Questions about DC to AC Power Inverter

[poertner_1274]

I guess this can go in here since it is kind of hardware.

I am looking into buying a DC to AC power inverter to use in my car so I can watch DVD's on my laptop for long trips. I was wondering if anyone has ever used one of these, and how well they work.

I am planning on getting a 400 or 600 watt one. And I just want to run my ibook off of it.

Any personal experience and notes is appreciated, as I would like to get one soon.

 

[SNGX1275]

Really need one that powerful for just a laptop - or are you going to run something else off of it. Now I'm not real sure on this but I've seen it with car amps, if you run something that powerful you could need a better alternator than a stock one? I had a friend once who when his camero would idle you could literally watch the voltage on the battery decrease, he had to actually drive to keep the battery charged with his speakers going.

Maybe Stormbringer will have a real answer.

 

[poertner_1274]

I am not sure why I am getting on that powerful, just liked the idea of having 2 or 3 plug-ins.

Really I only need 1 so probably a 150 would do just fine. But it seems with the prices I might as well spring for a 2 plug or 300 or 400 watt for just a little bit more.

I just wanted to know about the power it is pulling and if it is too much for a regular car/truck to handle.

 

[StormBringer]

If you think you need a 150, then I'd suggest getting a 200 or 250, Inverters don't maintain a stable power stream. It may be 150 max, but it might only produce 100w or less of constant power. The higher the rating, the more drain it will have on the car's power system, so if you get something like the 600w then you may need a new alternator and voltage regulator to handle the drain, if you plan on using it to its full potential. If you are just going to use the laptop then you should be ok.

 

[poertner_1274]

Cool, thanks a lot SB, I'm going to look into getting one here pretty quickly. I'll probably get the 300 Watt. I'm not sure if I've seen a 200 or 250. But I'll look