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Old 01-28-2020, 05:09 PM   #1
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12 to 19v( or whatever ) for TV and Apple TV

It was suggested to use one of these https://www.amazon.com/DC-DC-module-.../dp/B00M3SR51Y to power a 24" or 30" LED tv instead of running through an inverter and I like the idea. Im trying to figure out if I can do it for an Apple TV devise ? Anyone doing this?
thnx , Dean
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:30 PM   #2
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All generation Apple TVs, to my knowledge, use 110v household current as input, so a very small inverter to power it and a TV is a good plan. ATV takes only 11 watts if I recall correctly and the small TV's take little power.
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Old 01-28-2020, 09:41 PM   #3
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I used a similar unit to step up to 24VDC to charge my cordless drill/driver for lowering the stabilizing jacks. For those who will tell me not to use the drill/driver it is a tiny unit and I will not use it to do the final "snugging" of the jacks.

The only thing you need to know is what the output of the AC power supply is. For me, it was on the wall wart case and is 24 VDC 400 mA. You cannot plug the output of the DC to DC converter into an AC input. If the Apple TV power supply is not integral to the unit it is very easy. Just make sure you have enough amperage available.

Here is a YouTube video for a 4th gen ATV DC conversion:
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Old 01-28-2020, 11:04 PM   #4
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All generation Apple TVs, to my knowledge, use 110v household current as input, so a very small inverter to power it and a TV is a good plan. ATV takes only 11 watts if I recall correctly and the small TV's take little power.

Since I can't edit my post I wanted to say I'm a fan of the method in the post and video above by hobienick. That internal 12v power conversion for the Apple TV is brilliant!
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Old 01-29-2020, 09:10 AM   #5
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Almost every electronic device these days is run on DC. You can do that for any of them. As I mentioned before, inverters are wasteful of power. Especially if you are going to invert from DC to AC, then convert back to DC. Might as well skip the middle man. With YouTube full of really smart people who have found solutions like this, it could not be much easier.
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Old 01-29-2020, 09:35 AM   #6
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Thanks for the replies everyone,
Disclaimer , Im still in the research/math part of my Solar power / boondocking en devour.

My goal is to power a 24 or 30" LED TV and Apple TV ( along with charging my existing 2 DC220-6 Fullriver 6 Volt 220 AH AGM Battery / 110AH available). It appears my options are to use the Apple TV 12v conversion method( thanks for that vid ! ) with a dc to dc converter for the TV and route the 12v power with a 12 volt fuse box as depicted here https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/th...ans-buses.html

and avoid the need for an inverter. ( PS , it appears that link to the dc to dc board no longer exists ???? )
Or just use an Inverter which seems much simpler.

Can anyone estimate the power loss Ill have using an inverter? Ive read it could be up to 30% and also I plan on mounting the Solar/Inverter equipment under the bed. What size inverter woudl I need and how noisy would it be? Do I need to turn it off to save energy?
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Old 01-29-2020, 10:14 AM   #7
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Any time the inverter is on it will be using energy. Turn it off when not in use. Size the inverter as close as possible to your needs. Extra available power will be more wasteful. I believe the literature on each inverter will tell you the efficiency. There may be some "smart" inverters that will scale their draw when based on the DC demand which will help.
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Old 01-29-2020, 12:01 PM   #8
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Since you are in the design stage, have you calculated out your daily power requirements? That is, list out everything 12v powered and it's wattage, and estimate daily usage? Then add a reserve number for unanticipated heavy use days. You can't properly size the system otherwise. You can do the same calculation for the television system for the inverter method vs the 12v conversion method. I have a small inverter that is rated at 180 watts and is 90% efficient, and draws only .3A 12v on standby. Simplest solution is to have more than adequate power capacity into design and use an inverter but if you are on an energy efficient kick you can't beat running that ATV off 12 volts.



Oh, DO check the efficiency of the chosen 12v-->19v as it'll waste a certain amount of juice as well.
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Old 01-29-2020, 12:13 PM   #9
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Can anyone estimate the power loss Ill have using an inverter? Ive read it could be up to 30% and also I plan on mounting the Solar/Inverter equipment under the bed. What size inverter woudl I need and how noisy would it be? Do I need to turn it off to save energy?
AT max efficiency, they are above 90%...at low efficiency, more like 80%. Even a cheap 12V to 19V converter will be 90% efficient or less.


I cared in the beginning but now have 200AH of Battleborns and 700W of solar so I just run TVs and things off my 2000W inverter. I do turn it off when not using 120VAC.
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Old 01-29-2020, 12:32 PM   #10
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Just a quick FWI for the uninformed, be sure to invest in a pure sine wave inverter if you go that route. The modified sine wave units might be a bit cheaper, but they aren't as friendly to sensitive electronics.
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Old 01-29-2020, 01:35 PM   #11
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Im starting to think that a small inverter would be best / easiest.

After a summer of camping and watching the Victron BMV 712, Ive calculated 60AH / day max. Ive got 110AH available with batteries ( 220 x 50% )and was planning on 400w of solar. ( I have a 4K gen which Im hoping to only need for A/C , Microwave , and charging batteries when absolutely necessary .
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Old 01-29-2020, 02:22 PM   #12
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Im starting to think that a small inverter would be best / easiest.
I totally agree.
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Old 01-29-2020, 05:35 PM   #13
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Im starting to think that a small inverter would be best / easiest.
That's what I did, check out post #28:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...-198131-2.html
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Old 01-30-2020, 08:07 AM   #14
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Recommendations for smallish inverters ( ~200-500 ), ( would be nice to have a remote on off switch )? Top brands or brands to avoid?
Really appreciate all the input everyone!
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Old 01-30-2020, 08:16 AM   #15
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Definitely get pure sine wave for starters, I can't answer rest. Babcock, I have a stock 1000W inverter. Efficiency question: Does running something small like the Apple TV incur as much loss as running something larger, let's say 200W? Or is the loss commensurate with load? Common sense would be greater load produces greater heat as inverter works harder, equivalent to greater loss.
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Old 01-30-2020, 08:21 AM   #16
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Apple TV....Ive noticed that Vizio and Samsung are now shipping with the Apple TV app. This eliminates the need to power apple Tv with Inverter ! 24"-30-" Vizio is less than 150$ So now I guess i need reco's for even smaller inverter !
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Old 01-30-2020, 11:45 AM   #17
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Apple TV....Ive noticed that Vizio and Samsung are now shipping with the Apple TV app. This eliminates the need to power apple Tv with Inverter ! 24"-30-" Vizio is less than 150$ So now I guess i need reco's for even smaller inverter !
I think there’s some confusion here. The OP was asking about the AppleTV box which is a standalone system. The TV manufacturers are starting to include the AppleTV App which is software only. The ATV box has the capability to load way more apps than most will need, including the AppleTV app (which would incur a subscription fee).

In the below pix of the AppleTV hardware display you can see the AppleTV app, second row far right. The pix is page one of three.

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Old 01-30-2020, 12:38 PM   #18
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The ATV box has the capability to load way more apps than most will need, including the AppleTV app (which would incur a subscription fee).

Yes. The ATV also allows you to screen mirror from other IOS devices and the TV may or may not have that capability. Screen Mirror is nice to have to share the screen, for group viewing of phone pics or watching Netflix, HBO, etc off the phone. Screen Mirroring coupled with an unlimited cell account offers allot of bang for the buck.
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Old 01-30-2020, 05:54 PM   #19
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Recommendations for smallish inverters ( ~200-500 ), ( would be nice to have a remote on off switch )? Top brands or brands to avoid?
Really appreciate all the input everyone!
I use this to power my TV when on battery only:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works well and seems pretty efficient, my only complaint is that the cooling fan that comes on intermittently is noticeable. I wouldn't call it loud, but you definitely know when it's running. I think that's pretty common among brands.
I didn't see many low power inverters with a remote switch, that's typically reserved for the big boys that get mounted...well...remotely. It would be possible however to install a switch on the 12V supply circuit and just leave to inverter switch on.
Hope this helps!
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Old 01-30-2020, 09:13 PM   #20
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All great info thanks ! Yes, mirroring is the main thing I want to do !
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