any reason for ac current?

[sternwake]

My most recent uses of my inverter has been for a 4 amp( at 120vac)  'buckethead' shopvac which fits on the top of any 5 or 3.5 gallon bucket.  I had an ant infestation form parking where a tree branch was touching my windshield,  and sucking the little bastards up was easier than trying to smush them.  


While I have access to grid power it was simpler at that time to plug it into my inverter.

Second use for it was when I was repairing the cord on my DC to DC laptop 'car adapter'  transformer, i was using the 120Vac powerbrick for a few days while the amazing goop I used as a potting compound lost its tolulene stank, and  was irritated at the extra amp draw, and kept forgetting to turn it off before bedtime and seeing my battery 2Ah+ lower than it otherwise would have been .

I primarily bought my wagan elite PSW 400 watt inverter so I could safely charge my Makita powertool batteries.  I have required it exactly once for this specific task, and 'require' is a bit of a stretch.

  My Canon DSLR camera has a special battery charger, I use the PSW inverter for that.
Last and final thing I used an inverter for is a small canon printer, which runs on 16vDC.

Inverters in my opinion are a Necessary evil. 
I try not to use them at all if possible but sometimes convenience or laziness kicks in and it is a nice option to have.

i have an 800 watt MSW and a 400 Watt PSW.

I think way too may people view them as the solution to all one's household  power needs, without realizing how inefficient they are or just how much their household loads actually require from a battery with that 20% loss of efficiency on top of the rather large load of the appliance.

When Irma was barrelling towards my parent's home in Florida, I was thinking what if I had to use a sawzall with a trimmer blade.  At 12 amps I could not use it on my inverters.  Would need 1500 watt inverter  minimum, and some fat cabling to battery, and likely run the engine as I only have 90Ah capacity for house and engine starting duty. 

 I once smoked one 400 watt MSW inverter running a variable speed 12 amp polisher/sander at low speeds.

the 120 to 140 amp load of the sawzall would be hell on the battery and alternator as my 120 amp alternator can only make about 50 when hot at idle speed and it would get well beyond hot  and maxed out at idle speed.


I'd recommend planning on setting up most everything to run on DC, and have an inverter just incase.

One other thing one can have is a voltage boost converter for those devices like laptops which require 19 volts DC or like my printer at 16vDC.

I recently got this 5 amp buck/boost converter that takes 12v in and can both lower output to 3v or go as high as 33v, but it is not very efficient at such a wide range:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DXEU4KA?th=1

It failed to properly tame my screaming banshee delta fan, so I do not really have a use for it yet, not sure it has enough capacity for the prionter and I use the printer so seldom the inverter is the easier option.

Here is a 150 watt voltage boost module.  These can also be used for equalizing a fully charged but sulfated battery as one can get the voltage upto 16.2v where most plug in chargers will only usually do mid 14's.  Another battery would likely need to be in between the charging source and the battery requiring equalization though.

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Transformer-Controller-Stabilizer-Automotive/dp/B00BXDH9A2/ref=pd_sbs_328_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00BXDH9A2&pd_rd_r=489691AFBBRKNBXZA6MP&pd_rd_w=frOqO&pd_rd_wg=LTOcV&psc=1&refRID=489691AFBBRKNBXZA6MP

There are all sorts of DC voltage conversion products out there.  One could use them for many things that otherwise would require plugging the provided dc transformer into the grid/inverter.

My Dell laptop has a third wire for the center pin in barrrell connector which would require some finagling to employ one of these adjustable voltage buckboost converters, but the original PWR+ model dc to DC 'car adapter' I bought 7 years ago still works well, since I replaced MFing Ciggy plug with Anderson powerpoles.

[Blacktank]

o.k. i'll consider it an accessory and make sure i leave a space near the batteries to mount one,thanks guys

[TedOnWalkabout]

I have everything 12v except for a few things: one of my fans, a 350 watt rice cooker, an electric drill, a 35 watt food warmer and a 400 watt iron. I'll be bringing a heating pad-when I get chilled, I get sick and a heating pad and hot water bottle are all I need. I use USB rechargeable headlight and portable lantern thingy.

Sternwake has put together a variable controller for his heating pad in one of his posts on the other board. I might give that a try.
Ted

[sternwake]

Sternwake has put together a variable controller for his heating pad in one of his posts on the other board.  I might give that a try.
Ted

I view that experiment as a failure.  The heating pad did not heat the water/shower bag to warm enough and throttling it back did not conserve much battery power at all, in fact, iirc, the inefficiency of the PWM motor speed controller I was using to cut back the power to it was basically wasting as much energy as leaving the heating pad unthrottled and letting the water get as hot as the pad will allow.

Here is the 12v heating pad I use.  It is rated at 45 watts, but shortening the provided power cord and eliminating the ciggy plug, well, at 14.7v it will draw 65 watts initially but this will drop to high 50s as it heats up and resistance increases.

It does cycle on and off.

https://www.amazon.com/ObboMed-SH-4050-C...B00X75AS20

Inside of this  heating pad, and all heating pads, there is a Bi metal switch, which when it gets to a certain temperature, opens the circuit and stops current flow.  When it cools enough, it closes and allows current to flow again and heat up again.  I've been meaning to open up the pad, identify the switch, its rating, and upgrade it to one which allows slightly higher temps.

  While it is good for a heating pad on my lower back, it cannot get my showerbag in an insulated cocoon beyond 103f, and 114f is a nice steamy searing temperature I would prefer, if possible.



While i had a 50 watt AC heating pad previous to this, and thisAc pad could get the water to 116.5f( too hot) with enough time, the 12v version actually heats the water faster to 100f or so and no freaking inverter required.

Keep in mind if one cuts off the ciggy plug, they also cut off the fuse, and it should be fused for the small wires it comes with.


While many 12v appliances are junk compared to their 120vac counterpart, this heating pad seems to be well made, and even the ciggy plug it comes with seems to be of a better quality than most, and at 45 watts is still below the ~60 watt range where ciggy plugs start to act like they are immersed in hydrocloric acid.

I've got a second one that I have left the ciggy plug on, so far, but honestly I've only plugged it in after arrival to make sure it worked.  My first one is currently  holding my showerbag at 102f inside a reflectix insulative cocoon I made for that task, and the second  recently acquired one is for my lower back, which has been cooperating with my desires to not be in pain recently.

With the powerpoles on the heating pad, i measure amp draw and Ah consumed with a version of one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017YCTRKK?psc=1

Since I have  45 amp powerpoles everywhere throughout my Van, and on most every device, I can measure amp draw over time on just about anything.

Actual data is enlightening, guessing sucks.

[Seawolf1090]

I have a 12VDC to 19VDC adapter charger to use my laptop on vehicle power.

[frater secessus]

I installed a shore power port in case I ever have access to power (driveway surfing? New Mexico camping pass?)   The wiring is pulled but I have not yet install

/brakes squealing

I stopped in the middle of typing that last sentence and spent the afternoon getting the the subpanel and outlet installed.   I took my time with it because I've never done anything with AC beyond rewiring plugs and stuff like that.

The little Square D two-slot panel on the driver's side has a 15A breaker in it.  There is a power strip coming from the panel and also a run of 14awg stranded up and over the top to feed the one outlet on the passenger side, in the galley.  I set it up that way so I could do a few things off a 110v 15A power source if available:

• power a small converter DIY converter; AND
  
• run a small electric space heater on low heat (750W) OR hot plate OR a small A/C unit
  

I plan on using propane to heat and cook, but if I'm somewhere I can use 110v why waste the propane?

[Roadtripp]

My experience with some 12 volt loads is poor quality and reliability. I like my expensive inverter/charger and am totally willing to drain the battery a little extra to power whatever I want pretty much. 
 Having said that I don’t like having expensive stuff and wondering if it will get ripped off or the replacement cost. 
 Also, I want to be able run power tools while boondocking without using a generator. So this alone makes it worthwhile. At some point I may not want to run power tools and I may wonder why I lug this thing around.