Paul - all I can tell you is a builder mate of mine got one from Screwfix Direct to charge his Hilti batteries and boil a kettle (I find that bit hard to fathom really) and he is that impressed with it he's bought another 2, and he was raving over the phone about the thing only this morning.
I bought a power invertor a couple of years ago from my local Motorbitz shop,price was either £25 or £30.
It's called a Pro User Power Invertor, Model number INV330.
Max. continuous power is 330watts and peak power is 600watts.
I've used it on several two-week holidays/trips both here and abroad and it's always worked faultlessly.
I use it for powering, and charging a Flashtrax portable storage device,charging flashgun batteries and charging camera batteries.
It comes with two leads,one for connecting to the cigarette lighter and one for direct connection to the battery.
I always tended to use the cigarette lighter lead all the time,however on a two week holiday to Majorca a couple of years ago I decided to pack the battery lead, just in case,I'm very pleased I did as the hire cars' cigarette lighter packed up on the first day,I was very thankful to have the spare lead with me.
I soon discovered that the lead was invaluable, as whilst the cigarette lighter lead is perfect (and convenient)for use whilst driving, or just when, with the vehicle,I soon discovered that there were many occasions where I needed several hours to fully charge everything completely.
Not wanting to waste time by staying with the vehicle throughout the process,and not wanting to risk leaving the invertor,leads,etc on display with an unattended vehicle (the unit can't be completely covered due to leaving the ventilation slots free) I was able to connect via the battery lead and leave the unit running in the engine compartment,out of view.Very useful.
I believe the instructions recommend you running the engine for about 15 minutes every hour whilst charging.I've used it continuously for three or four hours without doing this, and never had a flat battery yet.
Just make sure you get one powerful enough to run whatever you intend running.
As Andy mentions above,they're very popular with builders who need to charge power tools and make tea ,however you shouldn't need anything quite so powerful,unless of course you want to use a kettle.
I've used one for about 5 years now and it's been invaluable on trips.
Struggles with laptop (need a bigger output) but 300W versions are great for camera battery recharging, mobile phones, torches, etc etc - bigger wattage types tend to need connecting direct to battery, but smaller ones will go in cigarette lighter socket.
bought mine from halfords c.£30 for the kids to watch DVD on my laptop on long journeys. It's excellent and I use it all the time for charging batteries etc. I did try a travel kettle in it the other day but it blew the fuse Need a more powerful one for kettles.
Discussion
4 repliesDoes anybody use a power inverter to charge dSLR and portable storage devices from the car when out in the field for extended periods.
If you do please could you comment on how effective they are and any reliable makes/models.
Many thanks
Paul
Don't know if that helps at all
I bought a power invertor a couple of years ago from my local Motorbitz shop,price was either £25 or £30.
It's called a Pro User Power Invertor, Model number INV330.
Max. continuous power is 330watts and peak power is 600watts.
I've used it on several two-week holidays/trips both here and abroad and it's always worked faultlessly.
I use it for powering, and charging a Flashtrax portable storage device,charging flashgun batteries and charging camera batteries.
It comes with two leads,one for connecting to the cigarette lighter and one for direct connection to the battery.
I always tended to use the cigarette lighter lead all the time,however on a two week holiday to Majorca a couple of years ago I decided to pack the battery lead, just in case,I'm very pleased I did as the hire cars' cigarette lighter packed up on the first day,I was very thankful to have the spare lead with me.
I soon discovered that the lead was invaluable, as whilst the cigarette lighter lead is perfect (and convenient)for use whilst driving, or just when, with the vehicle,I soon discovered that there were many occasions where I needed several hours to fully charge everything completely.
Not wanting to waste time by staying with the vehicle throughout the process,and not wanting to risk leaving the invertor,leads,etc on display with an unattended vehicle (the unit can't be completely covered due to leaving the ventilation slots free) I was able to connect via the battery lead and leave the unit running in the engine compartment,out of view.Very useful.
I believe the instructions recommend you running the engine for about 15 minutes every hour whilst charging.I've used it continuously for three or four hours without doing this, and never had a flat battery yet.
Just make sure you get one powerful enough to run whatever you intend running.
As Andy mentions above,they're very popular with builders who need to charge power tools and make tea
Struggles with laptop (need a bigger output) but 300W versions are great for camera battery recharging, mobile phones, torches, etc etc - bigger wattage types tend to need connecting direct to battery, but smaller ones will go in cigarette lighter socket.
Ian
John