Upgrading 400W inverter possible?

[atomguy245]

Let's just get real here. The Maverick is NOT an F150 Hybrid or Lightning. The plug in the bed is for little things you might use at a camp or before you go hiking for something. It's not meant to power a worksite. So small air compressor, some lights, a small tv, charge up some cellphones. That's all it's for.

Here's the real (kinda ridiculous) question: could you use that 400w plug or the 12v wiring to slowly charge 12v deep cycle battery or 2? Or would that just take forever and not be practical at all? I'm not saying try to do that while the truck is parked and not running.

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[huunvubu]

I would have been nice if the Hybrid had the inverter powered by the high voltage battery instead of the 12 volt battery. That would have allowed for much more than 400 watts.

 

[bwiese]

Inverter is great to avoid buying special chargers.
Great for laptops, small tools/chargers etc.

Don't run even a small canister vacuum with it though - because even 1 HP == 745 watts.

No coffeepots or curling irons either (for the wimmen)

Bill

 

[OC-D]

Honestly the biggest appeal for me on the inverter was being able to charge my OneWheel off of it.

wait are you the electric unicycle guy from Reddit?

 

[brnpttmn]

Inverter is great to avoid buying special chargers.
Great for laptops, small tools/chargers etc.

Don't run even a small canister vacuum with it though - because even 1 HP == 745 watts.

No coffeepots or curling irons either (for the wimmen)

Bill

Hey, I Need my coffee too.*


*But I'm cool using my whisper light and french press.

 

[Darnon]

Here's the real (kinda ridiculous) question: could you use that 400w plug or the 12v wiring to slowly charge 12v deep cycle battery or 2? Or would that just take forever and not be practical at all? I'm not saying try to do that while the truck is parked and not running.

Yeah. 10A 12V is pretty common for 110V battery chargers. Or if using the 12V power sources you'd probably want to use a trailer breakaway charger to keep from overcharging if you were going to have it hooked up for a long period of time.

 

[DrDoom]

If you want to know how many watts can be used. First Watts is the heat produced when you use voltage x amperage = watts (heat). This equation is the same as converting watts divided by amperage = Voltage. If you think of voltage as a the size of a pipe and amperage as the force of power being pushed through the pipe, then wattage is the energy that is lost through resistance or (friction) which is released as heat. So if you want a higher inverter you better ensure you have the wiring that is rated for the increase in amperage being converted to 120 voltage.

 

[Padre]

wait are you the electric unicycle guy from Reddit?

There's a lot of fellas on reddit with OneWheels and EUCs, to which are you referring lol

 

[DryHeat]

IIf you think of voltage as a the size of a pipe and amperage as the force of power being pushed through the pipe, then wattage is the energy that is lost through resistance or (friction) which is released as heat. So if you want a higher inverter you better ensure you have the wiring that is rated for the increase in amperage being converted to 120 voltage.

I think your analogy got a little sideways. Here's a typical explanation:

The three most basic units in electricity are voltage (V), current (I, uppercase "i") and resistance (R). Voltage is measured in volts, current is measured in amps and resistance is measured in ohms.

A neat analogy to help understand these terms is a system of plumbing pipes. The voltage is equivalent to the water pressure, the current is equivalent to the flow rate, and the resistance is like the pipe size.

There is a basic equation in electrical engineering that states how the three terms relate. It says that the current is equal to the voltage divided by the resistance or I = V/R. This is known as Ohm's law.

What are amps, watts, volts and ohms? | HowStuffWorks

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Here's the real (kinda ridiculous) question: could you use that 400w plug or the 12v wiring to slowly charge 12v deep cycle battery or 2? Or would that just take forever and not be practical at all? I'm not saying try to do that while the truck is parked and not running.

Well,,,,, here's a Minn-Kota marine charger chart, look at the far right column for the 120V AC amp draw.

HRG

 

[Wire4money]

I have done it numerous times with no issues. I also asked if anyone had seen a schematic to know how it is fused. It is not plugging it in that is the issue, it is the amp draw of the device you plug into it. My 400w inverter will only run a 3.3 amp 120V device. Go higher and the circuit breaker on the inverter will trip. I would limit my use to say a 5amp 120V device. The 700w Inverter will work well in a situation like this. If these were no capable to be used directly on 12V sockets They would not come equipped as such by big names. As you go higher the inverters become direct wire connections only.

The bottom line is this. How many amps is the 12V socket wired for?

Typically 20a. Enough to run a 200w inverter max. A 400w inverter will pull close to 40a, so no way it will provide that much power hooked to a cigarette lighter. Now, a 400w inverter with a 150w load is a totally different scenario.

 

[hcforde]

Your math is off by a factor of ten. 5A at 12V = 60W. 10A = 120W. The stock inverter is fused for 60A, likely to accommodate the 400W nominal having some margin for startup surge although the manual doesn't explicitly specify how much.

I always get messed up with this DC electricity stuff.

Thanks for the clarity!

 

[atomguy245]

Well,,,,, here's a Minn-Kota marine charger chart, look at the far right column for the 120V AC amp draw.

HRG

Is that a yes?

 

[DryHeat]

Even Duracell makes a 800Watt inverter with 12V socket plug for $100 an amazon.

If these were no capable to be used directly on 12V sockets They would not come equipped as such by big names.

You can get 800W inverters with 12V socket plugs attached. But, can you use that higher wattage?

The detail on the Duracell inverter says "not through the 12V socket."

The power plug connects to your car's power socket for everyday use with items under 175 watts, and the battery clamp cable connects directly to your car battery for high-power applications over 175 watts.

Amazon.com: Duracell DRINV800 High Power Inverter 1600 Watt Peak 800W Continuous, 12v DC Input Includes 2 AC Outlets (115V) Plus 2.1 Amp USB (5V) : Automotive

I looked at a couple of others, and they suggested the cutoff should be 150W or 200W.
Amazon.com: Cantonape 700W/1500W(Peak) Car Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Converter with LCD Display Dual AC Outlets Comapct Size and 2A USB Car Charger for Car Home Laptop : Automotive
Amazon.com: IpowerBingo 700W Car Power Inverter Dual AC Outlets and Dual USB Charging Ports DC 12V to 110V AC Car Converter with Digital Display : Automotive

So it looks like a 400W inverter turns into a 150W-200W inverter (for all practical purposes) when you plug it into the 12V socket. Or else you risk blowing the fuse on the socket.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Is that a yes?

It depends. Is a 6 or 10 amp/hour charger going to provide enough of a recharge for your deep cycle battery? What I was trying to show is that 12V DC chargers are available that will work within the 400watt limitation of the outlet, but you have to determine if the output amperage and # of hours will work in your situation.

HRG

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