More Power!!

[Phil Kurimski]

If you are having that many issues John I would take it to a mechanic and have them take a look see. You may have a weak battery...too small of an alternator...or need a second battery. They can run tests to see what the issue is. I used to be into car stereos and had a similar issue. When I would come to a stop my lights would go dim and my ABS would shut off. Turns out I was draining the battery too much and adding a second one did the trick. I found this out after I took it into the mechanic thinking my ABS was bad. Let us know what the issue is if you take it in.

 

[Paul Austin]

Ditto on the Vector products. I've had a 750 watt Vector hardwired to the battery for the last three years with no problems. I can even run it with the engine off for a period of time, but that's not good for the battery, so I avoid it. Of course, I've got a more powerful battery than was standard for my V6 Explorer - sorry, I'll have to look up the specs. As for the wire gauge, I used a high gauge (6 I think) jumper cable set with the clamps removed. I also added two solar trickle charge panels (about 12" x 5") to my dash. I don't know how much they actually help, but at $30 each at Pep Boys and all the sitting on the side of the road in the sun, I figured it couldn't hurt. I routinely run one or two laptops, Threatnet, two or three vid cams, and various battery chargers without issue. I did have problems before, while trying to run much of the above from the factory cig lighters, including numerous blown fuses.

EDIT: The inverter I have also has a voltage output display, which I think is a nice feature for monitoring or troubleshooting the setup. I think I payed about $80 for mine either at Walmart or Pep Boys.

 

[David Drummond]

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.

I am a little surprised to hear your having problems with the big red walmart one. I have one I've been using (hardwired to the battery) for going on I guess 5 years now and it's been performing very well. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

Instead of creating a new thread, I'll ask here... What gauge of wire, and what type of fuse do you use to hardwire the inverter to the battery? FWIW it's a 400W Cobra Inverter.

 

[John Wetter]

8 or 10 gauge. I really wouldn't go through all that work and put in anything less.

Edit: Revision3 has a video on this: http://revision3.com/systm/juice/

Basically, follow the charts.

 

[John Diel]

I don't remember the guage right off hand, but it's a tad smaller than standard battery cable. It's about a 2 foot run to the power distribution block. From there, it's whatever wire the device calls for. Larger wire going to the inverter, smaller wire going to the radios and scanner.

I'd have to look (sorry, Explorer is in the shop getting prepped for the spring) but I believe I have a 30 amp fuse on the inverter. This, is also on a 30 amp switch on the center console so I don't have to reach under the seat to turn the inverter on and off.

I've had the Explorer a little over a year now and not had one problem with power. I had the same set up on my Ranger Truck and other than my initial wiring (layed a wire to close to the seat rail causing a massive shower of blue sparks when I say down!) problem, it never gave me any problems.

 

[Jarrod Cook]

Some good advice here. I'd say the problem is as simple as wiring directly to the battery with good wire. The cigarette lighters are never a good idea for extended laptop power. They can get really hot.

Some don't realize how much current an inverter can really draw. For example, if you are using 400W from the inverter, you could draw up to 33 DC amps (assuming 12V from the battery). You'd never get that low on your battery (or you'll be in trouble) but it leaves for some wiggle room in choosing the correct wire size.

 

[Scott Bell]

In choosing wire size, it's the amperage rating of the wire that matters.

For example, if you're running a 400 Watt inverter, assuming 12 V from the battery means you need a current of 400/12 = 33.33 amps. There will probably be some losses in the wire.


edit: (Sorry Jarrod, didn't mean to step on your toes there. I was just trying to emphasize that when people choose wire size, they should look at the Amp rating, not the size of the wire. I was also trying to help them see that they can figure out on their own exactly what size wire they need.)

 

[Scott Roberts]

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

That fixed it for my Vector 400W.