dieselcrazy

if i buy a 100w power inverter that has 1 120v outlet ... can i get a double outlet adapter and run 2 video cam battery chargers at the sametime off the inverter ?? trying to see what we need to take to daytona with us to keep cam batteries charged at the campground. thanks guys, scott

LanceD

I don't think you should charge batteries off an invertor, read the book that comes with it, something about square waves or somethin

Jim Lane

Most of the cheaper inverters are square wave output and if you try to plug in a battery charger it most likley will overheat and damage it. You will need to get a better one that has a modified sine wave then there will be no problem. There is one even better than that and they produce pure sine wave but they are expensive. I have a 3000 watt prosine in mine and I can power things just as if you were at home. But it pulls alot of amps under a foll load.
Just check the specs. on the inverter you are looking at and choose one that the modified sine wave and you should be fine, also don't underize yourself here get about a 400 or 500 watt and do not plug it into your lighter, connect it to your battery.
Another option would to get a inverter more designed to power a laptop, they have a lot better voltage regulation and they are not that expensive.
They also have battery chargers that you can plug into your truck power outlet. I have a "Lenmar"
charger for my sony camera and it charges 2 battery packs at one time.
I plug in my "Rigid" 18 volt battery charger into my inverter and have NO problem. I can also power 500 watt halogen work lights, recip. saw it is just like being a home. My son and daughter in law just bought a house and it had to be painted before they moved in and the power was not on yet so I parked in the driveway and put out a couple hundred feet of extension cords and powered the work lights from my truck from 6:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M.and we got the job done.
Just a thought. Jim

dieselcrazy

checked a walmart this am and they have one that is 300w and says it is for tv,dvd,lap top, stereo, and battery chargers. the prob is i cant see anywhere on the labeling that says if its a wave or sine output.




Jim where did u find that charger for your sony batteries ? are they camcorder batt's ? thanks, scott

spunbearing

I have a 650 watt invertor. Like jim said it will run a recipricating saw just fine. Mine being underpowered compared to jims will blow fuses if I try to make a cut with my worm drive skil saw. Dohhhhhhhhhhhhh

Jim Lane

I got mine at Fry's Electronics , www.outpost.com but also try Best Buy, maybe Wal Mart.
I have used some of the inverters from Home Depot and they are fairly good ones. I think they have 400 watt and 750 watt ones now. You can also special order up to 2000 watt. The bigger ones are made by Vector and I belive also make them for Husky. Check out the northern tools catalog to get an idea on what they look like. Think it is www.northerntools.com

Find the name of the inverter then check the company on the internet and they should have that info for that unit.
Jim.

tool

I have a 300w job that I use for charging batteries all the time, ie. cell phone, cameras etc. I've never had a problem at all. I have no idea whta kind of sine it is though.

Fronty Owner

according to my phone charger, its 120 V at 0.1 A, nope, a 100 Watt wont do it.

Dr. Evil

300-400W is about the minimum youd want to go with. I have charged my digital camera battery a number of times with an inverter. No problems so far.

jrs_dodge_diesel

If in doubt, check the price and remember you get what you pay for.

Square wave output is not the greatest power in the world and if you buy real cheap then you might end up with something that is real crappy. Square wave is the cheapest to manufacture.

Modified sine wave is much better than square wave. It is usually priced reasonable with decent output wattage.

Pure sine wave is like Jim said, expensive. If you have the money and don't mind spending it this would be your choice. This would be the best AC power you could buy.

Jim Lane

If you have a square wave inverter and use it to power anything with a transformer in it, the transformer will overheat. If you try to power a TV the result will be a shrunk picture. Transformers like a good sine wave to operate efficiently.

I have seen some Tripp Lite inverters on the expensive side were still square wave output.
There must still be a use for them.
Most of the modified sine wave and pure sine wave will be MosFet.

Check the inverters that are used on RE homes.

This is the inverter I have.
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/42/p/1/pt/8/product.asp

Check this site for inverters and batteries, there is alot of usefull info.
http://www.homepower.com
http://www.backwoodssolar.com

edwinsmith

I bought a 400 watt modified sine wave inverter at a truckstop for $44 and it runs just about anything I want. Probably even a small microwave (I haven't tried it though) I can run my laptop, charge my cell run fans etc... no problem. It'll suck down a battery pretty quick though when at full output so I turn it off when I stop for food. It's a Cobra CPI 400 and has a little fan inside also.

Edwin

Saxet Nomad

Got me a 750 watt from WallyWorld for about $70. But you have to clip it straight to the batteries. It uses #8 AWG wire for the power leads. I run a Laptop and printer in my work truck off of it.

edwinsmith

Is that a LASER printer? You wouldn't need that kind of power for an inkjet.

Saxet Nomad

No it's a inkjet...another guy who works with me tried to run his printer and laptop of of one of the 300W jobbers and would not handle it. I=P/E That's only about 2.5A of 120V. The laptop pulls more because it's trying to charge the battery at the same time I think...I know the 750W is a little overkill...but just like owning a Dodge !! More truck there than most need...