Inverter for TV ,notebook.

1000w should be plenty to run those 2 things, computer does not use much and it depends on the size of the tv as to how much it uses..a 42 inch lcd uses around 120w

Hi,

Rather than buying an inverter to provide 240V from your 12V, suggest it's far better to buy a 12V power supply for the laptop. If the tv has an external power supply, replacing that with a 12V one would be the way to go too. Have a look at the rating plate on the laptop supply - it will tell you it's output voltage (probably about 17, 18 or 19V) and also its current rating (probably 3 or 4 amps). On ebay you'll almost certainly find lots of suitable power supplies - if you don't like ebay, at least use it as a catalogue!

If the tv has an external supply, same thing applies. If it does not have an external supply then a 240V inverter is one way to go, though getting a 12V compatible tv may be a better (and maybe cheaper) option.

If you do finish up buying an inverter, it should be a pure sine wave one, and NOT a (much cheaper) square wave or "modified" sine wave one. These generate a lot of interference and are not good for sensitive electronics, especially the laptop. You do NOT need a 1500W one for a tv or laptop - 150W is ample.

You may find Electricity for Camping a useful read.

Cheers

John

Hi Broometime,

You say you need it for the TV and computer.

Is the computer a laptop?.
if so you can get a 12 volt power supply which plugs into a cig socket for the laptop.
That is better than using an inverter as, using an inverter you will be using at least 2 devices which cause losses. The first is the inverter the second will be the transformer which will reduce the inverters 240 back to 19 volts or whatever the laptop is.

This is the one I have

I also have a 12 volt TV which I bought for around $140 dollars. All this is more efficient and cheaper than a good inverter, unless you want the inverter for other jobs as well, then that is another matter of course.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers, Bruce.

All of those answers and none offer the correct advice to offer a solution that will definitely do what you are asking. This forum is good for telling you answers based on poster's solutions, even if they have little to do with the original question. Doh.

Firstly do you already have the TV? If not and you are ok with a small one then John and Val is on the money. Get a 12V capable one. For the Laptop you can get 12V converters but they are often expensive and may not work if you get a new PC.

If you want to use a 240V TV or can't get a 12V one in the size you want, and your existing computer 240V adapter then you need an Inverter and you have to start with their power use.

Look up the power use in 'watts' on both the TV and Computer.
If you don't ever want to use the PC and TV together, use the which ever power rating is highest and add 15 - 20%. Eg if your TV is 500W and your laptop is 100W then use 500W, add 20% ( 600W) and that is the minimum size inverter you need.

If you want to use both at the same time then add them up, and add 20%. So 720W is the minimum you need to run both at the same time.

Next you need to decide on a modified Square wave ( often marketed as Modified Sine wave) or true Sine wave. Modified ones are smaller and cheaper but may not work with all electronic devices. Laptop power supplies and TV's are very sensitive.

I would advise a true sine wave. The higher the power, the more expensive, so you can't just randomly pick say 1500W. It'll cost a ton and be huge.

Next you need to determine if you have enough battery power. Divide the number of actual watts by about 10 to get your approx amps. So if you do use 1500W of TV and Computer, that is about 150Amps. That'll drain a 100AH battery flat in 20 minutes to try to get high efficiency devices.

I think most newish small TV's ( 18 to 28 inch) will be 80 - 150W depending on size efficiency and most laptop power supplies are 60 - 100 watts.

Hope this helps.

Hi Broometime, I think you will find all LCD LED TVs are 12 Volt. They all come with transformers for 240V. I just bought a LED-LCD tv and made a connection to suit the tv and connected it to a 12v battery. As for the note book you can get a cable that will plug into a cig lighter and charge it.
Cheers Andy

Hi Broometime

The television we purchased (a cheapie from eBay) runs direct from 12 v. My husband just removed the converter and wired it in. After running my laptop from an inverter, when it died while travelling, I received the best advice from members here to purchase the 12 v power supply. I now have one which cost $12 from DealExtreme in Hong Kong.

1500 inverter is a big beast, and overkill from small appliances.

Hi Broometime,

No maths, just advice..............

Forget the inverter, get a new 12 volt LED TV and a 12v universal power supply for the laptop.

Your existing 240v TV will probably draw twice the power of a current 12v LED model and eliminating the inverter will also improve the power efficiency. Also, inverters can be problematic and introduce interference to the TV.

Bear in mind that the larger the TV, the more current it will draw so get the smallest acceptable size. Typically, 19"=30W, 28"=40W. They can be bought for less than $200.

We found that the wiring of our caravan 12v, from external, was too light for our load, particularly running the 8 amp cpap overnight. It would soon load down the voltage and the low voltage cutout on the cpap would operate, I reckon the cpap would be equal to the 28" tv. The way we got around it is to use the inverter at the batteries in the ute and run an extension cable to the ac input to the caravan. Works very well, never had a problem, just had to turn off the microwave at its power switch to reduce the current draw.
Geoff