BajaNomad

POWER INVERTER.dc to ac

BAJACAT - 4-19-2007 at 09:41 PM

It.s really necesary to have one while traveling to Baja.I can see the reason to waste the money.:?:

[Edited on 4-20-2007 by BAJACAT]

[Edited on 4-20-2007 by BAJACAT]

David K - 4-19-2007 at 09:44 PM

I have a small inverter from Costco, never use it... plus have a truck with one built in... If you bring a 110v light, appliance, etc. then use it... But, be careful not to drain your battery.

DavidT - 4-19-2007 at 09:50 PM

My friend has a Toyota Tacoma with a 400 watt inverter built in, with an outlet by the tailgate. As luck would have it, I have a 400 watt blender, margarita mix, ice and tequila.:)

BAJACAT - 4-19-2007 at 09:59 PM

Good enough reason to buy one thanks guys I will be having fresh margaritas in my upcomming trip to Gonzaga on May.Thanks DK and also DTfor the margarita idea.:lol::lol:

so how many watts do I need

BAJACAT - 4-19-2007 at 10:01 PM

David K - 4-19-2007 at 10:08 PM

Check the wattage of the appliance you want to run.

BajaBruno - 4-19-2007 at 11:17 PM

If you are a writer, or just want to watch a DVD one night, then an inverter is the only way I know to use a laptop after its batteries expire. None of these new laptops that I have seen will plug directly into a 12v DC source.

Bob and Susan - 4-20-2007 at 05:31 AM

for your camping needs you won't need anything larger than 700 watts

it will run you about $80 tops

bring a small coffee pot perk-u-lator (600 watts) and a bag of starbucks:biggrin:

coffee pot --- "perk" "you" "later"
i never saw that before:lol:
must'a went right over my head:lol:

Alan - 4-20-2007 at 06:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DavidT
My friend has a Toyota Tacoma with a 400 watt inverter built in, with an outlet by the tailgate. As luck would have it, I have a 400 watt blender, margarita mix, ice and tequila.:)


Who needs an inverter? http://www.flyingbarstools.com/dakwhak/index.shtml

Bob and Susan - 4-20-2007 at 06:30 AM

ahhh ... the smell of two cycle at dinner...

El Camote - 4-20-2007 at 09:35 AM

I bought the 400w, $25 inverter from Costco which was recommended on this board. I love it, wish they were still selling them I'd buy another. Use it in the camper to charge the laptop and cell phone, but most importantly as mentioned here, I clamp it direct to the battery, start the engine and fire up the 375w blender for "hood-a-ritas! You're definitely the star of the campsite when you pour frosty ones. :smug:

Another good thing about this particular unit is it has a digital meter which reads out battery voltage, and output voltage and wattage. I velcroed mine to the wall in the camper and leave it on while driving to monitor the aux. battery voltage especially with the 12v fridge running.

I haven't seen another one at this price with these features. :no:

Hook - 4-20-2007 at 10:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBruno
If you are a writer, or just want to watch a DVD one night, then an inverter is the only way I know to use a laptop after its batteries expire. None of these new laptops that I have seen will plug directly into a 12v DC source.


Do a search for your particular laptop. You will likely find OEM cords or aftermarket cords that plug right in to DC outlets. Many laptops are 12v and the AC unit that comes with it is usually an AC-to-DC converter that wants to put out more than 12v to charge the laptop batteries. But if all you want to do is run the laptop, then a 12v cord is fine.

I avoid charging my laptop with an inverted AC signal, if possible. Some devices dont like a modified sine wave and the true sine wave inverters are pricey. Even though the device seems to work, you can be shortening the life of the converter.

bajalou - 4-20-2007 at 11:21 AM

Living in a solar area, our laptops are always charged with modified sine wave inverters with no loss of life of batteries. I agree there are some chargers that don't like the modified sine wave. Have had 4 laptops and none operated on 12VDV, all had to have a converter to change to 15, or 18 volts. If they would use 12V, life would be much simpler. (My linksys router does operate on 12VDC and really is very forgiving on the voltage ie, 11V 10.8V etc)

Hook - 4-20-2007 at 12:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalou
Living in a solar area, our laptops are always charged with modified sine wave inverters with no loss of life of batteries. I agree there are some chargers that don't like the modified sine wave. Have had 4 laptops and none operated on 12VDV, all had to have a converter to change to 15, or 18 volts. If they would use 12V, life would be much simpler. (My linksys router does operate on 12VDC and really is very forgiving on the voltage ie, 11V 10.8V etc)


Lou, check the specs on your laptop. Many converters put out more than 12v to charge the internal battery but the laptop itself often runs on 12v. This is the case with the Fujitsus I usually buy. The optional DC plug puts out about 14v max, so that it charges the battery but at a slower rate than the AC converter, which puts out 19v @ 8amps. But there is no inversion going on with the DC plug.

bajalou - 4-20-2007 at 03:04 PM

The label on the laptop (Gateway) says - Input - 18.5VDC @ 4.9a.