Power Inverter Question(s)

[cbmontgo]

I ran a buddy's power inverter on a recent trip to Big Bend National Park and loved the way it runs small electronics with low impact to the vehicle's battery. So I bought a Tripp Lite PV600 on Ebay that is a 1200W max output and 600W continuous output. It came in today and I can't wait to get it wired in.

What size/gauge wires are best for these? Any tips or tricks on the best way to wire these to the battery? I will most likely mount the inverter in the rear cargo area of my FJ60. I would ideally like to have a disconnect so that I could switch it between cars, but that's not a priority at this point.

Also, do you need a deep cycle battery to run one of these for an extended period of time? I am probably going to buy an Optima Yellow Top for my new winch anyway...

Here's the one I have:

 

[MountainCruiser62]

i just finished wiring up mine yesterday, it's a 1000w cont. power, 2000 peak and the company reccomended 2 guage wire with an inline fuse hard wired to the battery. i would think 4 guage would be just fine, but if you go to an audio store they should be able to let you know exactly what you need.

 

[MountainCruiser62]

about the optima, im running a standard batterey on mine and i have no power drain with the car running, but i was told by the company that i bought it from, a good 30 minutes running with out the engine on can kill my battery

 

[cbmontgo]

Thanks for the info. So do you think 2 ga or 4 ga is a better wire for this application?

 

[MountainCruiser62]

you should probably ask a stereo shop to be sure, when i used to wire stereo amp i always felt it was better to go bigger if i couldnt choose between two, but i was recently told that too big for your application can slow the rate at which the power is sent through the wire (if that makes sence). i think the most important thing to consider is the quality of the wire, I use marine grade monster cable, not cheap but it is supposed to send power almost instantatiously.

 

[MountainCruiser62]

i just found this on google.
http://www.whistlergroup.com/faq-inverters-answers.asp

middle of the page has a chart comparing wire guage and inverter wattage

 

[D'Animal]

Be sure to check the Amps on the inverter.

 

[cbmontgo]

Thanks for the info. I am going to hit a stereo and electronics store neay my office and see what they can hook me up with. I think this inverter is gonna be cool.

 

[D'Animal]

Thanks for the info. I am going to hit a stereo and electronics store neay my office and see what they can hook me up with. I think this inverter is gonna be cool.

Be sure to check the Amps on the inverter.

Before you throw down some big cash, check the output Amps.

Some 3000 watt units put out the same Amps as a cheap 100watt one.

It really does not do much good to buy one that will run the TV but not the DVD player at the same time. (I know this from living it.)

 

[94landcruiser]

I am about to buy an inverter. Which would be best to charge a laptop, celphone, bluetooth headset etc (not necessarily at the same time)

I mainly want it to have the option of running AC things and to avoid buying costly car chargers for the laptop & headset.

I was looking at a 300 watt continuous/600 peak Monster on ebay (I was actually outbid at the last millisecond by 1.00) grrrrrrrrr

Thanks

 

[78-FJ40]

Some nice 2-4 gauge cables available here:

http://offroadrecovery.zoovy.com/category/jumpercables/

 

[TroutBear]

http://genuinedealz.com/

Great service and outstanding prices on Amcor marine cables and crimp connectors / heat shrink. 1 or 2 awg is a good choice if the rating and distance from battery will allow you to do less than 1/0 gage.

 

[cruiser_guy]

What I did with mine is wire in a relay as well just in case I forget to switch the inverter off. Mine is hot with the key anywhere but "off". Same for the ham radio.