Digital TV Converter Hack

Learn how to mod/hack a DTV box to run on battery power! Now that the digital TV conversion is right around the corner, no one has put any thought into what happens to your old analog portable TV's since ALL of the DTV boxes are AC powered. What about camping? What about emergencies when you want to watch news/weather alerts and have NO power? Here's the solution.

1). RCA DTA800B1 DTV box.
2). Radio Shack Barrier Strip or some other type of screw connector
3.) Radio Shack 12V Car Lighter Adapter if you want to use this in a vehicle.
OPTIONAL: Yuasa 12V Rechargeable Sealed Lead Acid Battery

Remove the 5 small screws that hold the case top cover on.
There is a 5-pin connector located between the power supply and the main board. Directly next to the connector on the power supply you will see two small jumpers. This is where to make the solder connections for the Positive (+) and Negative (-) wires. Use a multimeter to confirm this location with the unit plugged in and you should get a reading of 12VDC. I attached two wires (red (+) and black (-) about 4 inches long.

Using the barrier strip, mount it to the back of the case using two screws and nuts. I had to cut away the lower portion of the barrier strip to make room for mounting it vertically. Drill one more small hole to feed the red and black wires through. Attach the 12V Car Power Adapter and the new red and black wires to two of the barrier strip screws, one on top and one on the bottom with the barrier in between to protect the contacts.

Close up the case and plug in your new battery powered DTV box into a cigarette lighter or hook up the 12 volt battery to the remaining barrier strip screws. Make your A/V or Coax connections, hook up your antenna and you now have DTV for your portable TV's!

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable.!