Battery Operated Televisions

Electrical question.?

Okay I have a portable TV with a wall power supply. The transformer on the power supply says: Input = 120VAC 60Hz 23W Output = 13.5VDC 1Amp Now question #1: I know that VAC means "Volts Alternating Current" and VDC means Volts direct current.' What does the Wattage in the input tell me, what's with the Hz's, and what does the Amp's tell me? Question #2: I have a car adapter plug that did NOT come with the TV. It says: Input: 12VDC Output:6VDC 250mA Can I use this car supply to power the TV? Why or why not? Thank you.

Public Comments

1. actually you have 5 questions. 1. wattage is AC power used 2. AC power supplied in the US is at 60 Hz. That is the frequency. 3. The output amps is the DC current drawn by the TV 4. NO 5. Different voltage and current. But the TV requires 13 volts at 1 amp. You can get that directly from the car battery, if the required polarity is + and the – is grounded. A car battery puts out 12-14 volts, and the TV should work on that fine. .
2. The wattage is the maximum power that the power supply can use from the mains. The mains frequency is 60Hz.(cycles per second). Theoretically, for 23 watts input, it will draw a current of W/E = .192 amps, or 192 milliamps. You can basically neglect the input ratings, so long as your mains is 120V @ 60 Hz. The output of the secondary is 13.5 volts, it has been rectified to convert it to direct current, and it can supply 1 ampere of current. The TV would be able to take up to 1 amp of current, not over. If you work out that into watts, it is 13.5 x 1 = 13.5 watts. You should find a sticker or marking on the TV saying it needs 13.5 (maybe 12) volts, and a current consumption or a wattage rating, or both. It will probably indicate something less that 1 amp or less than the 13.5 watts the power supply can supply. You cannot use that 6V adapter to run a 12V TV from (presumably) a car cigarette lighter socket. But you can buy a cigarette lighter plug, and another output power plug the same as on the mains supply for the TV, wire them together with a 2 core cable, and use the 12V directly. Ensure the DC is the correct polarity for the TV, and wire a fuse holder in the new cable with a fuse inside rated at 1 amp. to protect the TV and lead to it, should the TV develop a fault. If the 1 amp fuse blows at switchon, you may need to put a slightly heavier fuse in it.