Cheap power inverters.

ian408

Road trips have a funny way of needing to be 'plugged in'. I found a cheap solution for the basic needs of battery charging. It's the Rhino 150W Power Inverter. Plugs into a cigarette lighter. There are others out there too. Some include USB ports. The 150w model has two 120V outlets. I got mine at Fry's but they're available from Amazon and the like too. I paid $25 for mine.



Perfect for charging batteries. Not so good for running lights or sensitive electronics. Also, be aware that you're running from a cigarette lighter and the amount of current you can draw is limited and you should not exceed that number. For me, it's 120w. Your vehicle might be different.

puzzledpaul

ian408 wrote: »

... and the amount of current you can draw is limited and you should not exceed that number. For me, it's 120w. Your vehicle might be different.

Assuming your car has a 12v system, then recommended max current drain is 10A.

I'd have thought there should be no problems running / operating mains powered lights if using either lo-energy types (typically 7 - 20w in uk) or LED devices ... since you'd be able to access 60W / channel.

pp

ian408

I should have used the same units of measure. But yes, 10A on the receptacle in my car. Another car might be different (especially an older car) so before you go out and get an inverter, check your car's specs if you plan on running it from an existing outlet.

If you want to power an Alien Bee for example; according to the manufacturer, you need to power it with a pure sine wave inverter. I'm not sure that's what this is-my guess is it's a modified sine wave which will run electric motors and the like but is not recommended. I base my guess on the unit's cheap price and the fact it says it will run a motor driven appliance.

EphTwoEight

Ugh. Mine set me back $56K

ian408

Did it come from Quiet Power or APC?

David_S85

EphTwoEight wrote:

Ugh. Mine set me back $56K

ian408 wrote: »

Did it come from Quiet Power or APC?

lensmole

Power = Volts X Amps = Watts
Example 12 volts X 10 amps = 120 watts

I would look in the vehicle manual to see the fuse panel diagram and determine exactly the size of fuse your lighter or auxiliary power supply has.

ziggy53

Regardless of a vehicle's power capacity, I have had problems with the cheaper modified sine wave units above 300W. Specifically, both my father and myself burned out alternators on two different vehicles using 400W Vector brand inverters. We didn't know that we both had purchased the same inverter until after we talked together about the alternator failures.

I still use that inverter occasionally, but only on a deep-discharge battery and only for very specific uses, like an electric drill or Dremel (or other brushed motor appliance).

My favorite is a Wagan Tech, 300W, Pure Sine Wave inverter. While it wasn't a trivial expense (I see them selling for around $160USD), it does run more electronics devices safely. No problems so far with automotive alternators.