Power inverter
- Thread starter AADIVER
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most likely not.. 100Watts is pretty light duty. i use a 400watt inverter to run my 20" LCD tv and it runs it.. If your tv is a tube tv, you'll need more power. Mine pulls about 120 watts while its on. a dvd player depending on the type could pull up to 150 watts. so you need to figure out the power requirements of the equipment you want to run and then go with an inverter that will support it.. and you don't want to max it out.. the rule i follow is that i go with an inverter twice the size of the power requirements to be sure.
i actually just picked up a 1000 Watt pure sine inverter for the boat.. will hard wire it in over the winter haul out.
i actually just picked up a 1000 Watt pure sine inverter for the boat.. will hard wire it in over the winter haul out.
You can still use that inverter to charge a laptop. I actually run my laptop to watch DVDs and things like that.
If it was that cheap then you might do well to hold onto it for that. It won't draw as much power as a stronger inverter also.
If it was that cheap then you might do well to hold onto it for that. It won't draw as much power as a stronger inverter also.
Since I'm basically an electric/electronic idiot, how do I connect the inverter to my DC system? It has a plug in for the laptop, but the other end connects to a cigarette lighter. It also has a USB power port. The only DC outlet near the cabin table is a light on the port side.
CAT,
My boat has a "cigarette lighter" type outlet at the nav station. I use a small inverter like yours to plug my laptop in. Setting the laptop up on there and popping in a DVD at the nav is a good, all around location for viewing. If you don't have one, they're an easy two wire hookup (one red pos, one black neg). Try to make sure the outlet's power rating is up to the inverter watts and that it has an included in-line fuse. There should be a couple of options to find a way to connect to 12v there in the electrical panel.
Rob
My boat has a "cigarette lighter" type outlet at the nav station. I use a small inverter like yours to plug my laptop in. Setting the laptop up on there and popping in a DVD at the nav is a good, all around location for viewing. If you don't have one, they're an easy two wire hookup (one red pos, one black neg). Try to make sure the outlet's power rating is up to the inverter watts and that it has an included in-line fuse. There should be a couple of options to find a way to connect to 12v there in the electrical panel.
Rob
CAT, here is what I've done on my boat, hope it is useful to you. I have a short pigtail plugged into my receptacle on the boat with a standard female 3 prong plug on the end. When we leave dock I have an extension cord which I then plug directly into that plug, the other end into an 750watt inverter I got cheap at Harbor freight. The inverter is hooked directly up to an isolated Group 31 battery. This makes all house 110 plugs hot and enables us to use TV, mini-fridge, fans, radios, Christmas lights, you name it directly into any convenient house plug. This has worked for us for years with no problems, and if we run that battery down, we still have the house batteries complete to start the boat. I don't mess around with any 12v stuff that I don't absolutely need to such as running lights, I pretty much leave the house batteries for basic boat needs and the Group 31 for all "regular" 110v appliances we use.
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Just made a decision: one of the joys of sailing is a breather from all the AC tech crap that engulfs our lives, so we're just gonna live with DC, listen to music and read while cruising. Anyone wanna buy this Targus 100 watt inverter? 30 bucks and it's yours.
Great attitude! Always default to be a sailor and go "Old School"! Sometimes "Simple" is the best answer that took a long time to get too. Isn’t that why we love sailing because of its fundamental idea of being nostalgic?
(I'll give you twenty bucks for it! We also like a deal!)
(I'll give you twenty bucks for it! We also like a deal!)
I use a 200 watt inverter, for AC chores, but I don't use the boat batteries, instead I use a Stanley 450 watt jump start system, it's portable, compact and rechargeable.
I would also advocate that the less draw on your limited battery bank juice output the better. The less chance of drawing batteries down past 50% of the rating will make them last a lot longer. As far as inverter wiring, I keep it simple. I have a 500 watt inverter with red & black cables that have standard alligator clips at the ends which I connect directly to the battery terminals of the battery I want to drain, ehem, use.
I keep a spare battery just for this type of draw, so I'm not tempted to risk killing my starter or house bank. I have also always kept a emergency starter type battery with built in cables as a backup. Its come in handy more than once. When I first bought our boat the old batteries gave up the ghost just powering my GPS & VHF, etc. on a day trip. Those Black & Decker type emergency chargers will hold a charge for over 6 months. Good to have! Cheers.
I keep a spare battery just for this type of draw, so I'm not tempted to risk killing my starter or house bank. I have also always kept a emergency starter type battery with built in cables as a backup. Its come in handy more than once. When I first bought our boat the old batteries gave up the ghost just powering my GPS & VHF, etc. on a day trip. Those Black & Decker type emergency chargers will hold a charge for over 6 months. Good to have! Cheers.
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