@craigthom you could mod this using a cigarette lighter plug and you’d almost certainly be fine for your purposes.
Your car’s lighter plug is probably fused at 15A (maybe more) and this will shut down if the input voltage drops to 9.2v (might shut down at 9.8, but 9.2 gives a wider safety margin). 15A x 9.2v is 138 watts, and if your car’s engine is running, the battery is more likely at 12v or more, which would be 180 watts.
Reduce that by 80% (they claim minimum 83%, but again, err on the side of safety), so you should be able to pull 110 watts out of the inverter without blowing the 15A fuse for your lighter plug (and if the engine is running, you can probably get 144 watts or more).
That is plenty for almost all phone/tablet chargers (5v at 4.2A with 80% efficiency is 26.25watts) and many laptops will run using less than 110 watts as well.
I have a 400 watt inverter that came with both battery clips and a lighter plug. The instructions for it warn to not use the lighter plug for devices drawing more than 130 watts and there is a 12A fast blo fuse in the plug for the inverter.
@baqui63 Or I could spend about the same amount for a 150 watt unit that already has the cable and plug for the cigarette lighter.
@mehvermore It’s all part of the cosmic unconsciousness.
I picked up using “plate o’ shrimp!” for “What a coincidence” on the Well a long time ago. It’s one thing to quote a movie, but it’s even better to apply the quote in context, so that it conveys relevant meaning to the appropriate audience.
@craigthom what’s funny to me is that you want this item.
One of which I bought last time it came up, wanted to use camping this weekend, but couldn’t find, so I bought today’s item…
@craigthom There are several universal camera battery chargers that charge the battery outside the camera. You slide the pins to the battery contacts and the charger does the rest. Some come with a lighter socket adapter. Much easier.
@craigthom
The Well. Wow.
Had forgotten it, but i hung there a bit once, looking, perhaps, for a bit of conversation with that “Whole Earth Catalog” vibe.
Interesting times.
@awk I don’t have many AC loads left that care about the quality of the sine wave. Switching power supplies don’t care about the waveform at all.
Sine wave quality matters for efficiency into non-resistive loads such as motors. I can’t imagine wanting to run an electric motor off of this for very long. So the fact that it will run hotter won’t be much of a problem.
I would love to have an inverter that was big enough for my well pump. This is not it. My well is 240 volts.
@hamjudo I have the same issue, and I saw that someone [on Doomsday Preppers] had kludged an exercise bike to a well pump and could get the well reservoir tank fully charged [filled with water under line pressure] with just a 20 minute ride.
I’m still trying to figure that out for ours [plumbing is not my forte].
This product inverts everything.
4 becomes 1/4. Black becomes white. Cat becomes dog. Excellent, buy it!
5 Stars!
Disclaimers: I did not yet (hint) receive a free sample in exchange for this unbiased and honest review. In fact, I have no knowledge of this product, thus zero bias.
In for one. My old pickup has tons of extra space under the hood. I figure I can mount this somewhere near the battery, stow the clips in the glove compartment, and be good to go.
I’ve got a nice 400w that I keep in the car, just in case. It’s come in handy a few times when the power has gone out, and I charge my laptop on occasion with it. You need some big batteries for using this one to its full potential, though. Used golf cart batteries are awesome, when you can find them in good shape. Super deep discharge capacity, easy to recharge, and easy to maintain. Your little 85amp alternator in your Honda Element isn’t going to be able to keep up with this, though.
I want to use it in my rav 4 v6 to power an Apple TV so I can mirror my phone with the iPad mounted in the center console. Can I use this through cigarette lighter (adapter purchased elsewhere) without damaging the car internals/electronics or should I buy something with less wattage?
By the way if you want one of these to generate DC output (like to charge a laptop or run anything that uses a wall wart), it’s pointless to go DC->AC->DC. Instead look for a DC->DC converter that steps the voltage up or down.
I’ve used things like this to run TV lights for live shots; I’m tempted to pick up one or two for myself, although the goal is to get away from AC powered incandescent bulbs to battery powered LEDs.
This and a deep cycle battery will be much better and cheaper than a gasoline powered generator to keep my freezer going during the next hurricane to hit North Carolina.
@pskemp2 Does this handle enough wattage? I’m thinking of getting one to run a fan or something when the power goes out here in Texas. It can get awfully hot, awfully fast! Any suggestions?
@Tadlem43
Watts = amps x volts
amps = volts / watts
Look at the name / information plate on most motors and figure out whether this will work with it. Most motors will have a startup amperage requirement and a running amperage requirement. From that you can figure out the wattage needed. Things like a radiant heater or coffee pot don’t have the startup requirement.
@pskemp2 Your formula “amps = volts / watts” is not quite right. It should be amps = watts / volts.
10 watts = 2 amps x 5 volts
2 amps = 10 watts / 5 volts
but
2 amps ≠ 5 volts / 10 watts
The lack of shill reviews is disturbing. How am I supposed to trust any product without an 11-star review from an unmarried street pharmacist that uses this to sell “site tested” power tools and “previously-installed” big screen TVs?
As a modern man about town who lives in a van I needed a way to power my FoodSaver V2222 Vacuum Sealing System, with it’s Compact size with manual operation and the patented, removable, dishwasher-safe, drip tray and accessory port and hose vacuum seals canisters and marinates food in minutes, while on the go… thank goodness for meh and their great deal on the Cobra 800W Power Inverter (Refurbished).
Not only does this allow me so seal things at 75MPH I can also power my deep freeze filled with delicious frozen mango bars!!!
In for 4 of the 1000W ones and of course I got VMP it’s got the power to save on shipping costs.
I’m confused. If you connect it to the battery the cables are just long enough to make put the inverter next to the battery. How are you supposed to have this in your car’s cabin?
Specs
Condition: Refurbished
Warranty: 90 Day Hyper Microsystems
Estimated Delivery: 6/15 - 6/17
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
1x DC to AC converter
1x Battery cable with clips
Pictures
Included
Side view
3/4 view
Plug end
Clip
Black cable
Red cable
Fan and cable end
Van
Price Comparison
$49.94 (new) at Amazon
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Estimated Delivery
Monday, January 28th - Monday, February 4th
How many AAAs does this thing take?
@MehnofLaMehncha all of them.
Great way to kill your car battery during a tale gate.
Plate of shrimp. In another tab I was searching for an AC inverter for my new car, since, unlike the old one, it doesn’t have an AC outlet.
However, I want a lower powered one that plugs into a cigarette lighter port. I’ll only use it for the laptop and charging my camera battery.
But, still, it’s a spooky coincidence.
@craigthom you could mod this using a cigarette lighter plug and you’d almost certainly be fine for your purposes.
Your car’s lighter plug is probably fused at 15A (maybe more) and this will shut down if the input voltage drops to 9.2v (might shut down at 9.8, but 9.2 gives a wider safety margin). 15A x 9.2v is 138 watts, and if your car’s engine is running, the battery is more likely at 12v or more, which would be 180 watts.
Reduce that by 80% (they claim minimum 83%, but again, err on the side of safety), so you should be able to pull 110 watts out of the inverter without blowing the 15A fuse for your lighter plug (and if the engine is running, you can probably get 144 watts or more).
That is plenty for almost all phone/tablet chargers (5v at 4.2A with 80% efficiency is 26.25watts) and many laptops will run using less than 110 watts as well.
I have a 400 watt inverter that came with both battery clips and a lighter plug. The instructions for it warn to not use the lighter plug for devices drawing more than 130 watts and there is a 12A fast blo fuse in the plug for the inverter.
@craigthom +1 for the Repo Man reference.
@baqui63 Or I could spend about the same amount for a 150 watt unit that already has the cable and plug for the cigarette lighter.
@mehvermore It’s all part of the cosmic unconsciousness.
I picked up using “plate o’ shrimp!” for “What a coincidence” on the Well a long time ago. It’s one thing to quote a movie, but it’s even better to apply the quote in context, so that it conveys relevant meaning to the appropriate audience.
@craigthom what’s funny to me is that you want this item.
One of which I bought last time it came up, wanted to use camping this weekend, but couldn’t find, so I bought today’s item…
@craigthom true, tho a cigarette lighter only unit will never run a fridge or other things larger than the laptop.
@craigthom There are several universal camera battery chargers that charge the battery outside the camera. You slide the pins to the battery contacts and the charger does the rest. Some come with a lighter socket adapter. Much easier.
@craigthom
The Well. Wow.
Had forgotten it, but i hung there a bit once, looking, perhaps, for a bit of conversation with that “Whole Earth Catalog” vibe.
Interesting times.
@craigthom hey, buy today’s item, just what you wanted…
@craigthom, I was wiped out and took a nap until a few minutes ago, thus letting @mehdaf get to it first, but,
/giphy what he said
@baqui63 @mehdaf it is just what I wanted. I ordered it as soon as it popped up. Thanks.
@baqui63 @mehdaf Thanks again. I saw it, but I could easily have missed it, and it really is exactly what I wanted.
@craigthom Most excellent. You are welcome.
Almost just bought this … then realized those aren’t nipple clamps.
(Waiting for someone to say, not yet they aren’t … what are you doing later?)
@MehnofLaMehncha Well, if your nipples produced 12v DC then this would be pretty handy.
@MehnofLaMehncha
We’ll need to see those nipples in action.
I want one of these with pure sine-wave output but they are all super expensive so I’m assuming this isn’t one of those.
@awk Modified sine wave, so no.
@awk You are correct. Just to be sure I checked the Cobra website and it makes no mention of it.
@awk I don’t have many AC loads left that care about the quality of the sine wave. Switching power supplies don’t care about the waveform at all.
Sine wave quality matters for efficiency into non-resistive loads such as motors. I can’t imagine wanting to run an electric motor off of this for very long. So the fact that it will run hotter won’t be much of a problem.
I would love to have an inverter that was big enough for my well pump. This is not it. My well is 240 volts.
@hamjudo I have the same issue, and I saw that someone [on Doomsday Preppers] had kludged an exercise bike to a well pump and could get the well reservoir tank fully charged [filled with water under line pressure] with just a 20 minute ride.
I’m still trying to figure that out for ours [plumbing is not my forte].
meh
This is one of those things you buy cause it seems cheap, and never ever use it.
Unless you have immediate need to use it tomorrow.
@username pretty much.
I have a 250 watt one in the trunk of my car and have used it only for testing that it worked.
@username Yup! I have one I bought maybe 5 years ago still in the package, never used yet…
Funny story, I picked up 3 of these for $15 a couple of years back because of an Amazon pricing mistake.
@trisk Amazon sells third-party refurbed inverters?
@RedOak
But it may have been a third-party seller!
Those weren’t refurbs.
@trisk So, even when you bought them they didn’t charge correctly?
This deal bites.
Enjoy your square waves
@Pufferfishy So, you’re saying this is a square deal?
Does this one go to eleven?
This product inverts everything.
4 becomes 1/4. Black becomes white. Cat becomes dog. Excellent, buy it!
5 Stars!
Disclaimers: I did not yet (hint) receive a free sample in exchange for this unbiased and honest review. In fact, I have no knowledge of this product, thus zero bias.
@f00l Inverted cat:
@awk
Yes, the product also does that.
In for one. My old pickup has tons of extra space under the hood. I figure I can mount this somewhere near the battery, stow the clips in the glove compartment, and be good to go.
I’ve got a nice 400w that I keep in the car, just in case. It’s come in handy a few times when the power has gone out, and I charge my laptop on occasion with it. You need some big batteries for using this one to its full potential, though. Used golf cart batteries are awesome, when you can find them in good shape. Super deep discharge capacity, easy to recharge, and easy to maintain. Your little 85amp alternator in your Honda Element isn’t going to be able to keep up with this, though.
So convenient, now I don’t have to go all the way to Tosche Station to get my power inverters!
@Starblind That’s good. You didn’t have time to waste with your friends anyway.
@Starblind, Isn’t that Toshley Station in Blades Edge? Another Wow head?
@Mandamm Not that I know of. I was thinking of this memorably whiny moment:
I want to use it in my rav 4 v6 to power an Apple TV so I can mirror my phone with the iPad mounted in the center console. Can I use this through cigarette lighter (adapter purchased elsewhere) without damaging the car internals/electronics or should I buy something with less wattage?
@bluetide Less wattage AND cleaner power.
12V outlet circuits can be as low as 5A, which means 60w at most; check your owner’s manual to be certain.
Modified sine wave = shit for powering electronics. PFC power supplies might not even turn on because it’s so “noisy”.
By the way if you want one of these to generate DC output (like to charge a laptop or run anything that uses a wall wart), it’s pointless to go DC->AC->DC. Instead look for a DC->DC converter that steps the voltage up or down.
Hey mehby, what’s your sine?
@gyozilla No answer? You guys must be 180° out of phase.
My car is a plug-in EV. Under the hood there is a second trunk. What should I connect the inverter to?
@hillel the dead hooker.
@hillel connect it to a big rig then plug your car into it
Just bought one and will use it during our camping outings.
Heavy-Unready-Journey (prophetic?)
I’ve used things like this to run TV lights for live shots; I’m tempted to pick up one or two for myself, although the goal is to get away from AC powered incandescent bulbs to battery powered LEDs.
@jqubed You use your air conditioner to power your light bulbs ? My what a strange set up you have.;-)
This and a deep cycle battery will be much better and cheaper than a gasoline powered generator to keep my freezer going during the next hurricane to hit North Carolina.
@pskemp2 I hadn’t thought about that scenario. Hmmmm
@pskemp2 Does this handle enough wattage? I’m thinking of getting one to run a fan or something when the power goes out here in Texas. It can get awfully hot, awfully fast! Any suggestions?
@Tadlem43 Small usb fans and usb battery chargers. I ran a small fan for 24 hours on one charged battery designed to charge phones, etc.
@radi0j0hn Thank you! Awesome suggestion!
@Tadlem43
Watts = amps x volts
amps = volts / watts
Look at the name / information plate on most motors and figure out whether this will work with it. Most motors will have a startup amperage requirement and a running amperage requirement. From that you can figure out the wattage needed. Things like a radiant heater or coffee pot don’t have the startup requirement.
@pskemp2 Your formula “amps = volts / watts” is not quite right. It should be amps = watts / volts.
10 watts = 2 amps x 5 volts
2 amps = 10 watts / 5 volts
but
2 amps ≠ 5 volts / 10 watts
KuoH
@pskemp2 Thank you!
@kuoh Thank you!
I should have bought this first THEN posted in the forums, sold out quicker than I thought it would, ah well, saved $20 for now.
Ha! This is strictly for people with incredibly active social lives. Meh. As fuck.
Over 35,ooo people visited the site so far and you only had a little over 200 to sell. That my friends is pathetic.
@raiderluvr
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@raiderluvr But they sold out!
The lack of shill reviews is disturbing. How am I supposed to trust any product without an 11-star review from an unmarried street pharmacist that uses this to sell “site tested” power tools and “previously-installed” big screen TVs?
As a modern man about town who lives in a van I needed a way to power my FoodSaver
V2222 Vacuum Sealing System, with it’s Compact size with manual operation and the patented, removable, dishwasher-safe, drip tray and accessory port and hose vacuum seals canisters and marinates food in minutes, while on the go… thank goodness for meh and their great deal on the Cobra
800W Power Inverter (Refurbished).
Not only does this allow me so seal things at 75MPH I can also power my deep freeze filled with delicious frozen mango bars!!!
In for 4 of the 1000W ones and of course I got VMP it’s got the power to save on shipping costs.
I’m confused. If you connect it to the battery the cables are just long enough to make put the inverter next to the battery. How are you supposed to have this in your car’s cabin?