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How to install an inverter.


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Sooo, 

Silly stuff away,  I am installing a power inverter in the car to power up a playstation and a small display. The inverter came with two types of power chords, one that plugs into the ciggarete lighter thingy output and the other being battery clamps/clips. I would go with battery clamps because while testing the inverter, the lighter output restarted after 10-20 seconds while on battery it was continuous. My only problem is that the provided battery clamps don't have long enough wiring to be routed all the way through the engine bay into the car. So my real question is that how would I extend that cable. I have normal wiring at my disposal but I don't want to be an idiot and just tape it up. Are special cables required to hook it up to the battery? The reason that i asked this question is because that provided battery cables are thick and a little resistant to bending leading me to believe that they are some different types of cables. 

Also see if my inverter is good enough. link: https://uae.souq.com/ae-en/1000w-car-power-inverter-dc12v-to-ac-220v-inverter-modified-sine-wave-usb-adapter-charger-converter-8423293/i/

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1000 Watts is plenty to run a PlayStation. I ran a PlayStation and small lcd screen on a 300w inverter before. 

If it is cutting out when you plug it in the cigarette lighter, maybe the wiring for the cigarette lighter can’t handle it. Have you tried it with the engine running, might make a difference. 

Also a lot of electronic devices don’t like a modified sine wave. They would prefer a pure sine wave to run properly. Square, quasi and cutted waves are what electricians call dirty electricity. 

Take your clamp leads to any of the small electrical shops, show them the wire and they will sell you extra per metre to suit your requirements. It isn’t expensive.

Don’t forget to add a fuse in the power supply. 

If you’re going to lengthen the leads, solder and heat shrink is the only real solution. Twisted leads can spark and drop the connection or worse still, cause fires. Better still, just replace the whole cable with a single length of wire. 

If you need any help or someone to show you what to do, I’m free most Fridays. 

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@Barry Thanks. 

Solder. Got it.

Yep i did it while the engine was running. 

Although, I would like a more permanent solution than clamps for the connection to the battery. 

Fuse? There is already a fuse in there. One more?

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I have a similar invertor and don't go by the word what it says for 1000W. Before doing any major exercise I suggest to run inverter with battery and power up the PlayStation and display to see if this metal box is actually supplying required wattage.

Additional fuse what Barry suggested is for wire installation and it's a good practice to add the fuse in case some surge happen so it won't fry your devices or melt wire.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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For a more permanent solution, you're going to have to attach the positive to the battery clamp with an eye terminal or look for a space in the under bonnet fuse box to attach it to, again with an eye terminal. The interior fuse box might not be able to supply the power required. You can attach the negative to anywhere on the body. Just sand the paint off where you're attaching it to so you get a good connection but try to keep the wire as short as possible. I.e. if the inverter is in the boot, look for a bolt in the boot attached to the body that you can connect it to. The whole car body is one big negative earth terminal.

The purpose of the main power fuse isn't to protect the inverter, it has its own fuse to protect itself. It's in case the power wire breaks or rubs through and touches the body of the car creating a short circuit. A couple of hundred amps in a short circuit condition is enough to melt the plastic wire coating and start a fire in a few seconds. The fuse should be as close as possible to the power source to minimize the length of live cable in the event that something happens.

If you want to know the true wattage of your inverter, you can introduce a load to the output with an inductance coil. I usually use the primary coil of a big transformer whilst making sure the wires from the secondary coil are isolated to avoid sparks etc. You can then measure the output in amps by attaching a clamp meter to either the positive or the negative going to the coil (not around both wires). You can then work out the true power. W=AV where W is watts, A is amps and V is voltage so just multiply amps by volts and you have the wattage. In all honesty though, if the inverter says 1000 watts, even if it can only produce 500 watts, it's more than enough. A PS4 only needs 165 watts to run and a full size LCD TV is around the same so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

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20 hours ago, Gaurav said:

I have a similar invertor and don't go by the word what it says for 1000W. Before doing any major exercise I suggest to run inverter with battery and power up the PlayStation and display to see if this metal box is actually supplying required wattage.

Additional fuse what Barry suggested is for wire installation and it's a good practice to add the fuse in case some surge happen so it won't fry your devices or melt wire.

 

12 minutes ago, Barry said:

For a more permanent solution, you're going to have to attach the positive to the battery clamp with an eye terminal or look for a space in the under bonnet fuse box to attach it to, again with an eye terminal. The interior fuse box might not be able to supply the power required. You can attach the negative to anywhere on the body. Just sand the paint off where you're attaching it to so you get a good connection but try to keep the wire as short as possible. I.e. if the inverter is in the boot, look for a bolt in the boot attached to the body that you can connect it to. The whole car body is one big negative earth terminal.

The purpose of the main power fuse isn't to protect the inverter, it has its own fuse to protect itself. It's in case the power wire breaks or rubs through and touches the body of the car creating a short circuit. A couple of hundred amps in a short circuit condition is enough to melt the plastic wire coating and start a fire in a few seconds. The fuse should be as close as possible to the power source to minimize the length of live cable in the event that something happens.

If you want to know the true wattage of your inverter, you can introduce a load to the output with an inductance coil. I usually use the primary coil of a big transformer whilst making sure the wires from the secondary coil are isolated to avoid sparks etc. You can then measure the output in amps by attaching a clamp meter to either the positive or the negative going to the coil (not around both wires). You can then work out the true power. W=AV where W is watts, A is amps and V is voltage so just multiply amps by volts and you have the wattage. In all honesty though, if the inverter says 1000 watts, even if it can only produce 500 watts, it's more than enough. A PS4 only needs 165 watts to run and a full size LCD TV is around the same so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The inverter runs the display with the playstation just fine while connected to the battery. I did some research so I believe I am in the safe zone. One thing worth noting is that when I attach the clamp, the central lock triggers. Don't know whats with that. 

I think connecting to the battery clamp with an eye terminal would be easier. So in the end I only need a longer positive cable as I can hook up the negative to a ground connection in the car.

How necessary is the fuse? It seems complex and there is already a fuse on the power supply. What type of fuse do I need?

 

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The fuse is very necessary. It might stop your car going on fire. A fuse holder is a couple of dirhams in the shops of naif road. A new car costs thousands.

Central locking triggering is an odd one. Maybe the PlayStation is emitting a frequency that conflicts with the central locking.  

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