Power Inverter

[Ilkorin]

I'm not quite sure if this is the place to post this, but I'm sure a friendly mod will move it if it isn't.........

I've been looking a little bit at dabbling in getting mains power in the car....don't know if I'll be doing it with the car I currently have, but I've got a project in mind to make a 'self sufficient' car for long trips and the like.....

just wondering if anyone has done this sort of thing before and what sort of work it entails - do you need a larger battery? how much do they cost? any sort of info would be greatly appreciated!

[frogman]

I have one in my Hilux. I made a mounting bracket for the passenger footwell and wired it direct to the jeep battery (fused, of course!). It looks very well and I've gotten plenty of compliments about it.

Most inverters come with a cigarette lighter cable and a cable with crocodile clips. I just cut of the crocodile clips and crimped on connectors to suit the battery terminal bolt. Alternatively you can just use the cigarette lighter when you need it.


Its very straightforward really and well worth doing if you need power on the go. I use mine a lot as I work in construction and use it to power my laptop and other bits and pieces (I often used it to charge cordless drill batteries).


The power rating is important on these and depending on what you use it for, I would suggest 400 W minimum. Also, put it somewhere where airflow won't be restricted as it will have a fan on constantly to prevent overheating.


It doesnt seem to be heavy on the battery but that said, there is a very big battery in the jeep anyway. I dont know what it would be like on an E30, but if you leave the engine running it shouldnt be an issue.

[mrLEE30]

best place to look for good quality inverters is at a marine supply shop (or a Yacht Chandlery if you are posh ), here you will find good quality inverters of varoius ratings.

you power rating will depend on what you want to run - i.e computer/battery charger like frogman, does not require too much juice so the 400W area is good. If you wish to run anything bigger (i.e. kettle) then you will require a much bigger inverter - which will drain the battery quicker. (Very quick with a kettle in this case i suggest you look more toward a small pertrol generator)

as above they generate heat so their location must be considered, and with all electrical installations a suitably sized fuse as close to the battery as possible, however good quality inverters will have the ability/equipment to cut out when the battery becomes too low (so you just may be able to start your car, otherwise a second battery in the boot in case of emergency (not connected but charged)

mrlee

[Ilkorin]

hmm yea,

was looking mainly to get one to run a laptop/phone chargers etc. while driving...... didn't quite think about the heat thing and the fact that it'll need to be quite close to the battery.... would be quite cool to run a kettle though but they take an awful lot of current - maybe with the engine on.....

I'm wondering if it'd be worth getting a bigger battery, would the constant charge/discharge from running household appliances eventually buckle the plates with the standard battery?

[mrLEE30]

if you are only using it for charging etc then as above a small one will be fine. The inverter does not need to be close to the battery but the fuse does - by that i mean the positive wire used to run the inverter could be taken straight from the battery, but you will need to fit an inline fuse as close to the battery as possible, that way the fuse protects the positive wire and the equipment in case of a short circuit (which is bad news for a battery)

they will generate a bit of heat but not excessive if its a small inverter, you could fit it in the boot quite easliy.

running something like even a small kettle wil require a large amount of power (i.e 2000-3000W or 2-3 kW) and for this you may require a large inverter and probably a larger battery, but then you need to consider if the charging equipment i.e the alternator is able to maintain a larger battery charge.

[Ilkorin]

Yea, had a think about it and I'm looking to rig up a smaller inverter (going on your 400W suggestion) - are there any brands to look for and any features that are a must? I've heard some have low voltage shut offs to avoid draining the battery completely, I'm guessing that's pretty useful?

Thanks!

[sati]

if its just to charge laptop and phone bat , you can buy one the plug in to the lighter socket , have a look at maplin.co.uk there normaly cheap if not surplus stores.

[zaust]

Pm sent Ilkorin.