Power inverters ...

[BG101]

Has anyone fitted one of these? I have a 600W mains inverter which I intend to fit in my K11 (hopefully behind the console if it will fit). I bought it for my K10 originally but never got round to putting it in, mostly because I would have had to make up brackets and somehow bodge it in under the glovebox. At least there are a few more possible places to hide it in the K11!

I do have some heavy gauge cable but will have to find a route into the engine compartment, will also need to find a suitable isolation switch or relay (but I've yet to find one with suitable contact rating).

My concern is whether the alternator in a 1 litre K11 will cope with this and whether switching on a heavy load could stall the engine, or worse :glance:.

Any thoughts/comments welcome


BG

 

[Ed]

If you use 8awg cable or better you will be fine. Put a fuse within a foot of the battery.

 

[NeX]

yea i have one, its under the seat, and then just ran some mains wire to a wall socket thats blended into the fuse box cover in the dash.

alot of them come with a plug for the ciggerette lighter, so you don't need hefty wires and stuff unless you are using some kind of industrial one.

but like Ed said, some 8 gauge amp wire with the approriate fuse should be enough.

i am trying a different idea now and using a UPS system on a deep cycle battery and splitting the charge, that way i can have lots of power when ever i need it without having to have the engine running. and i am going to make it removable for portable mains.

 

[pjg1979]

I haven't yet fitted an inverter to my car but I do have plans, though it is essential to have a fuse on the positive lead in between the battery and the inverter there is still a few things you need to know.

1. If there is a current draw off the inverter when turned you should ideally need an in-line switch as well.
2. Does the inverter have a automatic shut off so if you are using it when the car isn't running it won't drain you battery so much that you can't start your car when you need to.
3. Does the inverter have internal fuses (not a major but I've seen some c**p on the market that'll make you scared).

Are you thinking of using the full 600w? I was going to fit a 500 as this is ideal for most laptops these days. But a 300w is more than capable of running a PS2 and a 14" TV for example.

Any chance you could post some pictures of the inverter? I might have some small 90 degree brackets.

 

[Ed]

I have yet to see a 'normal' laptop that needs anywhere a 300w psu..... although i have seen laptops play havoc with larger inverters due to the inductive load placed on them by the SMPSUs (i.e. my dell 95w charger upsets my 600w inverter.
Ed

 

[Shero]

I had one running the ps2 last year, there were never any problems with it atall man. Pretty much what ed and nex said.
But just fire away with it man, I had no problems atall.

 

[BG101]

Thanks for all this great advice, pretty much what I thought but it's always better to hear from peeps who have already tried it

Will be having a go at fitting it this weekend, been too busy until now. Seems 10mm² will be more than adequate, with a 60A fuse and decent clamps on the battery terminals. Anyone know what the standby current is on the 600W inverters? It's not documented anywhere. I would assume it draws current even when switched off, as that small front-panel switch is obviously not isolating the supply! Would I actually need an isolation switch or is it only a few mA and therefore not likely to flatten the battery over the weekend


Thanks

BG