Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 15:37:18 -0800
Reply-To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Feeling a little over-sensitive today or what? How do you get that I was
ragging on you? I just said I didn't get it, I didn't say you were a moral
defective for doing it. As long as the screams don't bother me while I'm
camping I don't give a damn if you put an S&M dungeon in your Westy.
I suppose I should follow your lead and feel ragged-on for expressing
puzzlement about something...
Sheesh.
Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
> 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
>>>> > > >
>>>> >
>>
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