More Power!!

[John Hudson]

With all the "goodies" I've added to my chase car, I had to purchase a two-outlet power inverter. The problem is that every time I put the car in park, and the engine RPM's drop (reducing the alternator output) the alarm sounds on the inverter.

It's not as if I've connected some real juice-sucking hardware all at once, either. This happens with just the laptop connected.

Thought my options would be to install a higher output alternator, or maybe stick an auxiliary battery into the trunk. Can someone please advise me which route to take?

Many thanks in advance.

John

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

There could be a number of reasons, but my first thought John is wondering what is the length you are running the power cable from the battery to the inverter and what gauge wire are you using? Possibly give me a little more info on inverter size, hookup details and etc.

 

[bill mudd]

Ive had this happen twice - both times on an older single core laptop

first time it was a simple antivirus program sucking the juice
second time it was when I added a cigarette lighter extension cable

check to see what is running on your computer (control - alt - delete status)

another thing is you can upload your gps data to your hard drive so it isn't running a cd - this has helped me immensely (if you have storage of coarse)

good luck

 

[David Drummond]

It would much more likely be something in either how you have the power inverter connected to 12v, what size wires, or even possibly the inverter itself rather than some rogue program "sucking up the juice". Software is just code, it doesn't use electricity in and of itself. If you have enough things running it could make the cpu or drives draw more power, but there should be more than enough to handle it.

You're having a voltage drop somewhere between where you connected to power to the inverter.

 

[D. Hayes]

Do you have a multimeter? Your alternator should be putting out around 13.6 volts and the battery around 12.6 volts. Alternator voltage may vary though. But you could swing by your local autozone and have them test your electrical system for free.

 

[Phil Kurimski]

I would consider hooking the power inverter directly to the battery if you have that option. I would also make sure your inverter is rated for twice the wattage your laptop takes. I have a 200 watt inverter for my laptop that takes 100 watts of power. I have never had the inverter squeal on me despite having a mini fridge...two dvd players for the kids...my gps...and my laptop hooked up to my power outlets. Of course they were not hooked up to the same outlet...vans these days have at least 3 outlets.

 

[Mikey Gribble]

I am dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to the technical end of this stuff, but I have had plenty of experience with power inverters and I've also had similiar problems. I don't know what the deal is, but those power inverters walmart sells (red ones) are pieces of crap. I have an 800 watt walmart inverter and a 300 watt Radio Shack inverter. I can't run one of my laptops on the walmart one without it beeping and my computer loosing power. I can plug the radioshack 300watt into the same outlet and power my laptop just fine. I don't know why, but that is how it works. I even had one of those walmart brand inverters (1000 watt) wired directly to my battery and the turd still doesn't work for most of my equipment. I usually run three inverters while chasing and over the years I have come to really appreciate the Radio Shack power inverters. You are going to pay a lot more, but you get your money's worth. I know there are a lot of other good brands out there too, but I wouldn't buy another one of those red walmart power inverters. I don't know if that is the brand you are currently running, but if it is I would return it and buy a new one.

 

[Nick Parker]

Can't go wrong with Vector either. Have a 400 watt in my pickup and a 350 watt in my service truck and haven't had problems with either one.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

I also use Vector Inverters exclusively. I have never had any problem with them and they have a good warranty. If you are a member of Sam's Club, they carry them at pretty reasonable costs. I know they carry 100, 500, and 1500 watt models.

 

[brian morgan]

I would suggest using 4-8 gauge wire connected directly to the battery. You should also install an appropriate size fuse to the positive side battery terminal or as close as possible. This will insure that you will not have fire in case of a short or if something was to go wrong with the inverter. Make sure the connections inside the vehicle are well insulated and tight.

 

[Phil Kurimski]

I would love to use radio shack...however over the years they have gotten away from their core products. I was on a chase last year and my inverter blew. I went to radio shack and all they had was a puny 100 Watt inverter that would not have handled my laptop. The store was filled with crap for your cell phone...but only 3 inverters in the entire store. I had to go to walmart and get one of theirs since I did not have the luxury of spending all day looking around for another radio shack. The one I got was Black and Decker and was orange. I have not had any issues with it so far and it safely runs my laptop and GPS unit without even connecting it directly to the battery. It likes to warn you with a squeal when you turn off the car because it does not have any juice to it...but at least it did not blow like the other unit I had.

 

[John Hudson]

Thanks for so many replies and ideas. Right now I'm running a Jensen 400-watt inverter, and it is not directly connected to the battery. Instead, I have been running it through the cig lighter.

That alarm has annoyed me to no end, even to the point where I'll slightly rev the engine, even while in park, just to get some peace from it.

Maybe I should try the direct-wire route, then?


John

 

[Mikey Gribble]

In my old Jeep I had the mait. guy at work wire three cigarette outlets directly to my battery and they worked great. If you are wiring directly to the battery you might want to go that route instead of just wiring a power inverter directly to your battery. That way you can run the inverter and a couple more things off the direct wire.
Anybody know the ball park price on upgrading your alternator to one that puts out more power? I've heard other chasers mentiong doing that, but I don't remember hearing much about the costs involved and how well it works.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

John,
Personally, I would direct wire to the battery with an inline fuse located close to the battery. Use a large enough gauge wire to not lose power for the distance you are running your positive cable. If you drive one of the newer model vehicles, most of them have the lighter plug that shuts off when the motor is off.

 

[John Diel]

I have an extra fuse block that I've wired directly from the battery. This puts my radio, lights and inverter on their own fuse. I have each item fused approriate to it's amperage draw. Alternator has no trouble keeping up. I run a couple of batter chargers and a laptop off a 1200/1600 inverter. No alarms, no change in rpm's, basically no issues.

This is on a 2000 Ford Explorer 4.0 V6 engine