Posted by Brent Doerzman on September 8, 2007 at 8:50 PM
Howdy! So I will readily admit, I'm a gadget junkie. Specifically, an electronic gadget junkie! And I think quite a few of my photo friends are too! Come on, you know who you are!!
Anyway, with another Fall Colors trip coming up, as well as a nice long drive all the way back to eastern Iowa after that (the first time with our 4 month old), it got me thinking about all those gadgets, and charging them all up! On top of that, in the past couple months, I've gotten my hands on a used laptop, and a used Canon Rebel. Those two are especially a problem , since their batteries are all a little suspect. Even with two batteries for the Rebel, they just don't last too long.
So, instead of buying multiple new batteries, I thought I'd kill two bird with one stone, and look into car power inverters! This long winded lead-up brings me to my question: Do any of you have them, recommend any one in particular, good experiences, bad?
Any advice or info would be appreciated!
Posted by Jim Talaric on September 8, 2007 at 9:43 PM
Brent,
Got an inverter (DC in AC out) at Target a few years back...I think a 450Watt. Works great...about $30 as best as I can remember.
Jim
Posted by Paul Wegemann on September 8, 2007 at 10:03 PM
Brent,
I bought one at Walmart for around $40. I've charged my laptop, camera batteries, and AA batteries with it. Everything seems to work fine. It's a Black and Decker 400 watt, 3.5 amp with two AC outlets.
It's got a 12 volt cigarette lighter plug, but also comes with an adapter to hook it up directly to a car battery. I'm pretty pleased. It's been really handy while car camping.
Paul
Posted by Fred Stearns on September 8, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Brent,
I got one a few years ago. I can't remember where I got it. The price sounds like what the others are quoting. I think it is a 350 watt. It works. What else can I say? If your charger only has the lighter plug, I believe that you can get an adapter to allow you to hook it up directly to your battery at any of the stores where you can buy the inverter.
One thing you might check. I just changed from an American car, Exploder, to a Japanese car, 4Runner. The American car had the lighter active all the time. The Japanese car only has the lighter active when the ignition is turned on.
Fred
Posted by Les Barstow on September 8, 2007 at 10:18 PM
Fred, same with my Subaru - the lighter's only on when the ignition is... My Neon is always-on, but the voltage is a little lower.
I got an inverter from Microcenter and haven't had any issues with it at all; it does warn that some electronic devices - mostly small battery chargers - don't do well with the slightly non-sine signal, but I've run my laptop and Nikon battery charger on it without issue.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on September 8, 2007 at 10:20 PM
Gadget junkie? Guilty!
I've thought about an inverter too. Fall colors trip might just be enough of an excuse
Thanks for the info so far. I thin most of my cars cut off the power to the ligher sockets when the key is off. Has anyone wired an inverter directly to the battery? Might be an issue if you left something plugged in too long. Might just need to put another battery in for toys !
Posted by Bob Falcone on September 8, 2007 at 10:32 PM
I've got two inverters...a 300W and a 90W. The 90 watt is more than powerful enough for camera batteries, etc. I have to use the 300W model for my (work) 2-way radio charger, but otherwise it doesn't get used much. You can get a 90W inverter at WalMart for under $20.
A word to the wise for those who have cars with outlets that are "hot" all the time...a larger inverter WILL kill your battery if left plugged in overnight. Take it from someone who knows.
Posted by RICKDUNN on September 9, 2007 at 11:26 AM
out of town at the moment... typing on my phone so I'll be brief...
I have a 200W one from Walmart - black and decker. Good for camera batteries and the computer. Has two outlets, plus a 12v receptacle which is handy. Like the others, I was concerned about how much power I might pull from the truck battery, so I also picked up one of those portable battery chargers - also black and decker, also walmart.
I'm telling Hillary that you're a gadget junkie - you're in big trouble mister!
Posted by Les Barstow on September 9, 2007 at 11:27 AM
If you really want power while the car is off, you can always get one of those emergency battery packs; most of them come with a 12V outlet. Hook up the inverter to it and off you go.
Posted by Don Grall on September 9, 2007 at 12:01 PM
I have a Vector 350watt-2outlet inverter I got from WalMart about 4 years ago. In one outlet, I plug in a 6-outlet strip for plugging in camera battery chargers, and AA-NiMH chargers. This allows me to charge batteries for my cameras, flash, and videocam all at once. The other outlet has my cell phone charger plugged into it.
One note of caution: I have to remember to turn off the inverter before I turn off the ignition, so I velcroed a foam-stiffened cloth cover over the ignition key when the the inverter is in use as a reminder. If I turn the ignition off first, one experiences a sudden deflating-type,electronic whine. This doesn't ruin anything just yet , however, if you then turn the ignition key to start your engine or to just turn on the radio before turning off the inverter, you will at the least blow the fuse to the 12V outlet, or fry your inverter . I'm on my second one because of this.
The reason I stiffened the cloth with foam over the ignition key is because I found myself turning off the ignition despite just the cloth over it. Adding the thin foam sheet, creates more of a problem in grasping the key between the thumb and forefinger.
If using the inverter with the ignition on, but the engine off, you need to be particularly mindful of turning off the inverter before actually starting the engine!!
Does anyone else have trouble with their inverters when starting the engine while the inverter is turned on, or is it just this particular brand of inverter?
Posted by Bob Falcone on September 9, 2007 at 6:21 PM
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Does anyone else have trouble with their inverters when starting the engine while the inverter is turned on, or is it just this particular brand of inverter?
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I've heard my larger inverter whine when starting the engine, especially after the engine hasn't been running for a while. Usually when this happens, the inverter shuts down, and has to be switched off and then back on to work again. I think it's some type of safety feature if the car battery voltage drops too much. Doesn't keep the car battery from going dead, however.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on September 9, 2007 at 6:46 PM
I run a large laptop off an inverter quite often. Never have had any problem, except my engine must be running.
My first thought was to pay a few dollars more and get a BIG one with a GIGawatt power output to multiple outlets. However, if you read the fine print, those high watt ratings only work if the inverter is attached directly to the battery. So, unless you plan on the direct connection, don't waste your money on capacity that you can't use.
Posted by Brent Doerzman on September 9, 2007 at 7:28 PM
Excellent info everyone!! Thanks so much!! I'm gonna do a little shopping this week I think! I'll let you know what I end up with!! Thanks again!
Posted by Jesse Speer on September 9, 2007 at 9:22 PM
Great info, obviously. One of the most useful accessories I own, for car trips. Invaluable on fall trips, for batteries and laptop. I suggest buying the largest inverter, bringing along your TV, and having a movie night on Kebler Pass.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on September 10, 2007 at 12:37 PM
Microwave, TV ... Don't forget the satellite dish! As long as you're car camping might as well be comfortable!
Posted by Tim Behle on September 10, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Just curious, but why would you want to convert your car's DC voltage to AC, only to change it back to DC to charge a battery? You take a power loss with each change. Why not just step up or step down your car's 12v system to the needs of your battery?
If you really want an inverter to charge batteries, be sure that the one you get uses a true sine wave. Modified sine waves will work with some batteries, but not with others, and Square sine waves don't work with most. The first few times you charge a battery with an inverter, check it every few minutes to make sure that it isn't getting hot. The last thing you want is for your battery to melt or catch fire.
Posted by Les Barstow on September 11, 2007 at 1:08 AM
Tim - I think most modern battery chargers won't feed directly from another DC source; also, laptop and some camera batteries are "intelligent" and I wouldn't feel comfortable charging them directly when the charger and battery are in communication.
Posted by Jesse Speer on September 11, 2007 at 2:42 AM
I'll mention that my older inverter (Belkin AC Anywhere) charges my 5d batteries just fine - but did NOT work with my wife's Rebel charger. Discovered this problem this week actually. Just might be this modified sine wave issue. I don't remember now if my car-based charges provided the same full charge as a home-base charge. Hmmm, something to watch.
The cheapest sine wave inverter I've found is about $120.
And what I've read is that an inverter rated at over 300 watts can easily blow fuses (when not hard wired to battery) - i.e. Don's situation. I also read a thread somewhere online where someone actually measured this stuff. The typical Canon single charger drew about 20 watts at 120 volts. Doesn't take much!
Discussion
17 repliesAnyway, with another Fall Colors trip coming up, as well as a nice long drive all the way back to eastern Iowa after that (the first time with our 4 month old), it got me thinking about all those gadgets, and charging them all up! On top of that, in the past couple months, I've gotten my hands on a used laptop, and a used Canon Rebel. Those two are especially a problem , since their batteries are all a little suspect. Even with two batteries for the Rebel, they just don't last too long.
So, instead of buying multiple new batteries, I thought I'd kill two bird with one stone, and look into car power inverters! This long winded lead-up brings me to my question: Do any of you have them, recommend any one in particular, good experiences, bad?
Any advice or info would be appreciated!
Got an inverter (DC in AC out) at Target a few years back...I think a 450Watt. Works great...about $30 as best as I can remember.
Jim
I bought one at Walmart for around $40. I've charged my laptop, camera batteries, and AA batteries with it. Everything seems to work fine. It's a Black and Decker 400 watt, 3.5 amp with two AC outlets.
It's got a 12 volt cigarette lighter plug, but also comes with an adapter to hook it up directly to a car battery. I'm pretty pleased. It's been really handy while car camping.
Paul
I got one a few years ago. I can't remember where I got it. The price sounds like what the others are quoting. I think it is a 350 watt. It works. What else can I say? If your charger only has the lighter plug, I believe that you can get an adapter to allow you to hook it up directly to your battery at any of the stores where you can buy the inverter.
One thing you might check. I just changed from an American car, Exploder, to a Japanese car, 4Runner. The American car had the lighter active all the time. The Japanese car only has the lighter active when the ignition is turned on.
Fred
I got an inverter from Microcenter and haven't had any issues with it at all; it does warn that some electronic devices - mostly small battery chargers - don't do well with the slightly non-sine signal, but I've run my laptop and Nikon battery charger on it without issue.
I've thought about an inverter too. Fall colors trip might just be enough of an excuse
Thanks for the info so far. I thin most of my cars cut off the power to the ligher sockets when the key is off. Has anyone wired an inverter directly to the battery? Might be an issue if you left something plugged in too long. Might just need to put another battery in for toys
A word to the wise for those who have cars with outlets that are "hot" all the time...a larger inverter WILL kill your battery if left plugged in overnight. Take it from someone who knows.
I have a 200W one from Walmart - black and decker. Good for camera batteries and the computer. Has two outlets, plus a 12v receptacle which is handy. Like the others, I was concerned about how much power I might pull from the truck battery, so I also picked up one of those portable battery chargers - also black and decker, also walmart.
I'm telling Hillary that you're a gadget junkie - you're in big trouble mister!
One note of caution: I have to remember to turn off the inverter before I turn off the ignition, so I velcroed a foam-stiffened cloth cover over the ignition key when the the inverter is in use as a reminder. If I turn the ignition off first, one experiences a sudden deflating-type,electronic whine. This doesn't ruin anything just yet
The reason I stiffened the cloth with foam over the ignition key is because I found myself turning off the ignition despite just the cloth over it. Adding the thin foam sheet, creates more of a problem in grasping the key between the thumb and forefinger.
If using the inverter with the ignition on, but the engine off, you need to be particularly mindful of turning off the inverter before actually starting the engine!!
Does anyone else have trouble with their inverters when starting the engine while the inverter is turned on, or is it just this particular brand of inverter?
Does anyone else have trouble with their inverters when starting the engine while the inverter is turned on, or is it just this particular brand of inverter?
----------------------------------------------------------------
I've heard my larger inverter whine when starting the engine, especially after the engine hasn't been running for a while. Usually when this happens, the inverter shuts down, and has to be switched off and then back on to work again. I think it's some type of safety feature if the car battery voltage drops too much. Doesn't keep the car battery from going dead, however.
My first thought was to pay a few dollars more and get a BIG one with a GIGawatt power output to multiple outlets.
If you really want an inverter to charge batteries, be sure that the one you get uses a true sine wave. Modified sine waves will work with some batteries, but not with others, and Square sine waves don't work with most. The first few times you charge a battery with an inverter, check it every few minutes to make sure that it isn't getting hot. The last thing you want is for your battery to melt or catch fire.
The cheapest sine wave inverter I've found is about $120.
And what I've read is that an inverter rated at over 300 watts can easily blow fuses (when not hard wired to battery) - i.e. Don's situation. I also read a thread somewhere online where someone actually measured this stuff. The typical Canon single charger drew about 20 watts at 120 volts. Doesn't take much!