Date:         Tue, 5 Sep 2006 19:48:45 +0100
Reply-To:     Timothy Lee Harrison <tim@HARRISONLAND.CO.UK>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Timothy Lee Harrison <tim@HARRISONLAND.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: inverter lighter plug cable?
In-Reply-To:  <004201c6d094$5fae1820$6400a8c0@MASTERPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

On Tuesday 05 Sep 2006 03:38, Dennis Haynes wrote:

> A 200 watt inverter needs ~20 amps. It shouldn't be plugged into the
> factory cigarette lighter socket. Get some heavy duty socket and plugs and
> install proper, (12 gauge) wire and you will be surprised how much better
> that economy inverter will work. A good auto, Marine or RV store will have
> what you need.

This is, of course, true if you are actually providing 200 watts through the
inverter. If you're only charging a small appliance, e.g. a cell phone, or
laptop with relatively low draw, you won't be using anything like 200 watts,
which is reassuring.

One of my transformers providing 12 volts/1000 mA at the secondary circuit
draws a primary current of 104mA (at 220V in the UK). This is negligible,
really. The cooling fan will add to the current required, but if you look at
the transformer for your laptop it should tell you how much current it draws
on the primary circuit. Add some extra for the inverter itself and you'll
know whether the cigarette lighter is sufficient.

Of course, with the battery mounted underneath the seat, it would be very easy
to rig a different setup that is more durable - and a direct line to the
battery with an independent fuse would be a far better solution.

Tim
--
Show me a man who is a good loser and I'll show you a man who is playing
golf with his boss.