AC inverter, 120V plugs, 12V plugs installed (1 Viewer)

[EricE]

No breaker, but the inverter itself is fused. It's probably not a bad idea to add another fuse, though.

If you ran 2AWG wire from the battery w/o a fuse you are in serious risk of burning your truck to the ground. If that 2 gage wire shorts to ground it will start a fire in quick order. Stereo shops sell in line fuses for that gage wire.

Edit: The in-line fuse goes as close to the battery as practical.

 

[lovetoski]

If you ran 2AWG wire from the battery w/o a fuse you are in serious risk of burning your truck to the ground. If that 2 gage wire shorts to ground it will start a fire in quick order. Stereo shops sell in line fuses for that gage wire.

Edit: The in-line fuse goes as close to the battery as practical.

West Marine has fuses also.

 

[on the rocks]

Nice work!
I have a question on something I have been wondering on this scenario, thought about previously posting to get information but never got to it. Why run (2) 2AWG runs to the battery??? Is this necessary? Couldn’t you just take the negative feed wire to the nearest solid frame location for your ground? I have a fairly extensive DC electrical background but not in the automotive industry so am I missing something? Is there something that will prevent this from working well (stereo noise feedback, frying CPU'S)? I would think by home running the two feeds you have to the battery you can look at the bright side and move them both to the positive feed and run two more to a chassis ground and bingo!!! two high amp capacity DC feeds to the back of the cruiser if ever needed with only a few more feet of wire and another fuse of course.

 

[vbcrush]

I agree. Don't think you need to run ground all the way back to the battery.

 

[Hayes]

Heat: The inverter has only been slightly warm with my use so far--charging cell phones, running a laptop and a GPS unit. I haven't had occasion to utilize the full power of the inverter yet.

Relay: I wired a dash switch into the the switch/relay in the inverter itself. I used a sweet Toyota switch from a Matrix. I've got a picture around here somewhere.

Fuse: Yes. I did install a Megafuse right at the battery.

Ground: The instructions with the inverter specified grounding directly to the battery. Some trusted MUDder opinions supported this detail--I can't remember why.

Hayes

 

[Hayes]

Here it is:

 

[Bear80]

How'd you make the switch label?

--Nevermind....read you got it out a Matrix.

 

[Hayes]

How'd you make the switch label?

--Nevermind....read you got it out a Matrix.

May as well post some follow-up comments....

The inverter is working great.
No heat issues thus far--but I still haven't put a major load on it.

One issue, though--the West Marine branded 12V accessory sockets do not hold my adapter plugs very well. The plugs end up wiggling and vibrating, losing a solid connection. The factory socket is much more secure.

Ryan

 

[Tool Pusher]

I don't like the West Marine 12V sockets very much either. Was using one to plug in my freezer/fridge and it kept losing the connection. It would be bad to get to your destination and find out that the fridge has not been running for the past five hours. Ended up wiring the fridge directly to the 12V circuit. that feeds the sockets. Will look for better sockets at some point. I also got a West Marine 12V splitter for the cigarette lighter socket. It does not hold very well either.

David Sword

 

[jmvar]

I don't like the West Marine 12V sockets very much either. Was using one to plug in my freezer/fridge and it kept losing the connection. It would be bad to get to your destination and find out that the fridge has not been running for the past five hours. Ended up wiring the fridge directly to the 12V circuit. that feeds the sockets. Will look for better sockets at some point. I also got a West Marine 12V splitter for the cigarette lighter socket. It does not hold very well either.

David Sword

THanks for the heads up on those sockets....anyone have a manufacturer and part # for a 12v outlet they have had good experiences with?

 

[96r50]

Hayes, you wouldn't happen to have the part number for that Matrix switch lying around now would you?

 

[standfas]

I used a high-amp inline breaker from a car stereo store, meant to be used with 1000W car stereo amplifiers.

Fuse: Yes. I did install a Megafuse right at the battery.



Hayes

What amp fuse are these?

 

[Hayes]

150 Amps to cover the peak loads.

Sorry, don't know what the part# is. Call Dan.

 

[peepers]

reviving this as i am thinking of installing one under the passenger seat for my x-country trek...

it will be a shorter distance to dun that 2 gauge wire and i wont have to run in in the doorsill. the only problem is that hole in the firewall is full for me. i am sure i can cram more stuff through there though.

will this work to charge a macintosh laptop or is it way too much??

http://caraudio.avdeals.com/powerinverters/prosine1000.htm

STATPOWER PROSINE-1000 DC-AC True Sine Wave Car Power Inverter
FEATURES - Statpower PROSINE1000 DC-AC True Sine Wave Car Power Inverter:

-1000 watts continuous power; 1500 watts max surge power
-Over-temperature shutdown, automatic overload protection
-Over/under voltage protection, short circuit and AC back feed protection
-Removable LCD display, DC terminals with 180° connections
-Power-save mode
-11 inch W x 4 1/2 inch H x 15 7/16 inch D

 

[96r50]

My Macbook only takes 65 watts, so you could get away with a smaller one.

 

[FJ40_owner]

Don't forget notebook PC's run on DC not AC. There are DC to DC converters available to run a PC without an inverter. Granted there is some lost efficiency but it is not nearly as much with an inverter.

Flea Bay is a source.

 

[GeoRoss]

Don't forget notebook PC's run on DC not AC. There are DC to DC converters available to run a PC without an inverter. Granted there is some lost efficiency but it is not nearly as much with an inverter.

Flea Bay is a source.

x2


If possible you should just get the car DC adapter rather than the inverter. It is easier and has less heat production. It has also been my experience that most of the inverters I have used are quite noisey with RF.

 

[peepers]

i should have been more clear... i want it to run other items as well but i read earlier in this thread that most laptops need "true sine wave" or is it "pure" or are they the same?

 

[FJ40_owner]

I would calculate what your max input AC Watts draw might be at a given time and add at least ten percent to the value and purchase a pure Sine wave inverter.

Modified SW is a compromise and some devices are able to tolerate it and some will not. Motors get hot, electronics MAY operate squirrely. It depends on your tolerance level for potential damage to your stuff at the lesser expense of running a modified square wave. I for one have little tolerance for MSW.

However I run an 800 watt MSW in my cruiser to operate power tools such as drills, saws, soldering irons etc. For emergency repair.

I run my PC on an PSW inverter made just for the PC and I use it to charge flashlights and HH radios that I have not yet purchased a DC DC adapter for.

For those that call BS, go ahead. I have five inverters that I play with all the time and have experimented with DC input and AC output current draw versus battery voltage. Motors DO get hot. RF devices get wierd using a MSW. MSW do have their place and purpose.

JB
Part time high current Geek

 

[GeoRoss]

i should have been more clear... i want it to run other items as well but i read earlier in this thread that most laptops need "true sine wave" or is it "pure" or are they the same?

I wasn't dissuading you from an inverter, just stating that a car adapter for your laptop is something to consider. Using an inverter to run your laptop is like using an inverter to charge your cell phone. You can do it, but there are other options.

The reason I state this is that I have found inverters to push out alot of RF interference, heat and fan noise. Maybe I just use cheap inverters, who knows. I use an inverter when I need to, but go the DC-DC when ever I can (laptop, CB, cell phone, etc) as going DC-AC-DC is just goofy.