Cockpit TV - 120v to 12v Conversion and Wiring

B

boxlaxman

New Member
Dec 6, 2012
6
United States
Boat Info
2004 378 Vista Hardtop
Engines
Twin FWC 8.1 Volvos
Hi everyone,

First, I am not a Sea Ray owner but this is one of the best sites for general and real information. Congrats to you all for that. I do live just down the water from Prince William Marina so there are NOT shortage of Sea Ray's in my area.

I just bought this TV (click here)

I made sure it was a 12v going in with a brick. I am running just an antenna right now and MAY get a KVH system in the spring.

Here are my questions...

1. WHY would I want the TV to be 12v vs. 120v? I have a plug right next to the mount (I bought the Sea Ray mount BTW).

2. If I do go 12v, HOW do I wire it??

3. Antenna Wiring - Currently, I have a Shakespeare powered antenna that runs down the radar arch to the cabin where the power box is. It then runs to a 2-way splitter and back out to the cabin TV and the berth TV. I have temporariliy hooked up a 3-way splitter and it seemed to work fine with no additional boosting.

Since the coaxial cord for the cockpit TV has to "double-back" right by the original antenna cable, does it make sense to put the power box closer to the antenna and run the splitter from there??

Would the weather and it being above deck (although most-likely covered under the wetbar) be an issue??

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer....
 
boxlaxman said:
Hi everyone,

First, I am not a Sea Ray owner but this is one of the best sites for general and real information. Congrats to you all for that. I do live just down the water from Prince William Marina so there are NOT shortage of Sea Ray's in my area.

I just bought this TV (click here)

I made sure it was a 12v going in with a brick. I am running just an antenna right now and MAY get a KVH system in the spring.

Here are my questions...

1. WHY would I want the TV to be 12v vs. 120v? I have a plug right next to the mount (I bought the Sea Ray mount BTW).

2. If I do go 12v, HOW do I wire it??

3. Antenna Wiring - Currently, I have a Shakespeare powered antenna that runs down the radar arch to the cabin where the power box is. It then runs to a 2-way splitter and back out to the cabin TV and the berth TV. I have temporariliy hooked up a 3-way splitter and it seemed to work fine with no additional boosting.

Since the coaxial cord for the cockpit TV has to "double-back" right by the original antenna cable, does it make sense to put the power box closer to the antenna and run the splitter from there??

Would the weather and it being above deck (although most-likely covered under the wetbar) be an issue??

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer....
Click to expand...

Hi Boxlaxman,
Dont have answers to all your questoins, but appreciated the post because I'll be converting my cabin TV in the spring. This was good intel gathering on the TV w/the brick.

As for why you would want it wired 12v vs 110... If you have it wired on the 12v power system (hard wired or with a cigarette lighter end) you can run the TV without having to have your generator running (or an inverter running off 12v to create 110v power).

As for the wiring... there was a recent post in the 320da or 280da forum about converting the tv and wiring it. Either that or the GLOMAX antenna string. Im about to get kicked out of the office, but I'll look for the thread later and update this posting.


Keep us posted on how the upgrade/install goes.

-James
 
Hey Boxlaxman,

which marina you in? I am actually getting ready to head down to my boat at Occuquan Harbor any second. Going to take a little heater with me and just sit in the cockpit for a few hours.
120v if you always run your generator. My boat is on 120V 24/7. so I have everything 120V. If you don't run your gen when at anchor. Then maybe the 12v is the way to go.


Bill
 
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One thing that you may want to watch out for is whether the TV is ignition protected if you want to run it from a 12V source. If it isn't ignition protected, you may blow the front end (power supply) out of the TV when you start or stop your motor(s).
 
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/46619-DC-DC-Converter-Recommendation

I did the same thing a while back. Easy to do. The TV I had used 19V DC. I bought a laptop DC upconverter (takes 12v up to 19v). I cut the 12v (cigarette lighter) plug off one end and wired directly to the 12v source on my boat that used to power my stereo amp.

The benefits are I can use the TV without shore power or a generator. You can use an inverter (covert 12vdc to 120vac) but you lose some efficiency.

John
 
Just be sure to add an inline fuse to the positive side if you go the direct wire route.
 
Hey Quiint,

Nice Sea Ray but that Logo is a bit unsightly. What model is that?? :grin:
 
I put in a Skyworth 22" LED on an articulating "arm" mount and am happy with it. It has a built in DVD player that is user replaceable should it fail.
Here is a crappy pic:

1003713.jpg
 
I bought a 12v RCA 19" tv with a built in DVD player for about $200 last summer. It's compact, and has a decent picture.

I plan on hard wiring mine so I don't take up the available 12v receptacle in the cabin. I'm going to wire a switch inline so I can turn off the power to the tv when I'm not using it. The issues of power surges when starting/stopping the engine will be eliminated as well.
 
magstang1 said:
I bought a 12v RCA 19" tv with a built in DVD player for about $200 last summer. It's compact, and has a decent picture.

I plan on hard wiring mine so I don't take up the available 12v receptacle in the cabin. I'm going to wire a switch inline so I can turn off the power to the tv when I'm not using it. The issues of power surges when starting/stopping the engine will be eliminated as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks,
That's what I'm looking into doing as well (going 12v and dumping the old 110v non-digital-tuner'd Zenith flat screen). Had been looking originally at the skyworth brand which apparently is popular among Long-Haul truckers, but in looking at reviews, they may not be all that strong quality wise. More recently stubmled onto the Naxa line and there are reviews with a lot of their products, mostly seeming positive. Then re-found the link here about the insignia tv. What model RCA did you use? Do you like it? Any problems with viewing angles (if not on the right eye level or angle from the side)? Looks like the best solution is to mount it to a swing arm with tilt capability.

Also, noted that one person said to add a fuse in the line... is that for surge protection or for drawing too much current? I guess I didnt realize there was that much surge in the line when starting the motors. Either way, your inline switch idea should solve the problem... for both surge... and also for any small zombie current draw on the batteries.

Thanks
James
 
Look at Supersonic TV's. I purchased a 24" full 1080p my 320DA. Seems to have a great picture. Comes with a cord for just 12v or a cord with the brick to run off 110v. I have been happy with mine so far. Seems like I paid about $225.00 from Amazon.
 
Rick Young said:
Look at Supersonic TV's. I purchased a 24" full 1080p my 320DA. Seems to have a great picture. Comes with a cord for just 12v or a cord with the brick to run off 110v. I have been happy with mine so far. Seems like I paid about $225.00 from Amazon.
Click to expand...

Do you have in cockpit or cabin? Would love to see pictures. Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Amazon
stfarris61 said:
Do you have in cockpit or cabin? Would love to see pictures. Thanks

I just bought a naxa. Has both 12v and 120v cords. IMO, all get crappy service reviews, but being a small boat w no gen, the 12 v route seems to make sense. Will see how it goes this summer.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
 
I will have to check this evening, but I thinnk it's an RCA DECK18DR TV/DVD Combo.

I had a tight space so that was my limiting factor. This was the only TV / DVD combo I could find short enough to fit. It also has the DVD slot on the side as opposed to the top. My TV is mounted up on a shelf near the ceiling, so this worked out well. This TV also has audio out connections so I can run the sound through my stereo.

Picture quality: C+
Audio: C-

Let's face it, it's a cheap 19" TV. It does however have all the features and dimensions I need, so I'll deal with it. It comes mounted on a stand that can pivot up and down about 10 degrees, which is nice.

Overall it's ok. It fills the role I need it to. It looks like the prices have come down since I bought mine. I'll doublecheck the model number tonight.
 
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I use mine in my cockpit. I had my mechanic wire me in a 12v / 110v / cable connector between the top of the door below the cockpit sink and the bottom of the countertop for the sink. I bought a thick cutting board that I put over the sink and set the TV on that. I can plug to the cable connector with a short cord (kind of like what you used to use with a VCR) and can then plug into either the 12v or 110 v. I wanted to be able to use the TV in my cockpit out on the hook without having to start the gen.
 
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