nosebreaker
Boston
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Guys, pretty much all electronics have a voltage regulator inside them after the main power circuit. For example a 12V device may actually only use 10V, and it has a 10V regulator inside (for example say it works from 9.5V to 15V to always output 10V) to step down the voltage. Its just a little 3-prong chip. Everything I've taken apart has had one anyway, even if it is a DC input at the same voltage!
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AsheGuy
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Joined: 11/15/2004
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nosebreaker wrote:Guys, pretty much all electronics have a voltage regulator inside them after the main power circuit. For example a 12V device may actually only use 10V, and it has a 10V regulator inside (for example say it works from 9.5V to 15V to always output 10V) to step down the voltage. Its just a little 3-prong chip. Everything I've taken apart has had one anyway, even if it is a DC input at the same voltage!
Great! I've wondered myself if these devices don't have some internal protection but I have never taken one apart to see. Between you and Jim (Handbasket) I think I will quit obsessing on this and go with the flow. 
David & Margaret - 2005 LTV 210B 3S
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reppans
CT
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doghouse_owner wrote:AsheGuy,
Did you already have an easily accessible 12v line in the area around the tv? If not, how did you get 12v to the TV? I can understand getting rid of the inverter if it was noisy, but I'm confused..why not just replace the inverter? And I do appreciate the decreased viewing angle of the original tv and your reason to replace the tv....does your B not have an inverter with 120v outlets hooked up to the inverter?
The inverter is parasitic by itself, and there are additional losses by converting 12V>110 and then back again 110>12V - mostly in the form of heat... and then of course, the inverter running a fan to dissipate said heat.
Nice find AsheGuy.
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booster
Minnesota
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I would think that in the TV in question, the voltage limited would probably be in the brick, wouldn't it?
nosebreaker wrote:Guys, pretty much all electronics have a voltage regulator inside them after the main power circuit. For example a 12V device may actually only use 10V, and it has a 10V regulator inside (for example say it works from 9.5V to 15V to always output 10V) to step down the voltage. Its just a little 3-prong chip. Everything I've taken apart has had one anyway, even if it is a DC input at the same voltage!
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AsheGuy
Raleigh, North Carolina
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booster wrote:I would think that in the TV in question, the voltage limited would probably be in the brick, wouldn't it? That may depend on whether they are trying to avoid warranty costs from someone like me. Or Handbasket.  One warranty claim would pay for a lot of those little voltage regulators.
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WVvan
Home
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AsheGuy, I say Ignore these naysayers!
This seems like a totally reasonable modification. You should go ahead and use your TV in some real-world testing and report back on your findings. Remember that "Fortune favors the brave".*
*translation - I bought the 20" Vizio TV at Sam's Club on sale and was thinking about doing the exact same mod as you have done but are not that far along in my build yet. This way you can be a....., what's a polite way to say guinea pig? Bold Adventurer! Yeah that's it.
You can be the Bold Adventurer on this quest for electrical knowledge!
Sally forth!
Open the pod bay doors Hal.
Once I exit Hal, this is what I do.
WWW.WVBIKE.ORG
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AsheGuy
Raleigh, North Carolina
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WVvan wrote:This way you can be a....., what's a polite way to say guinea pig? I don't mind being a guinea pig but, based on the progress you are making on your bold adventure, you may be ready to install it before I get much experience with my TV. I am using these last days of winter to get our RV ready for our first trip. But that is not until May when we will attend the B Rally in New York State and then add some travel for about a months trip.
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booster
Minnesota
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I figured I would bring this back up to the top to see how well the setup is working for AsheGuy.
We continued to see the Vizios at Costco, and did finally decide to give it a try. With Costco's return policy, why not?
Right now (one day in) we have it setup in the house for trial. We are on the fringes and use rabbit ears, so sensitivity of the tuner gets tested right away, and it found all of our channels first try without issue. We did not have any of the remote control issues that many reviews mentioned. The range is fine, the delay is normal for digital. The sound is not bad at all for a small TV with built in speakers. The picture is truly amazing, as expected. It generates fractions of the heat that our old Sharp LCD with a digital converter attached does, so the power use has to be very low.
The only issue we have run across that was mentioned in many reviews, is that the menu in the corner does keep popping up on its own, randomly, stays up about 5 seconds and disappears. I called Vizio, and they said it should not do that, and to go to Costco and get another one. We will let it go a week or two and then do that if it continues or gets worse.
AsheGuy-do you have the menu thing happening on yours?
As of now, DW is saying she wants the one we have to replace a big old CRT TV in the downstairs guest room, so I will need to get another one for the van!
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AsheGuy
Raleigh, North Carolina
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booster wrote:AsheGuy-do you have the menu thing happening on yours? I haven't noticed it yet, but as I said in an earlier post we haven't had the LTV out since installing it. We'll be out for a month in it beginning May 19th so should have some feedback after that.
Glad to hear you have had basically a good experience so far.
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dhg
Fremont, CA. USA
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Excellent thread! Thanks to all for sharing this info.
I will probably put one of these in my LTV (connected to 12v), but will leave the 12v->110v inverter in place. I use the inverter more often for charging batteries for the laptop and other electronic gizmos than for the TV.
-dg-
Hey, wait for me!
2004/2005 LTV Free Spirit 210B-3S
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