Any ideas where to put a Power Inverter? (1 Viewer)

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hoser

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I picked up one of those 1500 watt Power Inverters from Costco today for $85. The dimensions of the unit are roughly 14"x6"x3"

Now the question is where to put it. The drivers side rear corner has the subwoofer, the passenger side rear has the AC unit. I thought about putting it under the front seats but I would have to remove the blower for AC on the drivers side. The passenger side has a box, possibly the ECU, that I'd rather not relocate because of wiring issues.

The only other place I could put it is in that long storage panel in the passenger side rear. Or may go back and exchange it for the smaller unit.
 
calamaridog said:
Passenger rear side right next to the 12v outlet.


I could swear that my rear outlet is on the drivers side right next to the jack door. Don't know if it was in the same spot for every year.



You could try, but I doubt it would fit in the jack location on the rear drivers corner. If it does fit, you could always put the jack somewhere under the hood since the heat won't bother it as much. I mounted one of those old Army cartridge lockboxes under the hood for tool and jumper cable storage. You could fit the jack in there, though.
 
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My 12V outlet is definitely on the drivers side. Thanks for the suggestion, Longhorn. I took out the jack and tools for a test fit and it looks like it would fit well--almost perfect. I would need to trim the subwoofer mounting tab a little.

Here's my concern, the inverter probably generates quite a bit of heat and draws a tremendous amount of current. Is placing it next to the fuel tank filler the smartest thing to do? Hmm.

The other place I thought about is the center console armrest box. I measured it and it looks like it would fit but I would have to remove the two cup holders on the second row. Seems like it would get fair ventilation. Hmm...
inverter.jpg
 
I guess it all depends on how hot it really gets. I have one that is only 300 watts and it does get a little warm, but I wouldn't worry about it next to the fuel filler. It also depends on how much you actually plan to use it. If you use it for 6-8 straight hours it would probably overheat in either confined area. Another factor is what you hook up to it. A laptop or a small tv isn't going to draw anywhere near the wattage it can provide whereas if you for some reason hook up a microwave or a hair dryer, you might have a problem.

I don't really use my converter that often. Only for plugging in the tv when tailgating for football season, so I haven't mounted it anywhere. :)
 
The thing you have to think of, is that the further away from the battery you fit the unit, the better and thicker the wiring has to be to have it that the full 12 volts of power reaches the inverter.

I have an inverter which looks about the same as yours and found it too bulky to fit anywhere on a permanent basis.

I have noticed in 4WD Monthly mag last month, there is a mob making inverters perfectly round, and the size of 2 Coke cans together, and allowing you to sit it in the cup holders perfectly....

Good idea I reckon. Might have to get myself one of those me thinks...

http://www.waeco.com.au/products.asp?id=297&cat=5#
 
That can shaped converter is a pretty good idea. Too bad us Americans only need 120 volts and a different shaped plug. ;)
I wonder if they make a U.S. version.
 
If you don’t mind giving up the factory subwoofer, you can mount it in there. Once you remove the sub, than there is tons of room. That’s where I put my amplifier & crossover.

But it looks like the jack location will work.

Is the 12v plug going operate that ok? That outlet has a small wire going to it. I want to say it’s smaller than a 16ga, but can’t remember for sure.
Dean
 
Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea to run a heavier gauge power wire just for kicks. A 10 gauge should be good. Just ground it somewhere close to the converter.


DMX...

Have you had any amp overheating problems? I was originally going to put my amp there, but thought it might get too hot and cut off after being on a while since there is lack of ventilation. I live in Texas and the summer days average @ 100 degrees, so it gets pretty hot in those side panels. I ended up just mounting it to my speaker box. I left the factory sub in the panel, but disconnected it just in case I want to hook it up again if I take my sub box out.
 
LonghornCruiser said:
That can shaped converter is a pretty good idea. Too bad us Americans only need 120 volts and a different shaped plug. ;)
I wonder if they make a U.S. version.

Geez,

How dumb am I :doh: I didn't even think of that, sorry :eek:
 
None yet, had a few days of 90+ degrees and no problems. The amp is mounted directly behind the factory sub’s grill, I think this helps with ventilation. I ran a #8 gauge wire to the back area to a power distribution block. I thought about redoing the 12v plug in the back but that would have made it “hot” all the time and I haven’t needed it yet, so I left it alone.
I will be driving the Cruiser to Wichita Falls TX in July; if the amp overheats I’ll let you know.

The other thing I did is add a switch to turn the amp off when I need to remove the sub’s for any reason. The switch is on a powder coated angle mounted next to the jack, and the speaker wires are routed under the jack’s door.
Dean
 
DMX..

What wattage amp do you have and what kind of sub? Also where did you place your sub?

I am running a Punch 250 bridged to 310 watts. That is pushing a set of JL 10"s in a Powerwedge. In my Grand Cherokee I had the sub directly against my back seat facing rearward. Now, I have found that it sounds best if I have it about 4-6" from the tailgate facing rearward. This placement makes it a little hard to get the groceries in and out, but is sounds a lot better and allows use of the 3rd row seat without moving the box.
 
DMX84 said:
If you don’t mind giving up the factory subwoofer, you can mount it in there. Once you remove the sub, than there is tons of room. That’s where I put my amplifier & crossover.

But it looks like the jack location will work.

Is the 12v plug going operate that ok? That outlet has a small wire going to it. I want to say it’s smaller than a 16ga, but can’t remember for sure.
Dean
I'd like to keep the subwoofer since I use it more than I use the inverter. The 12V plug power definitely will NOT work for the inverter. I'll have to look up the specs to determine cable needs.
 
Longhorn, it’s a HotSetup by Orion, 4-channel bridged into stereo. I think it’s a 250w. I am using the same subs in a band pass box (power wedge?). Basically it two 10’s facing each other (in a v shape) and the ported box and has two ports. I have removed the third row seats because we have no kids. (But keep them handy for when the nephews come.) :D
I found the same location gives some nice bass also. I have a small ratchet strap to hold the sub box form moving, and yes it is hard to but the groceries in.
But the 100 wasn’t designed for grocery shopping! :flipoff2:

I have an Audio Control 2sx crossover set at 110db. This system is real old school I had the crossover, but bought the sub w/enclosure & amp from my friends’ daughter for cheap.
I plan on getting some MB Quart for the doors. Crutchfield has them now $300 for the system. This will brighten up the mid and highs, which it lacks now because I am using the factory deck. lol I had the MB’s in my fj62 and it rocked!
:cheers:
 
Hoser, I hear you. I wouldn’t want to give up any bass either. I also agree on the 12v out let power being too small.
I like the jack location for the inverter. I would recommend using a switch to turn it off when not needed.
FWIW, Crutchfield has 2 new subs that are very slim, (and could probable give more bass than the factory subs). My thought is; one of these could probably be installed in the factory location, and eliminate the bulky factory box and have room for an inverter.
Just a thought.
Dean
 
That's a good idea about replacing the sub. Which subs are you referring to? I checked the website but there are just too many.
 
One is the Clarion SRV303. It has a 7in sub built in a ported enclosure w/ a 120w amp. And it less than 3 inches thick.

The other one is a Kenwood KSK-SW1. It has a 6.5 in driver & 6.5 passive radiator, its also is amplified with 75watts. This one uses a wired remote to control the bass out put. I think this would be nice as I like to listen to a wide variety of music.

They list one other, (Infinity Basslink) but IIRC it’s too big to fit in the stock location.
Hope this helps.
Dean
 
Hoser...

I have had good luck with www.etronics.com. They have alot cheaper prices than Crutchfield. The Clarion sub is $100 cheaper and the Kenwood is $80 cheaper. Just something to chew on. Plus, there should be a power switch actually on the inverter, but if you want to install one up on the dash that is a different story.


DMX...

I am using a black cargo net to hold my box in place. It holds it pretty tight and also hides it a little. My box is pretty slim compared to a bandpass box, so it doesn't take up too much room and isn't very obvious if you are peeking in the rear tinted window.
I have built in electronic crossovers in my Sony head unit. I can adjust for fronts, backs and sub independently. Nothing under a certain freq goes to my door speakers and nothing over goes to my sub. Or vice versa or whatever it is. My amp also has a built in low pass crossover with a bass control knob I installed in my dash ashtray. Am using the factory amp to push the factory door speakers. Sounds very good and I will probably not replace them until I blow one of them.

The Powerwedge is actually made by JL for my speakers. Sounds amazing. :eek:

http://www.jlaudio.com/enclosures/CS210RGW0.html

Also, a word of caution. I have had some bad luck with JLs in a bandpass box. JLs hit really low, so they push out more air from the front than most bandpasses can release. And most bandpass boxed are ported for the back of the speaker. They sound pretty awesome, but they tend to tear at the cone because of the push pull design of the box with the speakers facing each other. It takes a while, though. If you notice, JL makes only a single sub bandpass box and it is alot bigger than most other bandpasses. All the other JL boxes are sealed with no ports.

If you don't turn it up too loud, of course, its alot less likely to hurt your speaker. Just passing on some knowledge of my bad luck from when I had to buy a couple of new speakers :doh:
 
Longhorn, It's been over 12 years since I've built a bandpass enclosure but this is from what I remember:

Was the bandpass enclosure designed for those JL speakers? If not, it is important to tune the box with the woofers parameters in mind. I suspect the the woofer's resonance frequency was below the enclosure's tuning frequency. At that point, the woofer will have tremendous movement. At the tuning frequency, the woofer has actually little movement. In a 6th order bandpass, there are two tuning frequencies.

It's called a push-pull design because one of the woofers is wired "out of phase" with one another. I don't think that in itself it the cause of tearing the cone as the woofers aren't really fight against eachother and are more in unison. Whether the port is tuned to the front or the back of the woofer, it makes little difference in sound at those frequencies.
 
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