Watch A Battery TV With A Converter Box

Snapshot:

• DON'T GET RID OF YOUR BATTERY POWERED TV!  Keep it for portable and emergency viewing.
  

• After the analog TV shutoff, you can still watch the battery TV anywhere using a battery-powered converter box.

• You can get a converter that runs on 12 volts and power it with two lantern batteries for up to 15 hours.

• You can also purchase a converter box with an available, matching battery pack.

You don't need to dump your battery TV after the analog channel shutoff!  With a little preparation, you can watch digital TV channels on your battery TV by using a battery-powered converter box.

Following are two solutions. For the first solution, you build a simple 12 volt power supply for a converter box.  For the second solution, you purchase a converter box with a matching battery power supply. 


Solution 1.  BUILD A 12 VOLT POWER SUPPLY FOR A 12 VOLT CONVERTER. 

If you might want to watch digital channels on a battery-powered TV you own, we recommend that you purchase a converter box that runs on 12 volt DC power.  When you use it with its home power adapter, you can use it to watch digital TV channels on any analog TV in the house.  Then, when you want to watch your battery TV, you can take the converter box out of the house and operate it with a battery power supply.

A converter box that runs on 12 volts DC is the Artec Model T3A Pro.  It is also very small and sleek, and it has buttons for channel change and volume on the converter itself, which is convenient, especially for operating it next to a battery TV.  We bought this model from an online store and used a $40 converter coupon, so the total cost including shipping was less than $25.  There may be other models of converter boxes that run on 12 volts.

The ARTEC T3A Pro converter box comes with an external power adapter that powers it from a wall plug.  To power it with a portable TV, you can build a simple battery power supply. 

We built the power supply described below.  We connected it to the Artec converter box and calculated that the converter uses 4.1 watts of power, which is less than a nightlight bulb.  We then used the Artec converter box to watch digital channels on a battery TV for several viewing periods lasting one to three hours, and we tracked the battery voltage.

When the converter box was first turned on, the batteries provided 11.6 volts.  After about 15 hours of use over 6 viewing periods, the battery voltage was 7 volts, but the converter box still worked fine.  The digital picture started to freeze when the voltage got below 7 volts. (This showed that the converter would also run on a 9 volt power supply).  Our conclusion: the battery supply could operate the Artec converter box for up to 15 hours, allowing 15 hours of digital TV viewing. 

There are two ways to wire the battery power supply.  Each way has a different power plug connection. Design #1 uses a power plug that fits the Artec converter box only.  Design #2 uses a "car accessory outlet" to connect to battery power.  Using this outlet makes it easy to connect other devices to the batteries, especially a cellphone charger.  This "car outlet" method is a little more expensive, but it's easier to wire.

Design #1.  Building a simple 12 volt converter box power supply that has a plug just for the converter box. 

Parts needed: 

• Two 6 volt lantern batteries.  About $7 total.  (These are recommended over "D" cell batteries, as they can last longer while meeting the high current demand of a converter box.)
• Radio Shack "Adaptaplug Socket" number 273-1743.  Under $4. 
• Radio Shack "Adaptaplug" size "M" number 273-1716.  About $6.   (This plug fits into the Artec converter power input.)
• Two large "alligator clips" like those in Radio Shack Alligator Kit number 270-356.  About $2.50
• A few feet of double wire at least the thickness of a lamp cord. Heavy loudspeaker wire is a good choice. It's helpful if one side of the double wires is marked.  Cost: find in junkbox?
• Electrical wiring tape.

Insert the "Adaptaplug" size M plug in the matching socket.  Strip away about 3/4 of an inch of insulation on the tips of the two side-by-side socket wires and on the two wire tips at both ends of lamp cord wire. 

Twist the metal strands of a socket wire tip and a lamp cord wire tip together. Fold the twisted part down, and wrap about 4 turns of electrical tape around the connected wires to insulate them.   Do the same for the second, remaining wires.  When you are done, the socket's two wires will be connected to the two wires of the lamp cord.

Now you need to find out which of the two wire tips at the other end of the lamp cord has the electrical connection to the middle terminal, or hole, in the type "M" power plug.  An electrical meter with a "continuity" checker can be used by someone with basic electrical skills to figure this out.  When you know which wire end connects to the plug center terminal, wrap a piece of tape on that wire.  That's the wire to attach to the "positive" or "+" battery terminal.  Attach a red alligator clip to the end of this wire. Attach a black alligator clip to the end of the other wire. 

Battery preparation. Connect the two lantern batteries in a "series" circuit.  Put the two batteries next to each other, with the "positive" or "+" terminal of one battery to the outside, and the "positive" or "+" terminal of the second battery near the middle (see photo).  Cut a 3 inch piece of single wire and strip off 3/4 inch of insulation from both ends.  Insert the wire strands of one tip around the "positive" or "+" terminal nearest the middle.  Insert the wire strands of the other tip around the "negative" or "-" terminal of the other battery and twist ends the wires tightly to the terminals.

The two 6 volt batteries are now wired in a "series" circuit, which adds their voltage together.  The total voltage between the unwired positive terminal on one battery and the unwired negative terminal on the other battery is 12 volts, which is the voltage required to power the converter box. 

Connect the power plug to the power jack on the back of the converter.  Clip the red alligator clip to the unused "positive" battery terminal.  Clip the black alligator clip to the unused "negative" battery terminal on the other battery.  The converter box should now have power.  You should be able to turn it on with the button on top, or the remote control.  It has a blue power light.

Design #2.  Build a simple 12 volt converter power supply wired to a car power accessory outlet.

Parts needed: 

• Two 6 volt lantern batteries.  About $7 total.  (These are recommended over "D" cell batteries, as they can last longer while meeting the high current demand of a converter box.) 
• Radio Shack Car Power Accessory Outlet number 270-1556.  About $7.
• Radio Shack Car Power Adapter Cord number 2707-1533. Under $10. (This power cord connects the Artec converter to a car accessory outlet.) 
• Two large "alligator clips" like those in Radio Shack Alligator Kit number 270-356.  About $2.50

Unwrap the car power accessory outlet.  It has a red wire and a black wire.  At the end of each wire, attach an alligator clip that is the same color as the wire.  (There is a fuse in the red wire; you can ignore it.)

Take the car power adapter cord and plug the small round end into the Artec converter box power jack.   Plug the other (large) end into the car power accessory outlet. 

Prepare the batteries as described above in "battery preparation." 

Clip the red alligator clip from the power cord to the unused "positive" battery terminal.  Clip the black alligator clip to the unused "negative" battery terminal on the other battery.  The converter box should now have power.  You should be able to turn it on with the button on top, or the remote control.  It has a blue power light.

Option: build a power supply for converter boxes powered by 5 volts DC.

Most converter boxes that use an external power adapter use a "5 volt" power supply.  5 volts is a typical computer power level.  If you have a converter with a power adapter, check the voltage it uses in the converter user manual, printed on the back of the converter box, or printed on the power adapter.  If it is a "5 volt DC" you can build a battery power supply using 6 volt batteries. (6 volt batteries are not likely to damage a 5 volt power supply.)

To do this, review design #1, above.  You need to build the same general power supply but it will have these differences:

• You should get at least two 6-volt lantern batteries as discussed and pictured.  However, the batteries must be wired in a "parallel" circuit.  This means that the "+" or positive battery terminals are connected together with a wire, and to the positive wire going to the converter.  Then the "-" or negative battery terminals are connected together with a wire, and to the negative wire going to the converter.  The output voltage of the power wire should measure 6 volts on a voltmeter.  (Having two batteries in "parallel" wiring adds more power-handling ability, or "amperage."  Two batteries will last much longer than using just one battery.)

• You will have to figure out how to get the "positive" and "negative" battery wires connected to the converter box power jack.  The converter may have a "standard" size power hole or jack; if so, you can find a matching power plug at an electronics supply store like RadioShack and wire the plug to the batteries, as in design #1

Watching the Battery TV with the Converter Box

After you have prepared the power supply, set up the converter box to provide a signal to the battery TV.  Connect an antenna, and connect the converter box to the TV using the antenna or line inputs to the TV.  For information on connecting a converter box to a TV, click here.

A small, battery TV may not have an antenna input or a line input.  To connect the converter to a TV like this, you can:

• Make an antenna "jumper" wire: take the remaining two alligator clips that came in the package and attach them to each end of a single, two-foot long piece of insulated wire.  Clip one end of the wire on the TV antenna.  (See the green cable in the photo.)

• Take an antenna connector cable and cut it about 4 inches from the plug on one end.  Take the short cable and trim the insulation and outer aluminum shield back about half an inch to expose the center copper wire tip.  Attach the short cable to the converter output.  Clip the other end of the "jumper" wire to the copper wire tip. 

• Of, if you don't have an antenna connector cable, get a small paper clip, unfold one end, and push the end about half an inch into the converter output jack.  Clip the other end of the "jumper" wire to the paper clip. 

Now the antenna signal will travel directly from the converter box to the portable TV.  (If there's a switch on the back of the converter box to change the converter output channel between channels 3 and 4, choose the channel that is NOT the same as any TV station in your area.)

To watch digital TV:

• Connect the converter box power supply and turn it on.
  

• Turn on the battery TV and tune it to channel 3 or 4 (or "line input" if you are using that).  The first time you do this, you may need to "scan" for channels (see converter box instructions).

• Change channels using the converter box buttons or remote control. 

When you are finished watching TV, turn off the converter box and disconnect it from the batteries (otherwise, it will draw a small current and drain the batteries). 


Solution 2.  PURCHASE A CONVERTER BOX AND A MATCHING BATTERY POWER SUPPLY. 

The Winegard company, a manufacturer of antenna products, distributes a digital to analog converter box with the analog pass-through feature, model RC-DT09A.  The converter box is eligible for government coupon reimbursement. List price is under $63.  

Winegard offers a compatible 9-volt battery pack for this converter, which uses 6 "D" cells  (not included).  List price for the battery pack is under $15, and under $20 with shipping included. 

This converter and battery pack will provide a digital TV signal for up to 18 hours.  For more information, click here.
 
Another company provides a battery-powered digital converter here. 

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CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.