Leisure battery use for tv
Hello all, We've just bought our first motorhome and there are so many questions. We are learning as we go but the leisure battery & appliances we can use confuse me.
We bought a Cello 12v/24v/240v smart tv to install and it has come with 2 power cables. One is to the cigarette lighter socket which obviously will run down the vehicle engine battery, so we won't use that. The other is to a 3 prong plug via a black box (adapter?). If we plug into the leisure battery powered sockets when not on electric hook up will the tv be using 12v or 240v? Will this drain the leisure battery?
The other question is can we just plug our laptops, ipads etc in to charge or do we need something to allow us to do this safely? I do have an inverter to charge them from the cigaretter lighter as we drive along.
Thanks for any help.
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as you say, so many questions..but let's try and go slowly....
the Cello TV sounds like it's a 12v unit which also has an adapter (as you describe) which allows a mains voltage to be reduced to 12v...
so, I would run the TV on 12v all the time....if you are on EHU this will charge your leisure batteries which in thrn will power the tv.
if not on EHU, the tv runs form the batteries as above, but will run down over time (several days) so a solar panel will help if you are doing a fair bit of off gridding.
you will probably have a 12v socket at the 'TV station' along with an aeriel point....I would plug in here...
with ipads/phones it would be convenient to have another 12v socket (not the dash one) linked to the leisure batteries where a 12v-USB plug can be used for direct USB charging....no inverters required.
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The other is to a 3 prong plug via a black box (adapter?). If we plug into the leisure battery powered sockets when not on electric hook up will the tv be using 12v or 240v? Will this drain the leisure battery?
The 3 pin (prong) sockets will only be powered when on electric hook up, otherwise they will give no output. On 12 volt only the round cigarette type sockets will work. We have just changed from a Caravan to MH and have several of these in the living area, one of which is by the TV aerial input and could be used as BB suggests. These are powered by the leisure battery. There is also one on the vehicle instrument panel, which I would assume will be powered from the vehicle battery, although haven't checked.
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According to the specification, the TV takes 15 Watts but 35 Watts if using the DVD. So, the TV only is around 1.5 amps on dc so should not run the battery down too much, even with a few hours viewing, however, the DVD is using 3 amps so you would need to limit the use if you are off of EHU.
You can still use the 12 volt cigarette lighter supply in the habitation area if you are connected to mains hook-up because the 12 volt is continually supplied from the mains through your control panel.
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Steve, we have two std fit 12v outlets on our Ducato dashboard but these are only live with the ignition on....on our set up, one supports the TomTom and the other is free...
i also have a third 'habitation' 12v socket at the front of the van which is where the 12v/USB adapter permanently lives..
this allows charging of phone/iPad on site (with or without EHU) or while driving....
unlike uk vans, German vans don't have their 12v systems shut down when the engine is running...
this means we don't need to move devices being charged whatever our driving/camping circumstances...
i suspect your Hymer will be the same.
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unlike uk vans, German vans don't have their 12v systems shut down when the engine is running...this means we don't need to move devices being charged whatever our driving/camping circumstances...
i suspect your Hymer will be the same.
Similar BB. In our Hymer there is a panel above the door which controls 12 volt power and shows the status of tanks and batteries. We can have this on or off when on the move.
As to plugs, our Hymer comes with I think I of each in its continental guise. However, most sold here and certainly ours, come with the extra plugs pack £450. It's total overkill, there are plugs and 12 volt sockets and USB connectors everywhere. Even two 240 volt sockets in the garage. A more modest number would have been adequate, but then perhaps difficult to justify the extra charge. The 4 USB sockets are nice though for charging pads and phones.
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If your habitation 12 V DC socket is one of the type using a plug with two flat prongs, as some are, then there are leads that convert this to the "Cigarette" type socket to suit the Cello.
For charging tablets phones etc that use USB then we use the simple plug in adaptors sold for in car recharging. Units like this, but ensure it has the high 2 Amp or more USB output as lower powered ones are also sold though will struggle to charge my tablet.
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If you haven't already got one then get the largest Solar panel you can afford, make sure there's enough roof space to fit it, and most of your power problems will disappear.
A decent Solar panel, a couple of leisure batteries, a refillable gas system, on-board toilet facilities and the World is your Lobster.
We have an 80W Solar panel, two 110amp Leisure batteries and a cheap (£20) B2B and do not need hook-up at home when the MH is stood on the drive much of the year or when we are away.
I wish we had originally fitted a bigger Solar panel but even at only 80W it has been adequate for our needs.
When in France, whatever time of year, we use Aires and don't use or need hook up and we can park up virtually anywhere without worrying about a power supply.
The TV runs off the 12v power supply and we run the fridge/freezer continually on the refillable gas system.
Solar really is the way forward to get freedom with a Motorhome.
Hope this helps.
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Steve, yes ours can be turned on or off at anytime, but I leave it on all the time as the van is on the drive when not I. use and we can be going in there (for any of a hundred reasons...) day or night and keeping the 12v systems on means the lights work....
Hmmm, Hymer (like others) are pretty good at wrinkling out the odd £400 from customers...we have a good amount of 240v in the van and one (on the side of the 'electrics' module in the garage. I just ran a short 4 gang unit to a nearby spot and now have plenty there for bike chargers etc...always good to be able to keep all this stuff out of the habitation area....
hows the change over going?
i also agree with Keith in that (as I mentioned upthread) if there's any chance of doing off gridding, a solar panel will help tremendously..
we had many 'non scheduled' village stops on the way back through Spain a couple of weeks ago and the batteries were fully charged by 9:30 am even after a couple of hours satellite tv, lighting and the water pump for showers in the morning...
refillables (also great, especially for continental travel) might be the next best addition as gas usage will rise for heating, hot water and fridge use.
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hows the change over going?
Very well thanks. We also have solar panels. I was most impressed the other day, with the TV on 12 volt (and no EHU) the battery seemed to be maintained at full charge, although it was sunny. Would certainly work well for the OP with his Cello TV. Ours is Avtex but I think has a similar power requirement.
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our satellite system requires an inverter to run the Sky box so we would be drawing more current than a TV only and we have no problem getting the energy used back into the batteries by mid morning (reasonable sun permitting)...
you'll be an Aires convert at this rate
(only kidding, let's not open that up again , lol.....) but you can see how your options open up....good luck.
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