March 7, 2012 01:40
There is a whole world of 12V monitors out there, though you may not recognize them as such. In fact, when I figured out this secret I found that most if not all monitors are actually 12V. That could have changed since it has been about 7 or 8 years, but I doubt it.
Some years back I noticed that certain monitors have a power supply brick. The power delivered from the brick to the monitor is 12V. I went shopping for such a monitor to put on a small boat, intending to cut the cord and hook it directly to battery power. I went to a CompUSA and looked at the back of each monitor, then selected one with a brick. The feature was so important that I felt compelled to rip open the box and look at my own monitor before purchasing it. This being a CompUSA, I was being loudly berated for opening the box at the sales counter before I had purchased it. I yelled right back, saying that I was going to be 1000 miles away and there was no way in hell I was paying for it sight unseen. Lo and behold, the monitor in the box did not have a brick! Otherwise identical monitors may have 120VAC or 12VDC power inputs. The greater insight is that most if not all monitors are actually 12VDC at operating voltage. I am still using yet another of those identical monitors on my boat. I am using a Carnetix power supply to give it a steady 12VDC rather than fluctuating boat power. If I need a new monitor and I can't find one with a 12V brick I won't hesitate to find what I want and simply take it apart and bypass the internal power supply (after checking voltage). It's really easy, especially if you are disassembling an LCD screen.
Get yourself the cheapest LCD monitor you can find and take it apart. It should be very easy to trace the incoming 120VAC wires to a small power supply. You can almost certainly unplug that power supply and test outgoing voltage without cutting any wires. If the first monitor surgery goes well, tear into the monitor of your dreams. Good luck.
Some years back I noticed that certain monitors have a power supply brick. The power delivered from the brick to the monitor is 12V. I went shopping for such a monitor to put on a small boat, intending to cut the cord and hook it directly to battery power. I went to a CompUSA and looked at the back of each monitor, then selected one with a brick. The feature was so important that I felt compelled to rip open the box and look at my own monitor before purchasing it. This being a CompUSA, I was being loudly berated for opening the box at the sales counter before I had purchased it. I yelled right back, saying that I was going to be 1000 miles away and there was no way in hell I was paying for it sight unseen. Lo and behold, the monitor in the box did not have a brick! Otherwise identical monitors may have 120VAC or 12VDC power inputs. The greater insight is that most if not all monitors are actually 12VDC at operating voltage. I am still using yet another of those identical monitors on my boat. I am using a Carnetix power supply to give it a steady 12VDC rather than fluctuating boat power. If I need a new monitor and I can't find one with a 12V brick I won't hesitate to find what I want and simply take it apart and bypass the internal power supply (after checking voltage). It's really easy, especially if you are disassembling an LCD screen.
Get yourself the cheapest LCD monitor you can find and take it apart. It should be very easy to trace the incoming 120VAC wires to a small power supply. You can almost certainly unplug that power supply and test outgoing voltage without cutting any wires. If the first monitor surgery goes well, tear into the monitor of your dreams. Good luck.
Edmund