Car Battery/Plasma TV?

**bringmagicback** · 05-16-2010, 10:54 PM

I have googled this and havent found a ton of clear info. Does anyone know how I can run a 20ish inch plasma tv off of car battery?

I was thinking I can get a power invertor, hook it up to 1 or 2 batteries and then plug the tv in to that. Anyone know how many batteries I would need, how big of an invertor? How many hours this would last? I know random but this is generally good for that type of info.

**mred** · 05-16-2010, 11:01 PM

I don't think they make plasma tvs that small. Do you mean LCD?

**maui6651** · 05-16-2010, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by bringmagicback

I have googled this and havent found a ton of clear info. Does anyone know how I can run a 20ish inch plasma tv off of car battery?

I was thinking I can get a power invertor, hook it up to 1 or 2 batteries and then plug the tv in to that. Anyone know how many batteries I would need, how big of an invertor? How many hours this would last? I know random but this is generally good for that type of info.

Unless something's changed recently, the smallest plasma TV you can find is around 40". That's actually good for you, since LCD's are more efficient than plasmas.

**bringmagicback** · 05-16-2010, 11:17 PM

Whoops ya sorry, I call every flat tv like that Plasma. So any idea on the actual question?

From what I have found I can take two car batteries, hook them together to a power invertor, say 500 or 600 watts, and then plug the tv in with no problems. I guess w/ two batteries it should run at least 2 hours before needing recharged. I figure thats about as long as I would need them. Anybody who knows something see problems w/ this?

New question is how many times can these batteries be drained and recharged before going bad...standard car batteries.

**mred** · 05-16-2010, 11:26 PM

The Sharp LC-20S4U 20" LCD HDTV is about 73W, for example. That's around 6 amps on a 12V battery (a bit more if going through an inverter). No clue what the typical amp-hour rating of a car battery is.

You are better off using a deep-cycle battery. Unlike car batteries, they are designed to be run down. Car batteries can't take a whole lot of deep discharge/recharge cycles.

**Clone1450** · 05-17-2010, 06:35 AM

Is this for tailgating? Just hook it up to the car and start the car and let it fun for a while every hour or so.

**bringmagicback** · 05-17-2010, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by Clone1450

Is this for tailgating? Just hook it up to the car and start the car and let it fun for a while every hour or so.

Yes, and camping ect. Thats somewhat what I was planning on, however w/ two batteries, they shouldnt drain that far down, then after the game/camping I will replace the battery in the car w/ one of the 2 batteries I used to recharge it, then after a few days I will replace it again w/ the other one I used. Then next time I go to use them again I should have 2 fully charged batteries.

**ubuntuCAT** · 05-17-2010, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by mred

The Sharp LC-20S4U 20" LCD HDTV is about 73W, for example. That's around 6 amps on a 12V battery (a bit more if going through an inverter). No clue what the typical amp-hour rating of a car battery is.

You are better off using a deep-cycle battery. Unlike car batteries, they are designed to be run down. Car batteries can't take a whole lot of deep discharge/recharge cycles.

This.... you really want a deep-cycle battery for this application. Taking the 73 watts figure you could run the TV all day with one battery no reason for 2.

If you haven't purchased the TV yet get one that can run off 12VDC then you can take the inverter inefficiency out.

AC DC TV,13 AC DC TV, 12 VOLT TV, AC DC LCD TV

**mred** · 05-17-2010, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by bringmagicback

Yes, and camping ect. Thats somewhat what I was planning on, however w/ two batteries, they shouldnt drain that far down, then after the game/camping I will replace the battery in the car w/ one of the 2 batteries I used to recharge it, then after a few days I will replace it again w/ the other one I used. Then next time I go to use them again I should have 2 fully charged batteries.

For $20 you can get a 1.5-amp charger at WalMart (or $30 for a 6-amp charger). That'd be a simpler solution than doing a bunch of battery swapping.

**bringmagicback** · 05-17-2010, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by ubuntuCAT

This.... you really want a deep-cycle battery for this application. Taking the 73 watts figure you could run the TV all day with one battery no reason for 2.

If you haven't purchased the TV yet get one that can run off 12VDC then you can take the inverter inefficiency out.

AC DC TV,13 AC DC TV, 12 VOLT TV, AC DC LCD TV

I do already have the tv.

So Im sure you guys are correct with the Deep Cycle. I know nothing of any of this but what I understand is they are designed to be drained and charged back up unlike a car battery? This means this type of battery will not only last longer between recharges but also that the life of the battery will be much longer?

Can I get by with a cheaper one like?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...5x000001&aff=Y

Or do I need one like this?
Optima Batteries D34M 12 Volt Blue Top Starting & Deep Cycle Battery at OutdoorPros.com

I appreciate all help, to be honest, I didn't know there were such a thing as deep cycle batteries.

**mred** · 05-17-2010, 09:33 AM

I'm no battery expert, but I'd think you might prefer the cheaper one. It actually has a larger reserve capacity of the two. Reserve capacity is the length of time a battery can put out a reasonable voltage with 25 amps of current draw. The sears battery has a reserve capacity of 180 minutes, so it theoretically might be able to power one 20" LCD for about 180 min x 25 Amps / 6.25 Amps per TV = 720 minutes = 12 hours, give or take.

**mred** · 05-17-2010, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by bringmagicback

I know nothing of any of this but what I understand is they are designed to be drained and charged back up unlike a car battery? This means this type of battery will not only last longer between recharges but also that the life of the battery will be much longer?

That's my understanding. Also note that you'll definitely need a charger since these batteries won't fit in your car. This one gets good reviews and should be able to charge a battery overnight: Walmart.com: Schumacher SpeedCharge 6-Amp Battery Charger: Hunting. I bought this charger myself a few days ago (working on some car troubles) and it seems to be pretty good. It's only around $30 in-store at WalMart.

**2020cy** · 05-17-2010, 09:51 AM

I think I would go with the less expensive deep cycle, the optima batteries are spendy, kind of like the Lexus of batteries. I think they get used a lot by big time fishermen for their trolling motors.

**tiberius** · 05-17-2010, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by mred

I don't think they make plasma tvs that small. Do you mean LCD?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDsC1wVJL7Q"]YouTube - Michael Scott buys a Plasma TV - The Office[/ame]

**bringmagicback** · 05-17-2010, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by tiberius

YouTube - Michael Scott buys a Plasma TV - The Office

haha that was a funny episode...I actually bought this one when they first came out for $500 bucks...it was with the money from my first check at my first "real job" I have replaced it w/ a 50 inch so this one has become my camping/tailgate TV, however I just got rid of my vehicle w/ built in plugins ect. So am looking for new ways to use it.