Pure sinewave inverter
Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 15:51
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Member - lyndon NT
Hi all
I am after a Pure sinewave inverter for charging laptops etc. I have a larger 1000w unit in my truck but want a portable unit. Ideally it will plug in to the cigarette lighter for when just charging and will also have leads to connect directly to the battery should I wish to run something with more current draw. Can’t seem to find a unit that fits the bill. Any idea’s?
Thanks Lyndon
Reply By: Member - Troll 81 (QLD) - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:09
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:09
I have a Modified Sine Wave that I got from Jaycar more than 3 years ago it's a 300W jobbie. It's been running/charging laptops, camera battery chargers and all sorts of other electrical toys I take away with me. Cost around $70 back in the day and still going strong and I have never had a drama with it damaging my equipment.
AnswerID:
395153
Follow Up By: Member - Barry (NT) - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:17
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:17
Hi Ian
we use a 400w modified sine wave. No problems as the laptop has built in battery charger (normally) so the laptop only gets the DC side.
Advice I have is it OK in 99.9% of cASES. Match the wattage to your requirements.
Cheers Baz
FollowupID:
663590
Reply By: ctaplin - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:37
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:37
Hi Lyndon,
Although many people seem to get away with using a modified sinewave inverter for powering their laptops a pure sinewave is recommended to elliminate any problems like premature failure of plug packs etc.
The down side is pure sine wave units are much bigger & heavier that the equivalent modified sine wave unit and also more expensive.
Sinergex make a pure sine wave 150 watt unit that should easily power a laptop.
Or you could buy my near new Sinergex 1000 watt pure sinewave unit that I took out of the yacht before selling it...
Chris
AnswerID:
395158
Follow Up By: Member - lyndon NT - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 17:48
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 17:48
Hi Chris
How do you go using a cig plug on one of those? main use is for laptop in work vehicles, don't want to have to pop the bonnet to connect.
Cheers Lyndon
FollowupID:
663605
Follow Up By: Willem - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 19:47
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 19:47
Hi Chris
My 150w Powertech Pure Sinewave inverter burnt two diodes over time running the Laptop. I eventually went for a DC to DC Kerio charger. The problem was that 150watt wasn't enough as Laptops 'surge' every now and then up to 300watt. So a larger inverter would be good. Recently bought a plug in 150w Powertech can-inverter for $54 from Jaycar to charge a variety of batteries.
Cheers
FollowupID:
663629
Follow Up By: ctaplin - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:54
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:54
Hi Willem,
I agree with you about getting a DC to DC charger as it makes no sense to send 12v DC through an inverter to boost the voltage to 240v AC and then run it through a power pack to get the 19v DC that most laptops run from.
If Lyndon wants an Inverter then the 180 watt PSW unit that Jaycar sell is probably the biggest wattage unit that will come with a cigarette lighter socket that he can use in work vehicles without having to run special wiring.
Chris
FollowupID:
663657
Reply By: Marty-VIC - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:44
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 16:44
Bought
180w Jaycar Pure sine wave inverter because satellite box got red hot on modified square wave and fan was noisy and would not run properly. Sine wave powers everything perfectly and uses less 15% less amperage than modified square wave running same equipment.
AnswerID:
395160
Reply By: Bob of KAOS - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 17:57
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 17:57
Lyndon
I am sure you've considered it, but a DC to DC converter will run the laptop perfectly. Some laptops will run off the cars 12V system direct.
For other devices a cheap variable DC to DC converter with interchangeable plugs will allow you to charge phones cameras etc.
That approach is more efficient and cheaper than buying an inverter and then taking a car full of 240V chargers for every device you own.
Bob
AnswerID:
395170
Reply By: obee1212 - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:03
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:03
I bought a Powertech recently from Jaycar, 380 watt for $250. I had a smaller 300watt for about three years but it died and I suspect the confined space may have let it down.
I used the cig lighter wire to run the cb and brought a heavy wire to the cig plug with in line fuse so I can use it anytime without the key.
I charge phones, batteries, mp3 player, laptop, and the wahl hair clippers.
The case is bigger than the old unit so it sits on the box I use for between
seat glovebox. I want to separate it from the box with a slab of aluminium to help disburse the heat because they can generate some heat under load.
380 watts is twice what I need but I hope the bigger size will let the unit last a few years longer.
Owen
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: obee1212 - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:05
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:05
I should mention it is a pure sine wave (reputed)
Owen
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Follow Up By: Member - Flynnie (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 20:17
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 20:17
I have one of these Powertechs too. 380 watt with 650 watt surge. It fits the required tasks quite
well. So far I have mainly mucked around with it. It did power my desktop computer and 17 inch lcd monitor and speakers and modem during a blackout with no hassles. It had no problem with the computer cpu hitting 100%. Mainly on Exploroz by the way.
Not too big physically and would not recommend anything smaller. It's only 240x115x60mm roughly. Just used a tape measure. Leads could be arranged any way you wanted. It also has a usb power out. Haven't tried it yet.
Modified sine wave
inverters are so last millennium. Pure sine wave are now so affordable that I can see no reason at all for getting all the dramas that go with square wave
inverters. This was not the case a few years back.
"Modified sine wave" is just marketing gobbledegook. Calling them minimally altered square wave is more accurate.
Flynnie
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Reply By: dbish - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:51
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 18:51
Since i cant post pictures here ihave CRO pictures of the out put of a Redarc 150W modified squarewave inverter & the spikes ontop of the wave is atleast 100V. I wouldnt be too keen to use one for sensitive electronics, would think a pure sine wave much safer. Daryl
AnswerID:
395177
Follow Up By: Marny - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 21:48
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 21:48
plug your CRO into a 240 volt powerpoint and you will find that it will peak at over 300 volts. 240 volt is a RMS value (Root mean square). A square wave is also easier to convert to dc. Most switch mode power supplies dont mind it. Cheers Marn
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Serendipity (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 20:10
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 20:10
Hi Lyndon
I bought a cheap chinese mail order 300w pure sine wave inverter. Yes it works but the time delay on the peak surge is very short. What I mean is when I plug in my battery charger to charge lithium ion batteries there is a peak surge that lasts longer than the inverter can handle and it just trips out.
Next time I will pay the price and buy a decent one. I believe Derek who is a business member on here has pretty good ones that are pure sine wave.
A few years ago I bought my first square sine wave inverter and unwittingly ran my laptop on it for a long trip. Yes the battery in the laptop failed after the trip. Might have been coincidence but after that I looked into it and found I should really have used a pure sine wave inverter.
David
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Mick O - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 21:46
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 21:46
Lyndon,
plenty of good info about. I run a 300W pure sine wave inverter that I picked up from Dick Smith. Good unit. For running a computer while driving, I would look at the Kerio adapter which I use for my Panasonic Laptop. Also available form DSE.
This last trip I picked up a simple 150W inverter from Jaycar that fits into a cup holder (It's not the can sized waeco one). It cost $70, uses a cig plug attachment and has a single 240 plug as
well as a USB plug for running or charging the ipod, and some nav equipment. It was great for charging camera and video batteries, AA's, triple AAA's etc, portable UHF radios, even the Ryobi cordless tool batteries. I found I didn't use the 300W inverter at all.
Money
well spent and you may find that if you're not intending to run big ticket items, this type of inverter may fit the bill.
Cheers Mick
AnswerID:
395212
Reply By: Member - lyndon NT - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:21
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:21
Hi all
Thanks for the replys. My laptop battery died running it on my modified sinewave inverter. may have been age, 2 years? Will charging/running a laptop through a cig plug draw top much current for this type of fitting? How many amps do laptops draw anyway?
Cheers Lyndon
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Flynnie (NSW) - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:45
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 22:45
I think it is fair to say that no matter what you plan to do an upgrade to the cigarette lighter socket is a must. At the very least have 2 additional plugs with reasonable thickness wire and fuses fitted. You can go for a lot more but I doubt you could get away with any less.
Practically anything has too much draw for the cigarette lighter socket in the longer term.
2 years is a bit short for a laptop battery. If the "modified" sine wave inverter did not kill it you can bet it did not help. I would not repeat that experiment.
Flynnie
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: ctaplin - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 23:20
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 23:20
Lyndon, if you haven't had the wiring to your current invertor wiring modified since I saw it in Gove, I would get it done soon. A 1000w MSW inverter like yours could pull 80-100 amps from the 12v battery it's connected to if you ran a decent power tool from it under load. The wiring I saw was less than 6mm2 and would heat up quick & burn if you used the capacity of your 1000w inverter.
Chris
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Follow Up By: Voxson - Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 23:27
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 at 23:27
You sold the yacht?
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Follow Up By: Member - lyndon NT - Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 08:58
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 08:58
Hi Chris
I had the wiring replaced. Electric Bug in
Adelaide wanted me to pay for it!! They then said that I was such a GOOD customer that they would pay half.
No need to say what I said to them, they paid the lot!
Out of everything I had installed there (inverter,stereo,UHF) the HF is the only thing that has not caused trouble, yet!
Cheers Lyndon
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Follow Up By: Member - lyndon NT - Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 09:05
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 09:05
Oh, buying the modified sinewave to run a laptop was Electric Bugs idea.
Yep, he has sold it! Not before stiping it bare though by the sounds of it.
I wonder if the sails were included? :-)
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Follow Up By: Voxson - Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 12:23
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 12:23
I am sure the sails would have been included.
He was afraid of those baby's.. hahahahaa...
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Follow Up By: farouk - Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 at 17:29
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 at 17:29
Hi Everybody,
Have just purchased from aubattery .com.au 2 DC Auto Battery chargers for our laptops One for the Toshiba Sattelite Pro A200 @ $42,50 and for the HP 1109TU Netbook $33.90 both including $10 post and handling.
Have uses a modified sinewave for years with no problems but was always expecting trouble. Hope this is the way to go.
farouk
FollowupID:
663978
Follow Up By: farouk - Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 at 19:46
Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 at 19:46
Hi,
A correction to the web address, it is
aubattery.com NOT .com.au
Farouk
FollowupID:
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