely to be pure sine wave so probably not suitable for electronic devices like TVs.

Edited March 29, 2017 by stegra
Add last paragraph

[mrsmelly]

16 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

Lidl are selling inverters for £22.99 this weekend.

2 questions:-

As the Cello TV on my little boat appears to be dead as a dodo, should I buy one of these inverters and buy myself a cheap little 2nd hand TV from somewhere and run it off a battery?

Will I be able to connect said inverter up or does it need amazing skills and know-how wot Olive does not currently possess?

(New 12v TVs appear to cost loadsa money, hence my questions).

Thanks y'all

Olive

 

 

 

Apart from other factors you may well find that the cheap verter will use loads of power just to power its self up and be very poor with regards leccy useage.

[OliveOyl]

4 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Apart from other factors you may well find that the cheap verter will use loads of power just to power its self up and be very poor with regards leccy useage.

Oh, not a good buy then? I thought £22.99+ cheap 2nd hand TV lots cheaper than buying a 12v TV and plugging it in to my little boat's power supply

[mrsmelly]

Just now, OliveOyl said:

Oh, not a good buy then? I thought £22.99+ cheap 2nd hand TV lots cheaper than buying a 12v TV and plugging it in to my little boat's power supply

It may well be but its how much leccy it uses. For instance your small 12v tv today probably pulls 3 amps ISH from your batteries whereas a poor mains inverter set up may well double that figure. A good inverter will be great as they only draw a small amount to power themselves the problem is without buying it and trying its hard to be sure either way.

[OliveOyl]

Just now, mrsmelly said:

It may well be but its how much leccy it uses. For instance your small 12v tv today probably pulls 3 amps ISH from your batteries whereas a poor mains inverter set up may well double that figure. A good inverter will be great as they only draw a small amount to power themselves the problem is without buying it and trying its hard to be sure either way.

 

Just now, mrsmelly said:

It may well be but its how much leccy it uses. For instance your small 12v tv today probably pulls 3 amps ISH from your batteries whereas a poor mains inverter set up may well double that figure. A good inverter will be great as they only draw a small amount to power themselves the problem is without buying it and trying its hard to be sure either way.

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but it isn't a mains inverter it is just a box with crocodile clips for attaching to the battery and an socket for whatever you want to plug into it.

[stegra]

3 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

Oh, not a good buy then? I thought £22.99+ cheap 2nd hand TV lots cheaper than buying a 12v TV and plugging it in to my little boat's power supply

You might find a cheap second hand TV that runs on 12v. If it just has a power lead, it'll be 240v. If it has either a transformer part-way along the cord or a big plug with a transformer in it, then it could be 12v. You need to check the output voltage of the transformer and if it's 12v you can make up a lead to connect to your 12v supply.

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, OliveOyl said:

 

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but it isn't a mains inverter it is just a box with crocodile clips for attaching to the battery and an socket for whatever you want to plug into it.

The " box " connects to your battery and changes 12volts in to mains. They can kill you, they are also rated for various loads. Best do some more research.

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

Oh, not a good buy then? I thought £22.99+ cheap 2nd hand TV lots cheaper than buying a 12v TV and plugging it in to my little boat's power supply

Just to expand on what others have said

 

An inverter takes power from the batteries, just to power itself, it then takes more power to change the12v to 240v.

A cheap inverter takes lots of power just to run, more expensive, quality, inverter uses very little power just to run.

[OliveOyl]

2 minutes ago, stegra said:

You might find a cheap second hand TV that runs on 12v. If it just has a power lead, it'll be 240v. If it has either a transformer part-way along the cord or a big plug with a transformer in it, then it could be 12v. You need to check the output voltage of the transformer and if it's 12v you can make up a lead to connect to your 12v supply.

OK thanks Stegra. If I do find one,how do I 'make up a lead'???

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

 

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but it isn't a mains inverter it is just a box with crocodile clips for attaching to the battery and an socket for whatever you want to plug into it.

Eggs-actly as you suggest - and like a car is just something that you start the engine and drive it where you need to go - no knowledge or skills needed.

[OliveOyl]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Just to expand on what others have said

 

An inverter takes power from the batteries, just to power itself, it then takes more power to change the12v to 240v.

A cheap inverter takes lots of power just to run, more expensive, quality, inverter uses very little power just to run.

Thanks Alan. I did wonder about using a spare battery I have, just for a TV (if I ever get away!), but after what mrsmelly said about hastening my end, maybe not 

[mrsmelly]

Just now, OliveOyl said:

Thanks Alan. I did wonder about using a spare battery I have, just for a TV (if I ever get away!), but after what mrsmelly said about hastening my end, maybe not 

 It will not kill you IF you dont misuse/abuse it. The thing to remember is that the harmless little 12 volt battery turns into mains power from the household style plug socket I am guessing it has at one end. 

[OliveOyl]

30 minutes ago, stegra said:

Plenty of new TVs work from 12v transformers but this isn't mentioned in the description. Best to ensure a stable 12v supply as an alternator will give more than 14v. That's probably why with manufacturers don't encourage 12v battery use.

Just looked on their website but couldn't find the inverters. At that price they're most unlikely to be pure sine wave so probably not suitable for electronic devices like TVs.

Advert says:-

300W inverter

Converts 12v vehicle battery power into 230 volts of AC power.

Can be used in your vehicle to operate TVs, laptops, tools and lights.

300W max continuous power 600W peak power approx 23x13x5cms

1 minute ago, mrsmelly said:

 It will not kill you IF you dont misuse/abuse it. The thing to remember is that the harmless little 12 volt battery turns into mains power from the household style plug socket I am guessing it has at one end. 

I'm not completely lacking mrsmelly 

[Canal321]

I got myself a cheap modified sine wave inverter, its running a normal 240v, 32inch, high definition TV. All works perfectly, measured current with the old multimeter and it draws just over 3 amps. 

My new (also very cheap ) solar system keeps batteries charged aswell which is great. 

[OliveOyl]

Just now, Canal321 said:

I got myself a cheap modified sine wave inverter, its running a normal 240v, 32inch, high definition TV. All works perfectly, measured current with the old multimeter and it draws just over 3 amps. 

My new (also very cheap ) solar system keeps batteries charged aswell which is great. 

Thanks Canal321, that sounds encouraging. Can you explain how you measure amp drawerage (if that's the term) with a multimeter? (I have one)

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, Canal321 said:

I got myself a cheap modified sine wave inverter, its running a normal 240v, 32inch, high definition TV. All works perfectly, measured current with the old multimeter and it draws just over 3 amps. 

My new (also very cheap ) solar system keeps batteries charged aswell which is great. 

Which proves it can be done. I think most of us have been down that route in the past and today even cheap inverters will be more efficient than they were when we first had them only about twenty years ago. Trouble is Olive will not know how efficient it is until she tries it. It depends on how much importance the 23 squid is to Olive.

[OliveOyl]

Just now, mrsmelly said:

Which proves it can be done. I think most of us have been down that route in the past and today even cheap inverters will be more efficient than they were when we first had them only about twenty years ago. Trouble is Olive will not know how efficient it is until she tries it. It depends on how much importance the 23 squid is to Olive.

It is quite impotant, mrsmselly, but so is buying a TV, but as I want to go off on my tentative travels soon (once I can get someone to teach me how to do locks single-handed ) I don't fancy sitting in silence every evening.

[stegra]

2 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

OK thanks Stegra. If I do find one,how do I 'make up a lead'???

It will most likely have a plug on the end of the power cord like a adapter might. That goes into the TV. The easiest way would be to cut this cord at the other end just before the transformer and fit whatever plug type you use for your 12v. You might need to extend the cable but this should be a short as possible. That's it; you plug it in. The transformer was providing the 12v, now the batteries will be. As mentioned earlier, your alternator will sometimes give 14v+. It's unlikely that this would be a problem but a regulated 12v supply would be preferable.

One more point. The transformer should show 12v DC. Not AC. That's the straight line below.

[Canal321]

1 minute ago, OliveOyl said:

Thanks Canal321, that sounds encouraging. Can you explain how you measure amp drawerage (if that's the term) with a multimeter? (I have one)

It's a bit hard to explain, it involves plugging you multi meter cables into different outlets (on the multi meter ) and then connecting it into the circuit. 

The easier way is to go on YouTube and have a search. I knew my meter could be used to test amps but I had no idea how until I went to good old YouTube.

[OliveOyl]

Just now, stegra said:

It will most likely have a plug on the end of the power cord like a adapter might. That goes into the TV. The easiest way would be to cut this cord at the other end just before the transformer and fit whatever plug type you use for your 12v. You might need to extend the cable but this should be a short as possible. That's it; you plug it in. The transformer was providing the 12v, now the batteries will be. As mentioned earlier, your alternator will sometimes give 14v+. It's unlikely that this would be a problem but a regulated 12v supply would be preferable.

One more point. The transformer should show 12v DC. Not AC. That's the straight line below.

 

1 minute ago, Canal321 said:

It's a bit hard to explain, it involves plugging you multi meter cables into different outlets (on the multi meter ) and then connecting it into the circuit. 

The easier way is to go on YouTube and have a search. I knew my meter could be used to test amps but I had no idea how until I went to good old YouTube.

Thanks both, learning new things every time I come on here. If you see me out on the cut (you'll know it's me - I have put  an L plate on each side of my boat ) give me a wave.

O.

[stegra]

I bought one of these a weeks ago to replace the fridge inverter in my motorhome. I haven't had much use out of it but first impressions were good. It made the old one feel quite agricultural. More expensive but pure sine wave. No complaints from it when the fridge kicked in, unlike the old one that bleeped and buzzed and made the lights go dim.

[Canal321]

5 minutes ago, OliveOyl said:

 

Thanks both, learning new things every time I come on here. If you see me out on the cut (you'll know it's me - I have put  an L plate on each side of my boat ) give me a wave.

O.

Which canals are you thinking of doing?  The north/south debate. (I'm firmly northern )

[mrsmelly]

Just now, Canal321 said:

Which canals are you thinking of doing?  The north/south debate. (I'm firmly northern )

The north/south divide is purely a widebeam thing. Narrow beams usualy do it all. My fav is the Trent and ouse and selby up to Ripon although I like the midlands and others. The prettiest is probably the L and L gargrave and the most over rated has got to be the Llangollen.

[Bewildered]

You may have trouble finding a cheap 240v tv with 12v transformer. I had a good look around Currys a few months ago and the TVs were either direct 240v or 19v.

12v TVs seem to be less available than they used to. I gave up and ended up buying a Cello, I just couldn't be bothered with setting up a 12v to 19v step up.

As far as I am aware all Cello TVs are 12 volt not just the traveller range. However my 22" only came with a mains to 12v transformer so you would still need to buy or make up a 12v lead if you wanted one of the larger models