06-20-2008, 08:37 PM
| #1 |
| Senior Member   Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northwest USA
Posts: 2,084
|  Power Inverters...who's got the scoop?
Does anyone in this forum have knowledge/experience with buying/using power inverters, when AC fails or when away from AC source? I've been doing some research and found this web site: Inverter FAQ - DonRowe.com - Frequently Asked Questions about Power Inverters I'm looking for an inverter that I can hook up in my vehicle, and use it to run AC items. What I've learned so far points me in the direction of a "pure sine wave" inverter. Also, it's not meant to replace using a small/large generator, just as another source for AC when in the vehicle. Does anyone have the scoop on these, from personal experience...? 
__________________ "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." -Unknown Last edited by LiveToShoot; 06-20-2008 at 08:41 PM. |
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06-20-2008, 08:52 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: living in Alabama now
Posts: 239
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I have used power inverters and find them to be a good source of dc to ac power if used in pure wave variety. They are available in many voltage and amp varieties. The last one I have had any experience converts 24 DC to 110 AC with 3500W constant and 7000W peak. The unit cost almost as much as a generator, but because of its size it was beter suited for the job than a generator. The second thing that was in favor of it was that the bus that I installed it on was diesel powered. The Military uses these on occasion for a power source. |
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06-20-2008, 08:59 PM
| #3 |
| Registered User  Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Gibson County Indiana
Posts: 8
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Depends on what you want to power up. When I drove a semi truck, I used a cobra 400 watt inverter that peaked out at 800 watts. used it to power up my 13'' color tv with built in vcr and I also used it to power up my PlayStation II. worked very well, low battery drain. You can pick up a Cobra power inverter for about $50 or $60. Hope that helps. God Bless Chesty Puller  |
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06-21-2008, 12:28 AM
| #5 |
| Senior Member  |
Used to have an old 24' Box Truck, I welded in a long box and put 10 deep-cycle batteries in it in series, used a flat bench seat as the top. Placed a portable 3-panel solar collector on top of the van to recharge 'em when they weren't being recharged by the engine. It was my power supply after Hurricane Ivan hit. Ended up putting a Generator on it about 8 months after Ivan. I primarily used it as an RV to go to Archery Tournaments... Sold it to a local fire dept as a Rehab Vehicle...had a nice large fridge/freezer, gas stovetop & A/C blowing towards the bench. One person could feed an army of firefighters at a Scene & have them chilled out & ready to go back into the hot zone after the appropriate rest. 3 Black & Decker 1500's were the original hookups... Cobra 2500 watt Inverters...can do a LOT when properly supplied!! Last edited by big shrek; 06-21-2008 at 12:37 AM. Reason: spelling |
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06-21-2008, 07:34 AM
| #6 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northwest USA
Posts: 2,084
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Thanks for the very good/helpful feedback... ...now I gotta watch for a bargain price on an inverter.
__________________ "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." -Unknown |
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06-21-2008, 08:26 AM
| #8 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northwest USA
Posts: 2,084
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Craig, Yes, to power up some of those electronics that are sensitive to interference that modified sine produce; especially a radio transmission-receiver.... I'll look for the lowest wattage pure sine I can use to meet anticipated needs, and then buy/use a larger modified sine for other electric needs...the Cobra 400/800 watt model that was recommended above sounds like a good option.
__________________ "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." -Unknown Last edited by LiveToShoot; 06-21-2008 at 08:29 AM. |
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06-21-2008, 02:19 PM
| #9 |
| Senior Member  |  Inverter
LiveToShoot: Sir; 800hz is neutral in radio. Good Choice. Too you can create a simple control rheostat control. With heat; you loose control of your wave in practical application. Battery voltage spike or drop; not good with the clean waveform. Alternators put out 14.7volts when in use, batteries accept over charge with the ionization chemical process. Delivered prower can exceed capacity, delicate balance. Rheostat voltmeter between the battery and inverter. Slamming the Inverter=not good. Power up method= full power to battery, full power to ''rheostat, modulated from to Inverter= happy inverter  Check S54S site. He has home brewed some more FINE mess. lea.hamradio
__________________ Craig By the standards of most |
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06-21-2008, 03:13 PM
| #10 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 582
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What kind of devices require pure sine waves?
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06-21-2008, 03:57 PM
| #11 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 412
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I have a 1000 watt inverter that I hard wired into my company vehicle to power my laptop. It will even power a blender to make smoothies.
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06-21-2008, 04:09 PM
| #12 |
| Senior Member | misnomer
JMacDonald: Sir; a misnomer in the radio field. ?Perfect? sine wave adapts itself well in radio communica. i.e. The smoother the wave lengthl = ?better? signal receive or transmit. Years gone by for the hobbyist, difficult to achieve and hold
__________________ Craig By the standards of most Last edited by neophyte; 06-21-2008 at 04:10 PM. Reason: perfect |
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06-21-2008, 08:29 PM
| #13 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northwest USA
Posts: 2,084
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JM, Do I need Modified Sine Wave, or Pure Sine Wave? Advantages of Pure Sine Wave inverters over modified sine wave inverters: a) Output voltage wave form is pure sine wave with very low harmonic distortion and clean power like utility-supplied electricity. b) Inductive loads like microwave ovens and motors run faster, quieter and cooler. c) Reduces audible and electrical noise in fans, fluorescent lights, audio amplifiers, TV, Game consoles, Fax, and answering machines. d) Prevents crashes in computers, weird print out, and glitches and noise in monitors. e) Reliably powers the following devices that will normally not work with modified sine wave inverters:
We often are asked if computers will work with Modified Sine Wave. It's been our experience that most (with the exception of some laptops) will work (though some monitors will have interference such as lines or a hum). However, if you have any doubt about any appliance, tool or device, particularly laptop computers and medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, we recommend that you check with its manufacturer to be sure it is compatible with a Modified Sine Wave inverter. If it is not, choose one of our Pure Sine Inverters instead. The difference between them is the Pure Sine Wave inverter produces a better and cleaner current. They are also considerably more expensive. You might find it practical to get a small Pure Sine Wave inverter for any "special need" you may have, and also a larger Modified Sine Wave inverter for the rest of your applications." As listed at: Inverter FAQ - DonRowe.com - Frequently Asked Questions about Power Inverters ************ Craig, Good info...but a little over my head in application at this point...I'm learning, but not there yet. Thanks...
__________________ "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." -Unknown |
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06-21-2008, 09:06 PM
| #14 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 582
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Yeah I read that and forgot to edit my post. But, I could use something like this to charge my laptop (it said most will do ok with modified wave), and run other simple appliances? It looks like my laptop wants 1.5A which, at 120V, is 180 watts. Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices |
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06-21-2008, 10:34 PM
| #15 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York
Posts: 2,396
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I have a 1500 watt inverter that I got to power a laptop in my car. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and it works fine - but after about 90 minutes of computer use you have to start the engine because the available amps has dropped low enough that if you keep using the laptop, starting the car becomes problematic. With the engine running, it's not a problem.
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06-21-2008, 10:55 PM
| #16 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minn.
Posts: 1,021
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Wow I am learning all kinds of things on this forum, I have a power inverter that I bought to use when my friend needed to take his nebulizer along with us but I have not used it yet, can I run a shop vac with it to suck up brass?
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06-22-2008, 06:28 AM
| #17 |
| Senior Member | Inverter
LiveToShoot: Sir; Look at power in and power out. Alternator charges the batteries @14.7v Power to Batteries is too high, NOT a design flaw, [OVERRIDE necessarily.] Power out> to Rheostat with volt reg. a. think about a dimmer switch in the house Volt to switch can reach dangerous [i.e.electrical} limits, cause overload, flat top or modified ''whole list of adjectives'' crooked line tops Inverters will handle and can handle many many problems, designed for applications outta this world happenings. BUT can be enhanced with a simple rheostat volt control. getting real anal; you could even use the rheostat control on the outlet side of your new inverter. Maybe a little too  much, but, I've gots some friends Blenders tv rocking chair coffee pots; all are safe from most spikes, Radio's efficiency is my concern with ?better? equipment running [i.e. radio] everything is a compromise, made for us everyday folks. With radio [modern] high dollar to $5.00 communication I want protection. Lastly; draw a line [pen and paper] one end Alternator; half way; along the line Battery; end of the line; inverter. Between and as close to the inverter as you realistically can; the Volt rheostat controll. all you can do for protection without ?MY ANal Friends
__________________ Craig By the standards of most |
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06-22-2008, 09:15 AM
| #18 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northwest USA
Posts: 2,084
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Craig, Thanks for the extra explanation, it's making more sense to me; especially when it comes to protecting costly radio gear... Do rheostats come in different sizes, and, if so, what size do you recommend? Would the size of the rheostat depend on the size of the inverter or the batteries? I'll be using the inverter connected to a two battery setup from a diesel engine, if that makes any difference. Also, there'll be an inverter connected to a one battery setup from a gas engine, in my wife's car. I want to be sure the radios work well, as distortion/trouble free as possible, in these two setups, with the protection needed. Thanks... Also, the AR friends are nice to have...cause they consider and work through things the rest of us don't even know are out there or that we don't have the tenacity to stick to... **** I bought the first of three inverters yesterday, a Vector 400/800 modified sine...and I'm checking out another one, Power Jack 1200/2400 pure sine. The Cobra CPI-475 400/800 modified sine, mentioned above, also has my attention as the third one. The pure sine will be at the home base station, and the two modified ones will be in each of the vehicles. Sure hope it works/meets our needs...
__________________ "Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it." -Unknown Last edited by LiveToShoot; 06-22-2008 at 09:27 AM. |
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06-22-2008, 09:41 AM
| #19 |
| Senior Member | Making me think
LiveToShoot: Sir; the starting of any fueled piece of equipment=== surge; instant surge: BAD to electronics Turn sensitive equipment off; start engine, turn equipment on after a moment or 2 ''stuff'' settled down. Think of a drill with a built in speed reduction deal. Those are the simplest of them all. Radio Shack; AC or DC will work fine. Doesn't have to be the most expensive. Hardware store; plastic or metallic box Wire from battery in to box Connect to rheostat Cut out of a voltage meter ''Quality'' voltmeter, CAR Part store=cheap price good to better unit= diesel truck round voltmeter. Manual not electrical. [can explain at another time] This whole deal will cost about $10.00 +- for each. Your box needs only to hold the wire, rheostat, and a face mounted v meter can be purtty or just. Stranded wire only from battery to all equipment [stranded wire is best] ''don't know how to explain the differences at the moment. argument whether to solder or physically attach solder ='s heat ='s brittle ='s non elasticity [flex needed for jostling up and down the highway, walking, temp inversions and on and on mechanical ='s crimping, bending fastening, bigger heat shrink ='s field repair. each joint ='s lossee Keep each at the very minimum whether sending or receiving ='s ?better? signal
__________________ Craig By the standards of most |
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