Date:         Sat, 3 Mar 2007 18:14:59 -0500
Reply-To:     mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mordo <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
In-Reply-To:  <45E9FE3B.2080800@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Yep, gotta say, different strokes....if some enjoy watching a fine film in
the comfort of their Westy whether in the great outdoors or not, so be it.

My family camped almost exclusively for holidays when I was a kid. In
typical fashion, such plans always attract rain. I'm sure my mother would
have been delighted if we were able to watch a movie or two during those
3-day rain camp weekends rather than my sister and I bickering all
afternoon.

The next time you're camped by a placid lake, I recommend Polanski's "Knife
in the Water".

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 3, 2007 6:01 PM
Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com

I'm a big-time reader. I started and finished "Passage to Peshawar,"
while in Joshua Tree, and started Rushdie's excellent "Shalimar the
Clown." While there I rode my bike on a sweet 14-mile round trip from my
site to Jumbo Rock and back. I spent a lot of time taking pictures,
daydreaming and generally puttering around camp. Installed new visor
clips in Mellow Yellow, managed to get the drinking water pump working
again and wrote Mrs Squirrel a letter. You're ragging on me because I
watched "The Syrian Bride" one night, and "World's Fastest Indian" the
second? I don't measure up to your purist standards?

PS - I never said anything about TV. Not one word. Wouldn't watch it
even if there was reception.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR



Robert Fisher typed:
> I guess I don't understand why you would drive hours from home and go
> through all the other efforts involved with 'camping' to sit out in the
> nowhere and watch TV and movies.
> Hell even if it was raining I'd rather go for a walk in it, or sit under
> the
> tent or awning and watch/listen to it; otherwise I'm out doing
> something, or
> sittin' on a log not doing anything, which is part of why I go.
> After the first day's withdrawal the kids act like they've been freed from
> chains, with 'nothing to do' but run and play and explore- and bug the
> neighbors, if there are any.
> At night we watch the fire and actually ... talk to each other. We wait
for
> the kids to fall asleep so we can, um (ahem) ... fresh air will do that to
> you. : )
>
> I don't get it.
>
> Cya,
> Robert
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 11:26 AM
> Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>
>
>> Hi Dennis, that's right. For this exercise I was looking at monitor
>> power consumption only.  I know that our Philips DVD player likes about
>> 2.5A when running, so I'm figuring another 5Ah for the player itself for
>> a 2-hour movie.
>>
>> Mark's 17'' 12V monitor makes my 17'' 120V monitor look like a total
>> power hog. Mine is rated at 1.2A @ 120V which is 144W, while his is
>> rated at 4.2A @ 12V which is closer to 50W. For a 2-hour movie, his
>> monitor would only need a relatively miserly 8.4Ah
>>
>> Player + monitor would be about 14Ah for a 2 hour flick. With our Group
>> 27 battery topped off, that's not out of the question as long as we are
>> sure we'll have charging power (either engine or sun) the following day.
>>
>> Where do you folks camp where you receive TV signals? I can't think of
>> any nice camping area in SoCal where one would expect to be within range
>> of a TV transmission tower.
>>
>> --
>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>> KG6RCR
>>
>>
>>
>> dhaynes@optonline.net typed:
>>> Don't forget, you will still need to power up the DVD player to watch
>>> the DVD on the monitor.
>>>
>>> So an Optima will have trouble playing one movie.
>>>
>>> Dennis
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Michael Elliott
>>> Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007 11:45 am
>>> Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>>> To: dhaynes@optonline.net
>>> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>
>>>  > Thanks, Dennis. I use my laptop for photography and treat it
>>>  > gingerly
>>>  > after having had it break twice while in the field. It stays
>>>  > stowed
>>>  > unless I need it. Our Philips standalone portable DVD player is
>>>  > less
>>>  > dear, so if it breaks it won't break my heart at the same time.
>>>  > Plus,
>>>  > we're looking for a standalone monitor we can place above the
>>>  > poptop
>>>  > latch when the top is up.
>>>  >
>>>  > I also noticed that my laptop draws about 50% more current from
>>>  > the
>>>  > battery than the DVD player. I have no idea what 12-v LCDs
>>>  > wants,
>>>  > powerwise . . . hmm, let's look at the sticker on my home
>>>  > ViewSonic
>>>  > VP720b monitor: 1.2A @ 120VAC. That's 1.2 X 120V = 144 watts.
>>>  >
>>>  > Using the handy-dandy online Battery Demand Calculator at
>>>  > http://www.altavistaaudio.com/Westy/Vanagon/battcalc.html we
>>>  > find that
>>>  > with an 80% efficient inverter, a 2-hour movie will require 32
>>>  > Ampere-hours from a battery. If inverter inefficiency is removed
>>>  > from
>>>  > the setup by finding a 12V monitor with similar power
>>>  > requirements, the
>>>  > 24Ah would be needed for the same film.
>>>  >
>>>  > I reckon we'd pull out the big monitor only if we could be
>>>  > assured of
>>>  > adequate charging the next day.
>>>  >
>>>  > --
>>>  > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>  > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>  > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>  > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>  > KG6RCR
>>>  >
>>>  >
>>>  >
>>>  > dhaynes@optonline.net typed:
>>>  > > I find the best option to be a large screen laptop. Does a
>>>  > whole bunch
>>>  > > of stuff in one package including the the DVD player. Robust
>>>  > and
>>>  > > compact. Sitting on the top of the stove cabinet makes great
>>>  > viewing
>>>  > > from the rear seat or chairs outside the sliding door. If
>>>  > getting a new
>>>  > > one, look for one with the tuner card built in. Works better
>>>  > than the
>>>  > > USB add ons. Some of the new laptops are very efficient. My
>>>  > son's HP
>>>  > > Laptop will go 6 hours on its own battery. My older Toshiba
>>>  > doesn't go 2.
>>>  > >
>>>  > > Dennis
>>>  > >
>>>  > > ----- Original Message -----
>>>  > > From: Michael Elliott
>>>  > > Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007 10:59 am
>>>  > > Subject: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>>>  > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>  > >
>>>  > > > Mrs Squirrel and I often enjoy the watching of a film while
>>>  > > > camping. Her
>>>  > > > tastes are in the rom-com vein, while I can be tempted by an
>>>  > > > indy film.
>>>  > > > Somehow we manage to find something to rent that we both
>>>  > like. Our
>>>  > > > little portable DVD player has a similarly little screen
>>>  > and we were
>>>  > > > wondering if there are standalone 12-volt LCD monitors -- not
>>>  > > > televisions -- in 16:9 17'' or so size.
>>>  > > >
>>>  > > >
>>>  > > > --
>>>  > > > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>  > > > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>  > > > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>  > > > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>  > > > KG6RCR
>>>  > > >
>>>  >
>


--
mordo
1990 Carat