VCRs are so Eighties. Unless you're married to your collection of 80's Betamax or VHS porn, get a little portable $89 DVD player with a 12-volt cigarette plug. The screen is built right in and you won't need to use an inverter. For laptops, 12-volt adapters can be found on eBay that have adjustable voltages and different fittings to work with just about any model of laptop computer -- that's how Mrs Squirrel and I run ours. Now that the sensitive equipment has been handled, you can get a far less expensive modified sine wave inverter for your less-sensitive appliances. Here's a 800W modified sine wave inverter that we've been using for our coffee bean grinder and immersion gazpacho-makin' blender. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92708 - on sale right now for $19. We've been using one of these for two years now with no trouble. Small low duty-cycle motors are perfectly happy with modified sine waves. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano KG6RCR On 6/20/2007 11:31 AM BJ Feddish wrote: > One thing I have not seen mentioned on this thread is making sure you have > the correct inverter for what you want to use it for. For sensitive > equipment, VCR's, etc. you need a pure sine wave inverter. I found a writeup > (the first Yahoo hit I got) at > http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/inverter_faq.html#modified . > > Those cheap inverters are creating AC current that looks like this _|-|_|-|_ > . > > The pure sine waver inverters are more expensive per watt output but beats > replacing a piece of equipment that did not like square AC current. > > I have several inverters. When in doubt I use the good one. > > Bryan > |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.