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anyone ever used an inverter in their car?

spanky

spanky

Lifer
my dad wants one, so i'm thinking about getting one for him for xmas. any good, bad, ugly stories you'd like to share about them?
 
I use one often when I am driving to power my pocket pc and gps. Never had a problem. If the power to it is not turned off when the car is, then I would recommend unplugging it so it does not drain the battery.
 
Yeah, unplug it when not in use, and don't use something that will pull more current than the inverter can provide. I managed to melt part of the fuse assembly trying that.
 
Originally posted by: spanky
my dad wants one, so i'm thinking about getting one for him for xmas. any good, bad, ugly stories you'd like to share about them?
Click to expand...

Used one for a laptop on a cross-country drive earlier this year. Works fine but it really fsked up the sound on the radio. I was using a FM transmitter with the lappy to play mp3 during the trip.
 
how many watts are the inverters you guys are using? i'm thinking my dad is just gonna use it to power his laptop when he uses this microsoft streets and trips gps thingie. i see some 300w (is this overkill?) ones that have 2 outlets. do you ever find yourself needing a second outlet?
 
Yup.

Use it on long trips/camping runs in the minivan. powers the laptop/GPS unit. We also use the laptop as a DVD player to keep my 3yo son entertained on LOOOOONG trips.

I have a Xantrex 400 (search for it at Amazon - it is $29.99 right now). Comes with both a Cig lighter plug and "alligator clips" for direct battery hookup.
 
great way to keep things charged on the go and to power other electronics as mentioned above.
 
Originally posted by: ScoobMaster
Yup.

Use it on long trips/camping runs in the minivan. powers the laptop/GPS unit. We also use the laptop as a DVD player to keep my 3yo son entertained on LOOOOONG trips.

I have a Xantrex 400 (search for it at Amazon - it is $29.99 right now). Comes with both a Cig lighter plug and "alligator clips" for direct battery hookup.
Click to expand...

dude, you're awesome! free shipping to boot 😀
 
I have a 75 watter modded into my 99 civic 🙂

Installed a switch in the dash, and the outlet is at the end of the crap between the two seats, where the hand brake is and stuff...

Use it all the time with my lappy.

I tried plugged a hair dryer in it, and ever since then it only works when the car is on... maybe I should check it out.. Hopefully its not about to catch fire or something 😛
 
Originally posted by: WarDemon666
I have a 75 watter modded into my 99 civic 🙂

Installed a switch in the dash, and the outlet is at the end of the crap between the two seats, where the hand brake is and stuff...

Use it all the time with my lappy.

I tried plugged a hair dryer in it, and ever since then it only works when the car is on... maybe I should check it out.. Hopefully its not about to catch fire or something 😛
Click to expand...

my 91 civic had the same behaviour.
 
Originally posted by: spanky
how many watts are the inverters you guys are using? i'm thinking my dad is just gonna use it to power his laptop when he uses this microsoft streets and trips gps thingie. i see some 300w (is this overkill?) ones that have 2 outlets. do you ever find yourself needing a second outlet?
Click to expand...

140W.
 
Originally posted by: spanky
Originally posted by: ScoobMaster
Yup.

Use it on long trips/camping runs in the minivan. powers the laptop/GPS unit. We also use the laptop as a DVD player to keep my 3yo son entertained on LOOOOONG trips.

I have a Xantrex 400 (search for it at Amazon - it is $29.99 right now). Comes with both a Cig lighter plug and "alligator clips" for direct battery hookup.
Click to expand...

dude, you're awesome! free shipping to boot 😀
Click to expand...


Aww shucks.....

Just tryin' to help 😉
 
I've got one I use to charge my cellphone in the car and to run whatever (laptop, etc) when I need it. Last winter we got 4 feet of snow and the power went out. We took a shovel out and dug out the driver's door to the car and the exhaust area, turned the car on and ran a long extension cord from the inverter into the house so we could watch the news. hahaha. We were trapped here for a few days with no power, running water, or a way to get out.
 
don't skimp on wattage, there cheap enough where a few 1000 watts isn't out of the question for less than 100 bucks, have a basic understanding of Ohms law.
 
Originally posted by: WarDemon666
I have a 75 watter modded into my 99 civic 🙂

Installed a switch in the dash, and the outlet is at the end of the crap between the two seats, where the hand brake is and stuff...

Use it all the time with my lappy.

I tried plugged a hair dryer in it, and ever since then it only works when the car is on... maybe I should check it out.. Hopefully its not about to catch fire or something 😛
Click to expand...

You were smart enough to hardwire an inverter in your car, but you weren't smart enough to realize that drawing 20 times its rated power was not a good idea? 😛

I use a 300W inverter in my car to power my laptop on long trips.
 
I have a 1500 we use for the GPS on my laptop during trips. Works great. Make sure you get one with overload protection though, and turn it off before you start the car, or it'll fault out.
 
at first i was just gonna buy some cheap-o one from office max, but now i think i am gonna grab this one. i like the digital meter that tells you how much power you are drawing. thoughts?
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: WarDemon666
I have a 75 watter modded into my 99 civic 🙂

Installed a switch in the dash, and the outlet is at the end of the crap between the two seats, where the hand brake is and stuff...

Use it all the time with my lappy.

I tried plugged a hair dryer in it, and ever since then it only works when the car is on... maybe I should check it out.. Hopefully its not about to catch fire or something 😛
Click to expand...

You were smart enough to hardwire an inverter in your car, but you weren't smart enough to realize that drawing 20 times its rated power was not a good idea? 😛

I use a 300W inverter in my car to power my laptop on long trips.
Click to expand...

Menh.. I was bored, wanted to see what would happen 😛 heheh
 
If you don't need a high powered one, get one of the 140w models that plug right into a cig lighter. (IE there is a cig lighter plug on one end and an outlet on the other) That way you don't have a bunch of cords or some big bulky metal box floating around your car.

I find it pretty bizarre that most people in this thread use theirs for devices that could VERY easily be powered by the cig socket itself. Most laptop manufacturers make 12v car chargers, ditto with a lot of the other suggestions.

I keep a 150w inverter in my car "just in case" I come up with a good use for it but honestly it's gotten hardly any use. An ex-gf of mine was absolutely amazed at it, she wanted to get one so she could charge her cell phone in her car. Her excuse for not just getting a car charger was that she always lost those, but she never lost her home charger, and with this she could just use her home charger. :disgust:
 
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