Wanted: Expert Opinions (wild guesses are ok too).

First I want to say thankyou to all who have shared their TM experiences, wisdom, ideas, etc on this forum. If it weren't for you I'd still be trying to light the oven pilot.

Now to the problem at hand. My wife & I got our 2005 3023 about a month ago. I also bought a Toshiba TV/DVD LCD combo. Every time I plug it into the Weingard 12v recepticle the fuse blows. On the 12v adapter which came with the TV/DVD it says 6.5a input 4a output. The owners manual says

intended for exclusive use in autos/vehicles with a DC 12V negative ground electrical system.

Even when I try it with a 15a fuse it still blows. I also checked too make sure none of the co-axle sheathing fibers/hairs were shorting it. Also, when I plug in a tiny black & white portable DC TV it doesn't blow.

All advice/help is welcome and appreciated.

--Tim Patrick

Can you give more more info? e.g
What model number TV/DVD combo? Is it type that can work off both AC or DC? Is the adapter used when running from DC or from AC?
Assuming the TV works using AC, does it work OK from the TM's AC or home AC?
Does it work from your car's DC?

Paul

[Bill]

Plug it into the cig lighter in your car. Either the adapter will smoke, or it will blow a fuse in the car, or the TV will work. Let us know which.

Bill

[MikeD]

I would do Bill's experiment, but if it works I would assume that the unit is drawing a fairly large start-up surge which is blowing the fuse. I also have a Toshiba TV/DVD LCD combo and it draws less than 6.5 when we have the DVD player running (I sort of remember 4-5 Amps), but it would blow the 10Amp fuse that I have protecting the Weingard output when turned in on. I now run the TV/DVD through the extra DC circuits that I added with no problem (they are fused at 20Amps each).

MikeD

I've got some more info:

--Model is Toshiba SD-P5000 (might be discontinued).
--Works off both AC & DC, but has separate adapters for both.
--AC works fine in the TM.
--Tried it in a Ford F-150 and it worked/no blown fuse or smoke or fire.
--The idea of a heavy initial surge makes sense to me because the DC adapter (transformer) is quite large.

Thanks for your assistance, I appreciate it.

--Tim

[B_and_D]

I've been seriously considering buying that exact same Toshiba model....how do you like it? Does it bring in off-the-air broadcast pretty well?

I'm thinking also that the initial startup might be the problem with the fuse blowing. We always run our DC TV/DVD off an auxiliary 12V battery and big fat alligator clips that hook right to the battery terminals and end in a cigarette-type plug. We've never had a problem running it off the Winegard outlet either, but I don't like to run the house batteries down watching TV.

Now I'm wondering if maybe I should fuse it somehow? Especially if we splurge and buy a $$$$+ TV? The battery is never connected to anything else besides the TV, so I don't see how the battery could do much more than just put out 12.7 volts or less?

??

[Bill]

The unit works in the car, and the adapter doesn't smoke. That's good news. It means that most likely there is a big surge as it turns on (as suggested by MikeD), or the socket in the Winegard deforms when you plug it in, and something shorts. I am a little surprised by either possibility, but I don't see any others.

I don't think the cig lighter in the car is fused at any more than 15 amps, so the fact that it pops a 15-amp fuse in the Winegard makes me think the Winegard is bad. To test this theory, do you have (or would you like to get) one of the 2-to-1 cig plug adapters such as
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...26776&src=SRQB or
http://www.campingworld.com and type 26776 into the Search box.

It is my experience that some 12-volt plugs are slightly oversize, and the Winegard is not particularly tolerant of an oversize plug. If you plug a 2:1 adapter into the Winegard, and then plug your TV into one of the adapter's outlets, and if everything is then OK, then the problem is in the Winegard.

If the problem turns out NOT to be the Winegard, then you might try a Slo-Blo (slow blow) fuse. It will hold against a substantial overcurrent for several seconds, but if the overcurrent continues, it will pop. You should not change the basic rating of the fuse, though - change it to a Slo-Blo, but keep it at the original rating.

Bill

B and D-

We've only had the toshiba a few weeks so far but we like it. The reception is good. I tested it in our driveway on the antennae with booster on and we got 10 channels, some better than others, but in our neighborhood you can't get anything without cable or satellite. It's probably the booster that's making the real difference but the tv seems to be fine. It has the automatic reception detection (?) which will find the channels for you, but something nice is you can manually fine tune a channel if you want.

2 drawbacks: No handle to carry it with and if you plan on hanging it on a wall it seems a bit heavy. Then again, compared to a tube tv it's downright light and compact. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any specific questions that come to mind.

--Tim

[Cateye]

We had a similar problem and discovered that a staple had penetrated the wiring...fyi

I tried the 12v plug Y adapter which Bill suggested and it blew the fuse. I'd like to try the other test he recommended regarding the slo-blo fuse but I haven't been able to find them in 7.5a blade which is what the TM requires. If anybody has a line on where I can get them it would be a big help.

This whole thing is baffling. It acts like a short. And I would say that's what it is if the little black & white DC TV also blew the fuse, but it doesn't. The frustration level is definately rising.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

--Tim





Thanks for all the suggestions so far.