Having lots of gadgets is great, and using USB to power many of them is massively helpful when travelling, however there are times when you need a good old-fashioned mains electrical socket for some AC power. Known as ‘Power Inverters’, there are many products on the market that fulfill this particular need, and I am going to run through the 3 devices that we currently use. These are listed below, followed by the method by which they connect to the vehicle:
- Small, single socket, 150 watt inverter – cigarette lighter socket plug
- Duracell Dual Socket with 2 USB sockets, 175 watt (peak) inverter – cigarette lighter socket plug
- Mercury 600 Watt Pure Sine Wave inverter – Battery Crocodile Clips
All of ours run off a 12 volt system, but 24 volt versions are available for larger vehicles that run off a 24v battery (Trucks etc.).
The first one we got hold of was the smallest. I cannot remember exactly where it came from but I am guessing either Maplin or Amazon! With only one socket, and a small fan it was ideal for a quick boost of power to the laptop when out working. It is not very ergonomic, and is a single unit with no cable, so you need a decent gap around your in-car power source to accommodate this. With something plugged into it, it becomes even more unwieldy. It has had a fair bit of use over the years, and is easy to carry around, but in the main car it is a ‘Plan B’ device now.
The second inverter is the one we mainly use. Made by Duracell, it has 2 plug sockets and 2 USB sockets. It also has a 1 metre lead, which makes is a lot more use friendly. It is well ventilated, with a fan at the rear and vents on the top and underneath the unit. It also has an Automatic Cut Off when it detects the battery is running low. Weighing in at 260 grams, it is also nice and easy to carry around in the car without taking up too much space. We have used this with the Drone Battery Charger, and it works well.
Our final device is a 600 watt Pure Sine Wave inverter that connects directly to the vehicle battery. This is a bigger beast than the other two units, not only in capacity but also in size. It also does not connect to the vehicle via the cigarette lighter socket (now more commonly just called 12V Power Sockets). It connects directly to the vehicles battery by way of crocodile clips. This is beefy enough to run most household electrical goods, with the exception of things like heaters and kettles that use around 2000 watts. For my own purposes, it could easily power an average desktop computer with a monitor. It could also power an LED TV with a DVD player. The list is endless, and all you need to do is establish what the maximum wattage for your appliances are and buy you inverter accordingly. There is an equation below to help you do this. This particular inverter is a ‘Pure Sine Wave’ inverter. What this means in simple terms is that it keeps the current stable, no peaks or troughs, thereby protecting sensitive equipment from power surges. This is particularly helpful when it comes to powering IT equipment. We also have a 2 kw petrol suitcase generator that is Pure Sine Wave for similar reasons. I do like this, its just a shame it has to connect directly to the battery and the cables provided are only about a metre (3 feet) long. At some point in time I will make new cables so the unit can sit in the boot (or Trunk as our colonial cousins call it)!
It is very important not to overload your Power Inverter. To ensure you do not do that, each Inverter tells you how many Watts it can output. To work out the Wattage of any particular electrical item, you need to use the following equation: Watts = Volts x Amps
Its fairly easy to work out, so by way of an example: Our GoPro Drone battery charger has a maximum output of 16.8 volts and 5 amps. This equates to 84 watts. Therefore, it would happily work with any of our power inverters as they are all rated at 150 watts or higher.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please remember when using these in your vehicle, it is imperative you have the engine running, as they will drain your vehicle’s battery (quite quickly)! As with anything potentially dangerous, please Read The Instructions!
Posted 1st February 2021