![]() ![]() If you demand more, you run the risk of starting an electrical fire. That entire circuit, including the size of the wiring, is rated for no more than 20 amps. ![]() The easy solution is to just install a larger fuse, right? Wrong. By doing the math, that circuit can handle 240 watts. Compare that to the wattage rating of your power inverter, and that'll tell you if it can handle the draw.Īnother thing to check is your vehicle's fuse rating for the 12-volt port-the fuse on our test van was 20 amps. Multiply the voltage (5 volts for USB, 12 volts for cigarette lighter, and 120 volts for an AC) by the amperage of your device to get the wattage. All it takes is some simple math to know if an inverter can handle what you want to plug in. Wattage rating: This might be the most important factor when it comes to buying a power inverter. Which one do you get? To make your power-inverter party run smoothly, here are some things to consider. There are a whole bunch of different power inverters out there, each with different wattage ratings. And finally, we took notes on the usability of each inverter. We then measured the power-cord length from the base of the inverter to the end of the plug. We counted the number of USB and AC ports each inverter had, along with the weight via a mail scale. We then took notes on how much each inverter could take and which fuse blew first for our surge protection test. We stacked these devices in ascending watt-usage order until the internal power inverter fuse popped or, in two cases, the 20-amp vehicle fuse blew. Blender: 290 watts at peak, 125 watts continuous.Here's the power draw for each device we measured with a Kill-A-Watt: Our first devices were iPhone and iPad chargers, then we progressed through a Milwaukee battery charger, a blender, a dual-action polisher, and finally, a hair dryer. ![]() Gear Team Tester Katherine lent her dependable 2001 Ford E-150-affectionately known as Rhonda-for this test, and it was a true vehicular champ.įor our main supported devices test, we plugged in various gizmos starting at the lowest wattage and working our way up. The no-brainer test ended up being, "If I plug this in, will it work?" While this was the main parameter we wanted to try, we included other valuable data in our test results. I need the Barbarian solution (got a (electrical) lizard brain) so as not to burn the miata to the ground in an electrical fire.We wanted to test power inverters in the same way most people would use them. It has a 30 Ampere main feeding the inverter fuse and two trailer fuses. With three loads in the trunk, I added a fuse block "sub-panel". Two because I have more "channels" than most trailers. I also had two Hoppy trailer light converters that are the type that are powered separately rather than loading the lighting circuit. A OEM Apple 5 Watt wall wort for iPhone or 12 Watt wall wort for the iPad and the whole giant transformer block for the MacBook. I carry the same sort of equipment for charging my devices as I use in the house. The output from the inverter is a regular 115 volt receptacle, so a cut off line-cord works to route power to the cabin. Actually I remember marking the wire with a Sharpie. The center of the plug goes to the cord side in the wire with a white stripe or what ever it was. I cut that off and then checked the cut off stub with my meter. The input to the inverter is a cigar lighter plug. Ring terminals? In-line fuse? Barbarians!
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