Electronics on board.

[Windfola]

In my current home I use a laptop with broadband, which is connected to my trusty Technics stereo for the best audio I can get. Both also connect to a 23inch HD flat screen tv/monitor through which I watch stuff on i-player. I don't use it as a tv and have no aerial, but do use a surround sound DVD player with the monitor. So I have two sets of speakers as well. I mainly listen to radio 4 on-line.

 

Obviously all are run on 240v at present.

 

So if I buy a boat with a 12v supply and 240 volt hook up (for when I can get it) and add a decent pure sine wave inverter, can I expect to be able to use the same set up and get the same quality output? (broadband issues aside - I am not assuming that I will get a decent signal all the time)

 

Or should I abandon the monitor and hi-fi and buy 12 volt alternatives? I'd really rather not do this as my stuff is quite new and decent quality.

 

If I stick with what I have, will it be an impossible drain on my batteries?

[Ark Right]

In my current home I use a laptop with broadband, which is connected to my trusty Technics stereo for the best audio I can get. Both also connect to a 23inch HD flat screen tv/monitor through which I watch stuff on i-player. I don't use it as a tv and have no aerial, but do use a surround sound DVD player with the monitor. So I have two sets of speakers as well. I mainly listen to radio 4 on-line.

 

Obviously all are run on 240v at present.

 

So if I buy a boat with a 12v supply and 240 volt hook up (for when I can get it) and add a decent pure sine wave inverter, can I expect to be able to use the same set up and get the same quality output? (broadband issues aside - I am not assuming that I will get a decent signal all the time)

 

Or should I abandon the monitor and hi-fi and buy 12 volt alternatives? I'd really rather not do this as my stuff is quite new and decent quality.

 

If I stick with what I have, will it be an impossible drain on my batteries?

 

Are you going for a new build boat? I.E. built exactly to your specification?

Edited May 9, 2011 by Ark Right

[nb Innisfree]

In my current home I use a laptop with broadband, which is connected to my trusty Technics stereo for the best audio I can get. Both also connect to a 23inch HD flat screen tv/monitor through which I watch stuff on i-player. I don't use it as a tv and have no aerial, but do use a surround sound DVD player with the monitor. So I have two sets of speakers as well. I mainly listen to radio 4 on-line.

 

Obviously all are run on 240v at present.

 

So if I buy a boat with a 12v supply and 240 volt hook up (for when I can get it) and add a decent pure sine wave inverter, can I expect to be able to use the same set up and get the same quality output? (broadband issues aside - I am not assuming that I will get a decent signal all the time)

 

Or should I abandon the monitor and hi-fi and buy 12 volt alternatives? I'd really rather not do this as my stuff is quite new and decent quality.

 

If I stick with what I have, will it be an impossible drain on my batteries?

 

A top quality inverter is very efficient, Victron pure sine wave are in the region of 94% efficient, provided you have a decent amount of batts and a proper charging system there will be no probs, we leave our Victron 3kva on 24/7 with no battery issues.

[Chalky]

You need to do a power audit.

Have a look on the back of all your appliances. They'll have a label giving their power consumption in watts. Add them all together and divide by 12. This will give you (roughly) the number of amps that they'll draw. Add 20-30% for inverter losses and this is roughly the number of amps they'll take from the batteries - if you run them for an hour it'll be the number of amp hours. Multiply them by the number of hours thut you propose to run them and this will tell you how many amp hours they could take from the batteries (It'll be pessimistic). If you can put this amount of power back into the batteries as well as what you need to replace to cover what the rest of the boat uses then you'll probably be ok. If you can't put that amount of power back then you'll either need to use them less or find more power efficient devices.

Remember you'll not only need to replace all of the power used, you'll also need to put in a load more to allow for inefficiencies in battery chemistry. Have a look at the smart gauge website for details about power audits and charging - Gibbo's the expert on these types of batteries and their usage.

[alan_fincher]

So if I buy a boat with a 12v supply and 240 volt hook up (for when I can get it) and add a decent pure sine wave inverter, can I expect to be able to use the same set up and get the same quality output?

With the best will in the world, the acoustics inside a typical canal boat are not going to in any way compare with those of a decent sized room at home.

 

Think about where your presumably "house sized" screen, speakers, etc, may be positioned, and whether there is a prayer that they will follow the guidelines for setting up a sound / home cinema system in a house environment.

 

What you are proposing sounds to possibly be going to cause you to use a lot more power than other solutions might. Generally I feel people who adapt to deal with the fact that it is best not to turn a boat into a mini power station fare better on boats.

 

Each to their own, but I don't boat to hear generators running, or engines run on moorings without moving, which is what a lot of people have to do, if they expect a lot, but are not permanently connected to a 240 volt mains supply.

[nb Innisfree]

I would think the internal dimensions of a narrowboat should allow reproduction of the lower frequencies within normal human hearing range, higher frequencies no problem.

 

You setup doesn't seem unusual just a fairly average sound system?

Edited May 9, 2011 by nb Innisfree

[Windfola]

That's helpful, thanks. I'll do the power audit thingy.

 

I am under no delusions about the limitations on acoustics in a 7 foot wide corridor. My sitting room is already an odd shape and I am used to thinking laterally about that sort of thing. Neither am I the sort of person who is planning to annoy my neighbours with loud music. I have no plans to buy a generator.

 

I just want to see how I can make the best of the (good quality) equipment I already have, or whether it's just not going to be practicable. I will be buying a used boat, so would need to look at how best to fit the equipment into whatever space is already available, as I don't have the budget to go bespoke.

[alan_fincher]

Yes,

 

Sorry, my response may have seemed more terse than I intended.

 

If you want to be generator free, though, and don't have a 240 volt land-line, my view is that you will probably need to consider how you can get something that is a compromise between quality, and battery eating.

 

I think you might struggle with just wind / solar /etc. but obviously I don't know the power demands of your current equipment, or how much you might expect to use it each day.

 

A lot of live-aboards do seem to make a rod for their own back by trying to continue to do afloat what was a non issue when in a house with mains. (Just my view, and of course others will come back saying my "Travelpower" will run the dishwasher and the microwave at the same time, and still let me boil a kettle with reserves to spare!)

[PhilR]

That's helpful, thanks. I'll do the power audit thingy.

 

I am under no delusions about the limitations on acoustics in a 7 foot wide corridor. My sitting room is already an odd shape and I am used to thinking laterally about that sort of thing. Neither am I the sort of person who is planning to annoy my neighbours with loud music. I have no plans to buy a generator.

 

I just want to see how I can make the best of the (good quality) equipment I already have, or whether it's just not going to be practicable. I will be buying a used boat, so would need to look at how best to fit the equipment into whatever space is already available, as I don't have the budget to go bespoke.

 

Sell it on Ebay. The words *laptop*, *broadband*, *Technics* and *best audio* don't mean anything on a boat from an audio perspective.

[LoneWolf]

With the best will in the world, the acoustics inside a typical canal boat are not going to in any way compare with those of a decent sized room at home.

 

Think about where your presumably "house sized" screen, speakers, etc, may be positioned, and whether there is a prayer that they will follow the guidelines for setting up a sound / home cinema system in a house environment.

 

What you are proposing sounds to possibly be going to cause you to use a lot more power than other solutions might. Generally I feel people who adapt to deal with the fact that it is best not to turn a boat into a mini power station fare better on boats.

 

Each to their own, but I don't boat to hear generators running, or engines run on moorings without moving, which is what a lot of people have to do, if they expect a lot, but are not permanently connected to a 240 volt mains supply.

 

very true, esp the red bit.

 

in fact maybe people who adapt to deal with the fact that it is best not to turn a boat into a mini power station fare better on boats

 

 

That's helpful, thanks. I'll do the power audit thingy.

 

I am under no delusions about the limitations on acoustics in a 7 foot wide corridor. My sitting room is already an odd shape and I am used to thinking laterally about that sort of thing. Neither am I the sort of person who is planning to annoy my neighbours with loud music. I have no plans to buy a generator.

 

I just want to see how I can make the best of the (good quality) equipment I already have, or whether it's just not going to be practicable. I will be buying a used boat, so would need to look at how best to fit the equipment into whatever space is already available, as I don't have the budget to go bespoke.

 

I'd just load it all on and see how you get on then change things if you need to

You may find that your pattern/frequency of radio/music/tv usage changes anyway with your new boaty lifestyle

(You'll have less free time what with all the extra boaty chores for a start)

[Windfola]

I would think the internal dimensions of a narrowboat should allow reproduction of the lower frequencies within normal human hearing range, higher frequencies no problem.

 

You setup doesn't seem unusual just a fairly average sound system?

 

Pretty much, yes. I am no audio/video geek. My last tv was about 20 years old and conked out about 5 years ago. I have no aerial, satellite or freeview. I haven't even got a tv license. The only telly I watch is the occasional thing on iplayer. I have some classical music stored on my laptop, which would be nice to hear through decent speakers. I hardly ever play CDs and don't use the DVD that often. Radio 4 and the internet are the things I would really like to stay connected to.

 

Sorry, my response may have seemed more terse than I intended.

It's OK Alan, no offense taken.

[blodger]

Any boat you buy may come with something that is useful so I agree with

 

I'd just load it all on and see how you get on then change things if you need to

You may find that your pattern/frequency of radio/music/tv usage changes anyway with your new boaty lifestyle

(You'll have less free time what with all the extra boaty chores for a start)

 

0

 

as sage advice in the interim

[gary955]

I have an Acoustic Energy active sub and two little satalite speakers. Plug it into the radio MP3 player or laptop and it can make a hell of a noise with deep but controlled base and bright treble I suspect that they're better than any of the sources that I'm feeding them with. They run on 240v but my 330ah batterys and modest solar charger seem to keep up for an hour or twos use a day.

Amazingly even when playing it quite loud, you can barely hear it outside the boat! maybe the water soaks it all up.

[Robin2]

Just as much as the comments about energy consumption I would be concerned with how much space your existing gadgets will use up on a narrow boat.

 

It's not simply a case of whether they will fit, but more importantly will they be using space that you could use for something else or limiting the options you have about how you arrange your space (thinking of a big TV).

 

For example many people seem content to have a sofa on one side of the saloon and watch a TV on the opposite wall. I don't like sitting that way and my sofa is arranged so I sit looking down the length of the boat facing the stove. If I had a wall mounted TV it would have to be too near the stove. And a TV on a floor standing table would get in the way of moving about.

 

I use my 10" netbook for everything - internet, music, films etc., plus a small DAB radio. Because the PC is close to me the screen seems as big as a wall mounted TV at a greater distance. I have small surround sound speakers high on the walls with the woofer in a cupboard and a USB device that drives them from the PC. I got a small mp3 player with loudspeakers (in a single unit) in Aldi a few weeks ago and most of the time I use it to amplify the PC. It uses less power and is less trouble than turning on the surround system.

[bespin]

the best thing to do is get a 3g dongle and router that will allow you to put a 3g dongle in and possible a small atom powered server for computing. For the sound system the best way would be with 5.1 suround system. poss the logitech z5500 which is compact and powerful. or the bose companion 5.1 which simulates suround with just 2 speakers and a woofer. Ive just got a soundbar with a wireless subwoofer for above my telly also got a led tv with built in dvd to minimise equipment. or a good 17 inch laptop with long battery life.

[Windfola]

Thanks peeps.

 

I think I will do the audit (might help me decide what size inverter I will need and, when the time comes, try stuff out and look into the dongle and router. Then if there's not enough room or if I get overkill with the screen/speakers I'll think about replacing equipment.