tv wont work on inverter

dont tread on me · 03-16-2015, 07:42 PM

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking for any insights on my tech problem.
I have a 2015 trailer with a 28 inch jensen tv that came with the new trailer. The tv works on regular shore power but will not work when using my inverter. Power indicator light on the tv will not even go on. I have used this same model inverter on my boat and I have used it successfully with three other brands of tv's. But alas, the new jensen tv won't even glow for me.
I'm sure the inverter is not a pure sine wave inverter. Is that the problem. Anybody have any other ideas? before I ditch the Jensen. Thanks....Walt

dacheedah · 03-16-2015, 07:53 PM

Did you check the power at the plug?

B and B · 03-16-2015, 08:23 PM

I would check the invertor for pure sine wave. Most power supplies require good power to start the switcher so you can actually turn the TV on.

SunSeeker 3050 · 03-16-2015, 08:29 PM

Your inverter may not be powering that set. Pretty sure that was why "dacheedah" suggested the power check. If no volt meter, you can plug a simple 120 volt item into the tv's outlet.

**Herk7769** · 03-16-2015, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dont tread on me

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking for any insights on my tech problem.
I have a 2015 trailer with a 28 inch jensen tv that came with the new trailer. The tv works on regular shore power but will not work when using my inverter. Power indicator light on the tv will not even go on. I have used this same model inverter on my boat and I have used it successfully with three other brands of tv's. But alas, the new jensen tv won't even glow for me.
I'm sure the inverter is not a pure sine wave inverter. Is that the problem. Anybody have any other ideas? before I ditch the Jensen. Thanks....Walt

Where are you getting your 12 volts from? If you are using the wall "cigar lighter" you might have blown the fuse to the antenna power switch.

rsdata · 03-16-2015, 08:56 PM

Even a cheap inverter will power most electronics as long as the wattage of the inverter is high enough. Pure sine waves are only needed for electric motors to be powered effectively, like electric shavers, blow dryers, blenders, juicers. Modified sine wave (cheap low power inverters) will do fine for laptops, flat screens, radios, etc. I like the theory that you blew a fuse that powers the 12V plug, or are trying to pull too much current from the inverter without actually blowing the fuse.

contractor Rob · 03-16-2015, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dont tread on me

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm looking for any insights on my tech problem.
I have a 2015 trailer with a 28 inch jensen tv that came with the new trailer. The tv works on regular shore power but will not work when using my inverter. Power indicator light on the tv will not even go on. I have used this same model inverter on my boat and I have used it successfully with three other brands of tv's. But alas, the new jensen tv won't even glow for me.
I'm sure the inverter is not a pure sine wave inverter. Is that the problem. Anybody have any other ideas? before I ditch the Jensen. Thanks....Walt

hi Walt ...a bunch of questions. Is your TV plugged in to the inverter ? What size is your inverter ? Is your inverter hooked up to the TV circuit ...let me know. Rob

Prothos · 03-17-2015, 07:49 AM

on my Rockwood mini lite the TV is connected to a regular outlet and not a 12V. I bet thats the same issue you are having. So no shore/gen power no tv.

**Herk7769** · 03-17-2015, 08:08 AM

OK, are we talking about an INVERTER or a CONVERTER?

A CONVERTER converts 120 volt shore power to 12 volt DC to run the lights and charge the battery.

An INVERTER converts BATTERY 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC to run stuff like the TV and Microwave.

Without an INVERTER, you must be connected to shore power to watch TV.

You threw me with the same model works on my boat.
Are you talking about this?
This is a CONVERTER and needs shore power to work.

**Herk7769** · 03-17-2015, 08:15 AM

THIS is what an INVERTER looks like and you would need a transfer switch to use the same outlets as shore power OR unplug the TV from the wall and plug it into an extension cord that goes to the duplex on the inverter.

**wmtire** · 03-17-2015, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Where are you getting your 12 volts from? If you are using the wall "cigar lighter" you might have blown the fuse to the antenna power switch.

Lou, when I read the OP, that was my first thought too in that the problem may be that they are trying to power an inverter from the 12 volt accessory jack as you stated.

However, many portable inverters will have a power light on them (but not all), that should indicate if he is receiving any power from the wall outlet to see if that is the first and most obvious problem.

**Herk7769** · 03-17-2015, 08:51 AM

While a small "cigar lighter" inverter like the 140 watt one shown can provide plenty of power for most flat screen TVs (about 1 amp of AC), you must be aware that 140 Watts of AC will need about 13 amps of DC from your 12 volt battery circuit to provide that much power.

The "convenient" accessory outlet added to the antenna select wall plate does not have enough "amps" available to power the 140 watt INVERTER if the full 140 watts is needed.

HOWEVER:

If your Jensen TV is THIS ONE: http://www.amazon.com/Jensen-JE2814-.../dp/B00ETBQOFG

It only needs 0.1 watts of AC in standby and 40 watts operating. The wall socket can easily provide that much power for the pictured inverter to run your TV.

Realize that 40 watts of DC equates to about 3.3 amps of battery power. Coupled with the other amp draws off the battery, (surround radio, lights, furnace, water pump) you could find yourself cold at 4AM with a dead battery if you watch a lot of TV like you would do at home to provide "background noise".

ValMelton · 03-17-2015, 12:49 PM

Since this is a new rv then take it to the place you bought it and make them fix it. We do that with our units

**Herk7769** · 03-17-2015, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ValMelton

Since this is a new rv then take it to the place you bought it and make them fix it. We do that with our units

I am pretty sure that nothing is "broken" and there is a possible misunderstanding of how the systems work in the new trailer. While the selling dealership may very well educate the owner; they will most likely "charge for checking it out" and the minimum charge is usually 1 hour of "shop time" ($100 - $200 per hour) to change the blown fuse (which may be hard to find as mine is located BEHIND the power center in a pigtail fuse holder). If the OP blew a fuse by plugging in his inverter to the "cigar lighter" accessory port, the labor and fuse will not be covered under warranty as it is not a defect in workmanship.

Since his camper is a new Surveyor travel trailer, there is a distinct possibility that there is not an "inverter" installed. His boat may very well have one; or the boat's TV may be a DC powered unit. He said that this is his second Surveyor (in other posts) but never mentions if he used this inverter in the other Surveyor.

I would love to hear from the OP.

Advice here is free and in 99% of the cases resolve the problem.

dont tread on me · 03-18-2015, 04:08 PM

Wow, I got a lot of great responses! I'm still working on digesting them all. I did a quick brief. Let me answer some. It is an inverter not a converter. It is hooked up to two 12v deep cycle batteries. The wires from the battery to the inverter are as heavy a guage as the inverter would accept (4 or 6 awg, can't remember). The inverter has led lights that would indicate any fault. it also has led readout of battery voltage, 12.8. and yes, I did hook up a drill to the recepticle to check that it was putting out voltage to power a 110/115v style appliance. I checked both receps. Oh and the inverter is a 1000watt

Trailers in storage right now so it will take me a couple of days to check. I will bring my volt meter and drag along one of my old flat screens from my boat and try that. Another thought is that the tv's that I used on this same model inverter were 20 to 22 inch flat screens. The jensen in my trailer is a 28.

Thank you all..Walt....

rsdata · 03-18-2015, 04:17 PM

I did a quick google search for wattage... in general a 40" flat screen should use no less than 130 watts and no more than 270 watts...
your 1000 watt inverter should work the flat screen just fine.

**Herk7769** · 03-18-2015, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dont tread on me

Wow, I got a lot of great responses! I'm still working on digesting them all. I did a quick brief. Let me answer some. It is an inverter not a converter. It is hooked up to two 12v deep cycle batteries. The wires from the battery to the inverter are as heavy a guage as the inverter would accept (4 or 6 awg, can't remember). The inverter has led lights that would indicate any fault. it also has led readout of battery voltage, 12.8. and yes, I did hook up a drill to the recepticle to check that it was putting out voltage to power a 110/115v style appliance. I checked both receps. Oh and the inverter is a 1000watt

Trailers in storage right now so it will take me a couple of days to check. I will bring my volt meter and drag along one of my old flat screens from my boat and try that. Another thought is that the tv's that I used on this same model inverter were 20 to 22 inch flat screens. The jensen in my trailer is a 28.

Thank you all..Walt....

Sorry I could not be more helpful. While it is possible the Jensen requires a full sine waveform; I have to tell you that most work just fine on modified sine waveform.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

GlennFC · 03-19-2015, 09:02 AM

Based on my own experience I am 99.9% sure your problem lies in the type of inverter you have. It is not a problem with voltage or amp delivering capacity. You most likely have what is called a modified sine wave inverter. Many electronic devices require what is called a full sine wave inverter. Full sine wave inverters produce a 110Volt power supply that is more "pure" and closely resembles the power you get from your regular shore power outlet. If your inverter will run a drill or light bulb but not an electronic advice then it is VERY likely that your electronic device is too sensitive to handle a modified sine wave and it won't work. Take a minute to read the article at the link that follows and it will explain it better than I did. http://www.xantrex.com/documents/tec...-universal.pdf

dont tread on me · 03-21-2015, 04:36 PM

Just ran the other tests on the inverter. Looks like the inverter is working fine, proper voltage and it fired up one of my other flatscreens that I brought along for a test. I think you guys are right about the Jensen just will not accept the modified sine wave of my inverter.

I have had pure sine wave inverters before and have had bad luck with them not lasting long and costing much more than the modified sine wave inverters. It looks like the the pure SW's have come down some in price but are still 2 1/2 times the price. I have had good luck with the modified SW I have on my boat and it has lasted for years and fits in tight spaces. So I bought another one for my trailer, the same brand and model.

One of my favorite camping spots is close to home and good fishing. However it does not have power and I must run on battery or generator. My honda generator is quiet but not silent and I don't like to annoy the other poor dirt campers. With an inverter I can quietly watch my tv before bed. Roof mounted solar panels help keep the batteries up. With all that I can be out for 4 days before the pooper gets full or the water runs out. The only other thing to set up is a cell phone booster.

I'll let you all know what happens after I buy a new tv. I have used three other brands of tv's on my boat with success. So I will try one of those brands. That size tv is only a 200 dollar gidget. . I'll let you know the final in about a week....Happy trails....Walt

dacheedah · 03-22-2015, 08:09 PM

I did the insignia tv thing, ran a strait 12v from cigarette lighter jack and added a ferrite bead near the end and heat shrinked it. works great on battery, only thing to watch for is pulling sound from a dvd player could give you noise, if that happends you can plug a ground loop isolator in between the audio, red & white plugs and that should fix it.

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