My Electronic Photo Frame and Ipod Stereo Dock for RV Boondocking

12 Volt Your Electronic Photo Frame and Ipod Stereo Dock!

*** Warning***

An UPDATE... Don't convert your electronic photo frame just yet!

It has come to my attention that my eelektrawnic expurteese... is ... uh... a lil' less than even I'd thought. It turns out that the quality of consumer electronics is a mite less than even I'd thought. Though I've not personally had a problem or issue with my lil' conversion, I've discovered that others have. The Ipods and such are quite a bit more sensitive to the voltage than I'd thought. Though your house batteries are rated as 12V, during and shortly after charging they can rise as High as close to 15 volts, and that is apparently enough to cook your electronic gadgets.

So... I've been told of a simple voltage regulator that a fella can plumb into the line to guard against bad things happening... so DON'T convert your electronics until you or I get this checked out a lil' more!

An Electronic Photo Frame is just 'bout the best way, short of being there, to view all the photographs from your travels.

How many of you take hundreds, even thousands of pictures, and then they just sit there in your computer, or photo albums 'cause it's such a hassle to drag 'em out... to look at 'em...

Electric frames are great... but... The problem for some folks is that if you use an electronic frame you have to have 110 volt power to use it. An RV Boondocker living on Solar power can't just leave his inverter running all the time...

But, with a simple lil' project you can still use those photographs as part of the Decorating of your Rig! and enjoy your pictures... Daily!

... and your music too! Are you one of those who listens to the same music, over and over, 'cause it's such a pain to sift through the 6' CD stack looking for some new music? So the same old CD or half dozen if you've got a changer model sit in the Stereo for weeks at a time?

Plug in your Ipod... set it on shuffle and listen to it ALL! While you sip a cool brew... Watching the electronic slide show of ALL your pictures! Suh-Wheet!

Electronics in My RV Boondocking Rig

and... do both of those while RV Boondocking... and NOT have to run an inverter.

Turn your inverter on, and just the inverter running is likely to consume more power than the picture frame and stereo dock combined!

If you look at the transformers you have to plug in to power those electronic gadgets, they likely power the gadget with 12V power.

electronic photo frame transformer

Well, your rig is 12V power, right? So... all you have to do is cut off the transformer... figure out which of your incoming 12V power wires is the negative and which is the positive... and hook 'em up!

Transformers for RV electronics

Use a decent Multi-Meter and it'll show you whether your power wire is positive or negative. On both of my electronic gadgets, the outside of the plug which is inserted into the appliance is the Negative wire.

Just check to make sure you've got the polarity right and you're golden!

multimeter for wiring in an RV

I used simple wire nuts to connect the wires from my gadgets to hard wire the lamp, (Converted with a 12V RV bulb screwed into the 110 Volt socket) the Gigaware Ipod stereo Dock and the Kodak Electronic Picture Frame into my 12 volt system

Now... I'm no electronic wizard... barely functional as a matter of fact! I'm pretty sure that you can't do this with computers or really fancy equipment... Those are pretty particular about their power... but these three simple pieces are running fine in my own rig... no problems with "Dirty" power. I'm thinkin' both an electronic photo frame and an Ipod stereo dock are simple enough that they're not near as choosy about their power source... only maybe the polarity? ... and the light bulb in the lamp couldn't care less 'bout polarity or dirty power... just the right voltage.

RV Electronics in my RV Boondocking rig

I just add new pictures to the SD card that feeds our Electronic Photo Frame... whenever I get good ones!

Seeing our RV Boondocking Photographs or listening to our favorite music with these RV accessories is as convenient as it can get!

So... Take Your electronic photo frame, your Ipod stereo... and whatever other simple electronics you have that are actually 12V and bypass the wasted power of an inverter.

... Just remember to shut it off when you leave the rig! ;)

Return from Electronic Photo Frame to Goin' RV Boondocking

SBI!