Battery-powered TV/VCR

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We have purchased an old farm house with no electricity. I don't mind not having the power for most stuff but I would like to be able to use our VCR so the kids could watch a video from time to time. Could someone tell me the simplest/cheapest way to do this using a battery and invertor? What all do I need? How do I re-charge the battery? what size invertor do I need? Do I have to use a deep cell battery or will a regular car battery work? All we are going to run, for now, is the TV/VCR. Might also be nice to be able to use it for the vacuum cleaner from time to time and maybe to run the wringer-washer and... I don't want a whole house, complicated system, just a simple portable source of power for small stuff. Is this possible???

Thanks, in advance, for the help.

David Oelker

-- David Oelker (daoelker@ticona.com), July 25, 1999

Answers

Yes it is tolerably easy to do. BUT sounds like you need more education. I recommend you do some reading as well as this forum. Car batteries can be used, but they won't live too long. Deep cycle batteries are better able to withstand the type of discharge/charge cycles found in home power systems. In addition to batteries you will also need an inverter in an appropriate size. The size is determined by exactly what you want to run and for how long per day or week (most estimates do this on a per week basis.) If you figure volts X amps you get watts. Wattage ratings are on all electrical equipment. If you calculate you need 2400 watts per week, this is a pretty small system and easy to set up. It is much better to use a battery/inverter system especially for stuff like tv/VCR and computer. The other alternative for you is to get all 12 volt stuff...another expense, but it avoids the need for the inverter. Cost it out. Battery recharge is through the inverter if you go that route or through a battery charger if you go with a small generator. I've lived for years on a homestead in the woods with no electricity. When I had a trench open for phone lines the power company would not use my trench and they wanted $35,000 to bring me that monthly bill. I use all sorts of alternatives. Only in the last year have I started setting up a small power system of small diesel generator, inverter, 24 volt battery bank. Even a small system costs a lot. Hope I've helped.

-- Nick (nikoda@pdqnet.com), July 26, 1999.

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Hi David, You will definatly need an inverter to run AC appliances. If you are going to go to the trouble and expense of getting an inverter, you should try to get one as big as you can afford because you will end up using it for more than a TV (but then unless you have the battery power and a way to charge them, a inverter big or little won't do you any good) It all goes together hand in hand and it sized according to available power and use like Nick said. If you don't want to go the whole route with alternative power, they do make DC pwered TV and VCR. I saw one at an electronics chain store but forget which one, Sun maybe. If you go strictly DC you could get by with a few solar panels and charge control or generator and battery charger, but then each component will still have to be sized to work together.We operated straight DC for years with panels and batteries. When we got an inverter we got a 1500 watt. The biggest we could afford but then we had to upgrade the panels and batteries to match it. Like I said, the components have to be of adequate and comparable size or you don't accomplish anything. I'd suggest contacting Backwoods Solar at Sandpoint Idaho. THey are very helpful and will help you set up a simple or elaborate system, solar , wind, or generator powered. Their site is backwoodssolar.com Good honest people and very helpful.

-- marci (ajourend@libby.org), July 27, 1999.

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Hi David, I was researching a very similiar area recently and came across a great web site that answers all your questions on this type of system. The address is: http://209.52.183.182/agitator/juice_page.htm Also, there is someone selling a very small inverter on e-bay that uses one battery and charges using your car when your driving. That may be sufficient for your needs. Hope this helps Stacia

-- Stacia Gray (ClassyCwgl@aol.com), August 01, 1999.

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Those of you interested in solar panels should be aware of a kit I ordered from England. The 2"x3" panel I cut for 3v. to power a little radio cost me 83". This includes: wire, PVC to cover the edges,etc. It would have been cheaper with a larger kit. 6v cost $5 and 12v. $10. This is DIY solar panels. I took it to Honduras with me to show people to save the cost of batteries. Following is a section I put in my report: I took with me solar panels from a company in England and demonstrated them. Can be used for radios, charge batteries up to 12 volt, pump water, etc. The panel for the 3v. radio I had with me cost 83". This is what two months batteries cost for this radio. It would be even cheaper when buying a larger kit. I handed the radio to a farmer and ask him to tune it to his favorite station. I pointed the panel to the Sun. The expression on his face was worth the whole trip. He would look at the panel, then at the empty battery compartment on the back and then listen to the radio playing. He did that several times. He could not believe what he was seeing. With rechargeable batteries it can be used at night. This really helps people. Contact Graham Knight at or go to . He is working on all kinds of applications. Ken Hargesheimer, minifarms@aol.com

-- Ken Hargesheimer (minifarms@aol.com), September 11, 1999.

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There are two ways to go. You can purchase a 12-V TV/VCR combination from one of the RV-oriented retailers like Camping World (www.campingworld.com) or Camper's Choice (www.camperschoice.com) or even at a Circuit City-type outlet.

This can be directly connected to a battery. I recommend two 6-volt golf cart batteries wired in series (this means that a wire connects the negative pole of one to the positive pole of the other, and the wires out to device(s) are connected to the remaining two poles. These batteries are deep cycle which means they can be charged continuously over a period of time. To charge the batteries you will need solar panel(s) of at least 90 watts, but 150 watts would be preferable, as well as a charge controller. A complete "cabin" system can be obtained from RV Solar Electric at RVSolarelectric.com. Also check out Old Mill Mercantile at www.oldmillmercantile.com.

There are also 12-V lights and fans, etc. available. If you are running several devices from the batteries you should have a 12-V fuse box (using 15-amp ATC fuses) available from Alternative Energy Engineering (www.alt-energy.com) who also have 12-V appliances.

The other choice is to use a conventional 120-V AC TV/VCR (and compact fluorescent bulbs in AC lamps) plugged into an inverter. While these may be less expensive to buy initially they are not as efficient as their 12-V counterparts. You can plug a fused power strip into an inverter if you need more outlets.

I hope these web sites will help with your research. I wish I had such a resource when I was starting out. The thing to remember is that once you are generating your own power you will find more things you want to do with it, so get the most powerful system you can afford.

-- WK Grady (wkbg@pacbell.net), September 24, 1999.

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i work in the trucking/transportation business. the modern day/large chains of truckstops, such as Petro, Pilot, and Truckstops of America ( T-A's) have quite a good selection of 12-volt appliances, often times the same brands as the rv-recreational stores, but much better prices due to the truckstop competitions/price wars. i actually work in the office in customer service/dispatch/safety, but have accumulated 12-volt coffee makers, tv-vcr's, radios, even a refrigerator, microwave, small cooking oven, fry pan, etc, all work on 12-volt. a few i purchased, many were given to me by drivers. there are amazing prices on inverterts at truckstops, however these inverters do not charge batteries, but if you have a way to store 12- volt power, these inverters are in the price range of 2,000-2,500 watts for around 500-600 dollars. just an alternative, it won't work for everybody, but if it works for you, then consider the options. if you live within a vicinity of a large modern chain-type truck stop, start going in and browsing around, watch the merchandise, pick up the the monthly sales flyers ( most all have new sales every month), after awhile you may find really good bargains. everyday sales price may be a little high, but watch those sales, sometimes they are really really good savings. if you have any questions, feel free to email me. gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), October 24, 1999.

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Hello David,

Our company has a product that would meet your needs easily. The NOMAD 300 portable solar power system provides you with AC or DC power for small household appliances. To answer your question specifically the NOMAD 300 will operate a 13" TV/VCR combo for about 4 hours. The NOMAD 300 is designed to be a completely portable power supply and you may recharge from the supplied solar panel, your vehicle cigarette lighter, utility power or the 12 volt output on a generator. All the components of a larger household system are found in the NOMAD 300 system and there is no installation or wiring required. Please visit our website (www.solarsense.com) for more information or give us a call toll free 1-877-797-6527.

Regards,

Pagan MacKay

-- Pagan MacKay (pagan@solarsense.com), November 01, 1999.

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thare are some inverters made to plugin to the car lighter 250w to 1000w you can use them on a car12v( battery the bigger the better) storage battery better charge upthe battery next time you go for a ride but do not drain the battery dead do not expect the battery to last to many hours no vacuum no washer and small tv , radio okay no hifi inverter can be found at large auto part supplies or radio shack this is a short term use salution i used a 1000w to power ahand drill for years watch the power (watts)do not over load

-- nick malek (raymondetdesrosier@sympatico.ca), January 24, 2001.

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-- (animalwaitress@excite.com), June 23, 2001