Hello and can you help identify this thing?!

[Big-Gordy]

Hi all,

My wife and I have bought a caravan (an old Sterling Europa) after years of tent camping.  We are now trying to familiarise ourselves with all the systems and how everything works and should be maintained and getting excited about the trips we might take once we are allowed out.

I have discovered a curious little adapter in one of the drawers.  It seems to plug into a socket which is labelled 12V and it has a TV aerial socket next to it.  Can someone identify its purpose please?

I'm hoping to learn a lot from this forum  - I always prefer to learn to avoid mistakes.  Any advice for a newbie owner is gratefully received!

[snowman]

hi there its a 12v adapter so you can plug in something  like a tv  i would assume that you have 12v plug sockets around the van which you can plug this into and then your 12v appliance like you would in your car

regards paul 

[SamD]

5 minutes ago, snowman said:

hi there its a 12v adapter so you can plug in something  like a tv  i would assume that you have 12v plug sockets around the van which you can plug this into and then your 12v appliance like you would in your car

regards paul 

 

Are you sure about that - see here 

[Martin]

That looks to me like this ....

https://www.spares2you.co.uk/caravan-adapt-it-cigar-adaptor-socket-00038/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA7YyCBhD_ARIsALkj54oQXQ-qha4EOQnATKSa0euC5XSR_a85sPPv0PPnbuATcDLzzft4N_waAk6JEALw_wcB

 

At first glance I thought it was 240v and was literally shocked! ?

Edited March 6, 2021 by MartinJB

[Wildwood]

Nothing to  add but welcome to the forum. If you have further queries then you will find plenty of help on here.

[David 38]

Older caravans had a 2 pin flat plug like that to run a 12v TV newer caravans have a cigar type 12v socket as you will find in your.

That adaptor will make an older caravan like a newer one.

[Rodders53]

It's an adapter to allow car-style plugs (cigar lighter sockets) for mobile phone chargers, 12V TVs, and other devices to be powered from the wall socket. https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/electric/12v-appliances/12v-plugs-and-sockets/2-pin-sockets/square-2-pin-and-coaxial-socket-beige

 

 

My tyre inflator has such a car-style plug, as does a clip-on 12V fluorescent lamp we used to hang in the awning.  I've still got one of those 2-pin plugs in my caravan useful bits box and I made my own (long) adapter lead up to use when we had a caravan with that polarised 2-pin type of socket in.  (a Craftsman Miracle 152.)

 

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Rodders53

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, Big-Gordy said:

I have discovered a curious little adapter in one of the drawers.  It seems to plug into a socket which is labelled 12V and it has a TV aerial socket next to it.  Can someone identify its purpose please?

Hi Big-Gordy,

As others have stated it is an adaptor to provide a 12V feed to various accessories that you may plug into a car 12V (cigar lighter type) socket.

There should be one or more 12V outlets in your caravan like the one below (sometimes also containing a co-ax connection for a TV) to take the two pin plug that takes a fused supply from the caravan battery.

Some connectors also have a transparent base like this.

[Big-Gordy]

Thanks for all the quick and helpful replies.  I will have to try it out with a suitable device and see if it works.  I was imagining I would just get a TV which plugs in the 240V socket when hooked up at a site - is there much benefit in getting a TV with 12V capability?  

[Stevan]

21 minutes ago, Big-Gordy said:

Thanks for all the quick and helpful replies.  I will have to try it out with a suitable device and see if it works.  I was imagining I would just get a TV which plugs in the 240V socket when hooked up at a site - is there much benefit in getting a TV with 12V capability?  

A 12V TV is only necessary if you ever plan to watch it while on a non ehu site.

[Rodders53]

20 minutes ago, Big-Gordy said:

 is there much benefit in getting a TV with 12V capability?  

Only if you intend to go of the (mains electricity) grid.

 

 

They are often more expensive, too when marketed for 'caravan/motorhome' use. 

Occasionally some TVs with 12V 'wall wart' power supplies can be used on the battery socket (though there are 'perceived risks' in doing so when hooked up to mains as the charger-psu can exceed 14V).

[hp100425ev]

3 minutes ago, Stevan said:

A 12V TV is only necessary if you ever plan to watch it while on a non ehu site.

Or on a EHU site when the site power goes down.

WE tend to look for tv’s to use in the caravan which, although plugged into the 240v supply, have an in-line transformer with the tv running on 12v. If the site power goes down, we then swap the 240v lead for a 12 v lead and plug it into the 12v auxiliary socket.

Many inexpensive tv’s have this arrangement.

Edited March 6, 2021 by hp100425ev

[Big-Gordy]

5 minutes ago, hp100425ev said:

Or on a EHU site when the site power goes down.

WE tend to look for tv’s to use in the caravan which, although plugged into the 240v supply, have an in-line transformer with the tv running on 12v. If the site power goes down, we then swap the 240v lead for a 12 v lead and plug it into the 12v auxiliary socket.

Many inexpensive tv’s have this arrangement.

That's a great idea - thanks.

[micktheshed]

I was under the impression that all modern LCD type TV's actually run on nominal 12 Volts.

[Stevan]

12 minutes ago, micktheshed said:

I was under the impression that all modern LCD type TV's actually run on nominal 12 Volts.

Many but not all. Some are 18or 24V, maybe other voltages.

[bspks]

On 07/03/2021 at 16:59, micktheshed said:

I was under the impression that all modern LCD type TV's actually run on nominal 12 Volts.

At one point when electronics were bigger and the power supply unit was external to the TV this was common.

Nowadays, the power supply units are smaller and, usually, built in to the chassis of the TV, meaning they are only suitable for 230V use, TVs designed for caravan use usually do have both an external 230V power supply unit and a direct to 12V power lead.

Additionally, as they’re designed for caravan use they often work on voltages between 10.5 and 14.5V, meaning they can cope with both a 12V battery on charge and a low supply voltage from a loaded and partially discharged battery without issue.

[Stevan]

26 minutes ago, bspks said:

At one point when electronics were bigger and the power supply unit was external to the TV this was common.

Nowadays, the power supply units are smaller and, usually, built in to the chassis of the TV, meaning they are only suitable for 230V use, TVs designed for caravan use usually do have both an external 230V power supply unit and a direct to 12V power lead.

The separate power supplies are still commonplace, particularly for the smaller screen TVs, often integrated into the plug, a bit like an an oversize phone charger.

[SuperRed]

We have the 240 /12 v adaptor but prefer to use the 12v lead as the adaptor is large and gets in the way. With the 12 lead it just keeps thing nice and tidy.

[KnausCol]

I'm the same, much prefer to use the tidy 12v lead instead of the more bulky 240v adaptor. This even more so because I have two 12v/240v devices in close proximity; the TV and a sound bar.