Who makes a good powerpack (12V inverter) ?

myself | 6-19-14 | TZ

[TurboZamboni]

Looking for one to power small items and that I can recharge via AC wall outlet and/or 20W solar panel.

[HangnJudge]

If its not mobil, a good car battrery will do well

[fulltlt]

Almost any car battery charger will put out 12vdc.

[moose07]

Make sure the Inverter is pure sinewave, not the modified sinewave.
Merlin Marine.

[rstrahan]

You can get one at Walmart, Radio Shack, etc. Just look at the wattage output to be sure it covers everything you need.

[RightFighter]

Anker.

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Port-Portable-Foldable-Outdoor-Technology/dp/B00E3OL5U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403215754&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+charger+solar

http://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-12000mAh-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00CEZBKTO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1403215797&sr=8-4&keywords=anker

[RightFighter]

Whoops. Guess I linked the wrong items.

[moose07]

The solar cells need to be connected to a battery via a charge regulator.
The inverter can be powered from the regulators output port.
The cells on their own will not power the inverter.
A car charger can still be used directly to the battery for a maintenance charge.

[preacher]

Prices vary widely by wattage.
Here a 750 watt one.
http://www.harborfreight.com/750-watt-continuous-1500-watt-peak-power-inverter-66817.html

[wrench]

Really need to know the load you intend to draw. 10W, 50W, 200W, etc.

What works well for some CPF lighting will not work to run a couple desktops and monitors.

Just total up the loads each item draws, if it has a motor, double the load for that item to cover startup draw.

[fulltlt]

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=inverter

[fulltlt]

You beat me to it.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Pure sinewave inverters on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pure+sinewave+inverter&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=14790369564&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13796615785727944003&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4u88j5svuq_e

[Scrambler Bob]

M4L

[moose07]

Now those are fantastic prices.
Merlin are local to me... :)

[Organic Panic]

Don't know if they sell them still. I have an 'emergency' auto battery booster that has power plugs for 12v. You can buy a separate solar charger and just plug it in to the house. It also has the added benefit of an air compressor. It has bailed my butt out of a few jams.

[TurboZamboni]

I have a couple of those.

Looking more at something made for running electronics.

Those are good for jump starting cars, though.

[WellyP]

I would go with a larger one. It's $99+ The peak wattage should easily start a small vacuum and run other power tools. http://www.harborfreight.com/1200-watt-continuous2400-watt-peak-power-inverter-69659-8890.html

[WellyP]

And make sure you have a really good bank of HEAVY DUTY DEEP CYCLE lead acid batteries that you never discharge below 50%. http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/golf-cart-products/6-volt-deep-cycle/t-105-6-volt-trojan-golf-cart-batteries.html I used a bank of 4 Trojans for any years in Marine duty with great results.

[Political Junkie Too]

For small electronics like a smartphone or tablet, they are likely to draw about about 200mA each at 5 volts via a USB converter.

I made a home-made 12V battery pack by connecting some 12V 18AmpHour batteries together in parallel. 3 batteries will give you 54 Amphours of current. I already had 2 12 amphour batteries that I connected in parallel, so I have a 78 Ah battery pack.

For output, I bought a Radio Shack 12v adapter (cigarette lighter outlet) that alligator clips onto the battery. In the outlet I added a dual USB adapter to convert down to the 5 volts that small electronics want these days. Assume you will use included USB to micro-USB cords.

12V 18Ah Battery from Amazon

Radio Shack 12V/10A Vehicle Adapter Socket with Battery Clips

Radio Shack 5V/3.1A Dual-USB Car Power Adapter

Of course, you could also add an inverter to use for 110V equipment, but that will drain this scale of battery overnight.

-PJ