HI, i thought i would get everyones input on the the lcd powerpack situation i keep facing. The problem is that most LCDs come with that MASIVE PowerPack and there is no where to put it in most situations. When using a flush mount or a canterleaver bracket what are you doing?? I am looking for LCDs that do not use them but that is not not that easy.

Any thoughts??

Lonny

Remote mount the Power Supply....

Its Low Voltage, No Porblem.

imaqt,
When you say remote mount the power supply waht does that exactly mean?
I tried to used tie downs and what not but then it makes the tv not hang flat, or can't be flush.

I hear you Lonny, I think it's pretty stupid of these manufacturers to not build it into the chassis. What I've been doing is using 2" velcro to attach the pack to the back of the unit. It's been working real well. I usually cut the power cord to too.

It is truly stupid from our point of view, but if they could not use an external power supply that has its own separate UL approval (a hassle faced by another company that specializes in power supplies), they probably would have to charge another hundred dollars for the set. Also, this lets them use the same chassis with different line voltages without having to have an internal supply that can deal with all line voltages. Again, retail pricing is lower as a result.

Cut the power cord and you void the UL approval on the power supply. If there is a problem with the set, or God Forbid, a fire, your ass is then in deep.

I commiserate, though: every plasma I have ever seen has come with an eight foot power cord. Good installers put outlets behind the plasmas. Bad installers run these cords, illegally, through the walls down to outlets. I would bet the plasma manufacturers will be made to share liability some day for supplying such a long power cord, implying that it should be run through the wall...because we are litigious.

When I put an LCD in a bathroom I run coax and 18/2 to the MBR equipment location. The LCD PS can hide in the cabinet with the other MBR components and can also share a sat receiver or cable box if need be.

Ernie, I cut the cord shorter, and put a new UL listed end on it from the hardware store. How does this void the UL approval?

Toss the PS in the garbage! Install a mirror over the LCD screen with liquid nails and WAM! HD. Beauty of a pic!

As I understand it (Larry?), the UL approval is on the power supply as a whole, intact. As soon as you have cut the cord, it is not intact. I am erring on the side of caution in never cutting a cord, but you could be right. It's just likely that this issue would be decided in a court of law at great expense to you if someone does not agree with you or decides that maybe you did someting wrong when you cut the cord.

As for the 18-2 mentioned above, I have seen LCD power supplies with two conductors, but I have also seen them with five or six.

Just remember that any time you modify anything, especially a molded cord, you risk voiding at least the warranty. Whether you did or not is up to the repair station if it ever needs work, or the manufacturer, or the court.

Now it makes sense that we are in violation of electrical code to run 110v thru a wall with a power cord.

When we run the LCD power cord (carrying voltages such as +5v, -5v, 12v, 24v, etc) inside the wall, we should be fine, right?

Not trying to beat this to death, just trying to understand the codes.

I can't speak for all PS's, but on the Sharp, the PS is in two pieces, the transformer and the cord that plugs into the TV as one piece, and the 6'120 volt cord. That's the end I cut and put a new end on.

Now I understand that everyone in litigation crazy, but if replacing a "damaged" power cord with a UL listed replacement one readily avaliable at every hardware store in the US coule wind you up in a huge lawsuit, (not just for us guys, but everyone out there that has a frayed lamp cord that the dog chewed through, or that cord on your circular saw that you chopped, or that extension cord that you ran over the end with you car, etc..) It seems to me that the manufacturer of that new end that I just put on wouldn't want to have their product for sale for the fear that they could get sucked into the lawsuit by making it avaliable to me to buy for the specific use of replacing. And the legal battle goes round and round.

I think I'm going to draw up some liability waivers tonght!

We run a 8 conductor sheilded(plus drain) wire to the TV. Put the power supply in a closet or in the rack and splice the low voltage side of the cord to this control wire. It works great and it's low voltage DC, so no prob running inside walls.

Also, for the Sharp 20" Aquos, we sometimes tuck it into one of the unused bays on the back of the TV.

Hope this helps...

There are situations where equipment has to be modified and the NEC knows this. An old lamp that has to be rewired is a good example. In those cases your liability can be limited by having an electrical inspector sign off of the work. Off course this is crazy to do on every plasma you sell but if you are concerned about it that's the path of least resistance. I have had it written right into my liability policy that I sometimes change plugs ends, outlets and switches even though I'm not a licensed electrician. Won't protect me from getting hauled into court but it should go a long way towards forcing the insurance company to pay a claim. When I did this the only reply that came back from the underwriter was a notation saying that I would not be making any connections into a load panel, everything else was fair game.

Ted,
that's a great idea.

Actually, all of this has to do with installers trying their informed damnedest to do the safe thing, and customers understanding that if something goes wrong for some reason, they are jackholes if they even THINK of suing the A/V installer who had nothing to do with the actual problem, just happened to have safely changed a power cord.

We still have to think about this stuff to be sure that what we do, we do consciously. Instead of "I just cut the power cord...." Any explanation that starts with "I just" is a bit suspect as it avoids going into detail and is exactly what an uninformed person would do when doing something unsafe.

Just thought I'd add a note to this. Some of these plug ends have torque specs for the screw terminals and should be torqued properly. I have read of at least one instance where the electrician was held responsible for not properly tighting screws in a load panel, causing a fire. I asked my inspector about it and his response was that If I was going to be doing any electrical work it would be a good idea to own one of these torque screw drivers. The theory being that even if it did catch fire you could honestly say it was installed properly. I haven't bought one yet but it is on the never ending list of tools to buy. It comes down to the NEC label & listing. If there are any instructions on the device, obvious or not, they had better be followed to the letter. This is especially true for those of us messing with high voltage when we aren't truly supposed to. Of course the electricians have been screwing up low voltage for decades and they are never held responsible for it. (sorry Larry, their are exceptions)