Which small inverter?

Which Small Inverter?

  • Energizer 500 Watt

    Votes: 2 66.7%
  • Cobra 400 Watt

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other (List it below)

    Votes: 1 33.3%

  • Total voters
    3
Every once in a while we see dually pickups pulling 53 foot semi trailers but we know they're not hauling 45,000 lbs of freight or the weight on the 5th wheel would destroy the pickup. But as long as the trailer is empty or loaded light, the pickup can pull it.

That's how it works when you plug a 100 watt load into a 500 watt inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

Put a 500 watt load on it and it'll pop fuses or melt the plug.
 
I'm just giving you the benefit of my experience: cigarette lighter inverter charging a laptop didn't work that well for me. Pulling 30A through one of those outlets isn't too smart, I'd say. 30A, at 13.8Vdc gives you 414W to play with. Maximum. Without inverter efficiency... at 80% you're at 331W available.

As the laptop's battery ages, you'll have increasing problems with that set up.

Talk to @Duck about trolling.
 
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I'm just giving you the benefit of my experience: cigarette lighter inverter charging a laptop didn't work that well for me. Pulling 30A through one of those outlets isn't too smart, I'd say. 30A, at 13.8Vdc gives you 414W to play with. Maximum. Without inverter efficiency... at 80% you're at 331W available.

As the laptop's battery ages, you'll have increasing problems with that set up.

Talk to @Duck about trolling.
What's the power draw of your laptop? Is it an 80's model that requires it's own substation?
 
What's the power draw of your laptop? Is it an 80's model that requires it's own substation?
Brand new in '05, a Sony. I quit using anything like a cigarette lighter inverter years ago. That's what students, cheap asses and poorly paid mega drivers use for internet.

If I were advising an engineering client, this would be the non-optimal, emergency backup work-around to plan C. In trucking, we call that hanging up the keys and waiting until spring because you might haveta chain up.
 
Brand new in '05, a Sony. I quit using anything like a cigarette lighter inverter years ago. That's what students, cheap asses and poorly paid mega drivers use for internet.

If I were advising an engineering client, this would be the non-optimal, emergency backup work-around to plan C. In trucking, we call that hanging up the keys and waiting until spring because you might haveta chain up.
Powering just a laptop, you're fine with a small inverter on a cigarette socket plug.

Sinister and I have done it for years and I'm sure a bazillion others have too. You're trolling at this point.
 
Powering just a laptop, you're fine with a small inverter on a cigarette socket plug.

Sinister and I have done it for years and I'm sure a bazillion others have too. You're trolling at this point.
Nope. Not trolling.

Get a better job @Duck and quit using the Swift solution.
 
Powering just a laptop, you're fine with a small inverter on a cigarette socket plug.

Sinister and I have done it for years and I'm sure a bazillion others have too. You're trolling at this point.
This is not always true.

For a standard light duty laptop, a plug in inverter is just fine. This would be most of you cheap and mid range priced laptops.

If you have a high end, powerful laptop, those used typically for gaming, a plug in is not a good idea. They will melt a receptacle.
 
This is not always true.

For a standard light duty laptop, a plug in inverter is just fine. This would be most of you cheap and mid range priced laptops.

If you have a high end, powerful laptop, those used typically for gaming, a plug in is not a good idea. They will melt a receptacle.

I don’t see a lot of big time video game streamers with the background of a semi...
 
I don’t see a lot of big time video game streamers with the background of a semi...
When you start peeking in truck windows??

That bit of math I did above... that's the input voltage and current limit specs. Remember, you have about 300ish watts of power to play with reliably when the truck or APU is running. Less with the truck off.

Maybe you should consider a tablet using cloud based apps on a cell connection.

Good luck, since all of you know more about electrical engineering than I do evidently.
 
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Good luck, since all of you know more about electrical engineering than I do evidently.
Apparently we do. With just the simple observations of "yes you can run a laptop off an inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter plug because we've done it for years" we've blown your stupidity out of the water.

You should sue whatever indoctrination camp you paid to teach you electrical engineering.
 
Apparently we do. With just the simple observations of "yes you can run a laptop off an inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter plug because we've done it for years" we've blown your stupidity out of the water.

You should sue whatever indoctrination camp you paid to teach you electrical engineering.
Go back to driving for CRE or the toothless wonders at Werner.
 
When you start peeking in truck windows??

That bit of math I did above... that's the input voltage and current limit specs. Remember, you have about 300ish watts of power to play with reliably when the truck or APU is running. Less with the truck off.

Maybe you should consider a tablet using cloud based apps on a cell connection.

Good luck, since all of you know more about electrical engineering than I do evidently.
 
When you start peeking in truck windows??

That bit of math I did above... that's the input voltage and current limit specs. Remember, you have about 300ish watts of power to play with reliably when the truck or APU is running. Less with the truck off.

Maybe you should consider a tablet using cloud based apps on a cell connection.

Good luck, since all of you know more about electrical engineering than I do evidently.

1- there is not a wireless connection that a big time video game streamer would use. The upload speeds just aren’t there unless you’re NASA. They use big time wired internet connections.

2- Why would I change what I know works and what I’ve been doing for years now?

3- Thank you. I’m glad you’ve finally accepted that @Duck and I are are correct.

4- Who the hell here drives for Werner or CRE? The hell are you even talking about? Also, dude, you started at Prime. So...there’s that.
 
1- there is not a wireless connection that a big time video game streamer would use. The upload speeds just aren’t there unless you’re NASA. They use big time wired internet connections.

2- Why would I change what I know works and what I’ve been doing for years now?

3- Thank you. I’m glad you’ve finally accepted that @Duck and I are are correct.

4- Who the hell here drives for Werner or CRE? The hell are you even talking about? Also, dude, you started at Prime. So...there’s that.
No, you aren't completely correct. What you end up doing is forcing the electronics to work at low line voltage levels, and higher current to compensate. The active components run hotter... and you end up decreasing the lifespan of both the laptop and inverter.

Prime was head and tails above the loser megas... if course, you have no clue since you never walked through the doors. Just giving duck the business.

Go pound sand. I'm done genius. It's obvious you really don't want informed advice.
 
Prime is a mega.

Nowadays you’re doing all the work of someone with their own authority but paying someone to use theirs.

Not to mention a degree in electrical engineering, and driving a truck to begin with.

So I’m not really seeing a source of expert advice on much of anything.
 
Prime is a mega.
I wouldn't say so... not enough trucks, although they're getting there.

Nowadays you’re doing all the work of someone with their own authority but paying someone to use theirs.
Run my own business, use their authority and insurance, quite a savings, and backroom support. No Prime BS.

Not to mention a degree in electrical engineering, and driving a truck to begin with.

Did electronics for 25 years. Time for a change. No one says you have to do one thing, and one thing only for a lifetime.

Driving grows on you, and I have my reasons which I've never revealed to anyone on this bullshit forum.

So I’m not really seeing a source of expert advice on much of anything.
Go **** yourself.
 
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