What maximum power inverter for 1G alternator

[ArdWrknTrk]

What kind of laptop?

I'm on Mac. All my office is too.

iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacMinis, MacBooks, iGadgets, name it. I keep old G4, old PoweMac, old Quadra 700, just in case I have to access old softwares or files requiring old technology and chips (it happens, each 3-4 years).

Even a vintage Macintosh SE30 is running 24/7 the black&white Flying Toasters screen saver in my office meeting room, just for fun.

If instead buying Macs since 1989 I have bought Apple's stock shares, I would be rich right now...

Ok, back to the thread... I plan to charge various little things. For example, charging my drone batteries. My DSLR camera batteries. And so on.

So, buying a compatible 12V charger for each of these various techno tools would be expansive, and complicated. A little inverter would be much simpler and flexible for my hypothetical road trip.

I won't need a lot of power, and I wanna be sure to stay respectful to my 1G capacity.

Ideally, this inverter would be connected directly to the battery poles, in order to leave the 12V dash lighter plug free, for my 12V-5A-DC Koolatron travel cooler.

Well you don't say where you would put your inverter but if I wanted to use a 500W inverter in my truck I would probably run a cable up the passenger side fender, fused/breaker somewhere along there and pull it through the grommet where the HVAC wires and vacuum lines come through.

Then have enough coiled in the glove box to reach the floor or seat(s)

Terminate in an XT60 plug and wire an XT60 pigtail to the inverter.

The cable will remain out of sight and fairly protected when not in use.

When choosing pay attention to the inverter housing and be certain to get one that is pure sine wave (warning above^^^)

I hope you have an enjoyable road trip! 😉

 

[BigBrother-84]

Well you don't say where you would put your inverter but if I wanted to use a 500W inverter in my truck I would probably run a cable up the passenger side fender, fused/breaker somewhere along there and pull it through the grommet where the HVAC wires and vacuum lines come through.

Then have enough coiled in the glove box to reach the floor or seat(s)

Terminate in an XT60 plug and wire an XT60 pigtail to the inverter.

The cable will remain out of sight and fairly protected when not in use.

When choosing pay attention to the inverter housing and be certain to get one that is pure sine wave (warning above^^^)

I hope you have an enjoyable road trip! 😉

Jim, that plan sounds good.

I understand that a 500W would be enough for my needs and will ensure to not overload my 1G charging capacity.

Any advice about the wire gauge (from battery to glove compartment), for a such 500W inverter?

And what about this circuit protection fuse amperage?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim, that plan sounds good.

I understand that a 500W would be enough for my needs and will ensure to not overload my 1G charging capacity.

Any advice about the wire gauge (from battery to glove compartment), for a such 500W inverter?

And what about this circuit protection fuse amperage?

500W would absolutely max your alternator, but as Gary says you'll have a little in reserve with a decent battery (I've got a 1000A group 65)

Some tutorials suggest only 1/2 rated output.

10 Ga. Is the pretty much the max you can reasonably fit in an XT 60 socket (100A surge) and should be fine as long as you don't want the inverter sitting in the back seat.

Take note of the insulation temperature rating when you put wires in the engine bay. (I've become preferential to the fine strand copper, silicone jacketed stuff the RC guys are using) https://a.co/d/3CfdoX7

60A automotive/marine breaker, surface mount, push to trip, manual reset, as close to the battery as I could get (like under the starter relay)

Something like these: https://www.amazon.com/Fastronix-Surface-Circuit-Breaker-Manual/dp/B092BB6761?th=1

https://www.waytekwire.com/item/46921/EATON-s-Bussmann-Series-184060F-01-1-Surface-Mount/

 

[BigBrother-84]

500W would absolutely max your alternator, but as Gary says you'll have a little in reserve with a decent battery (I've got a 1000A group 65)

Some tutorials suggest only 1/2 rated output.

10 Ga. Is the pretty much the max you can reasonably fit in an XT 60 socket (100A surge) and should be fine as long as you don't want the inverter sitting in the back seat.

Take note of the insulation temperature rating when you put wires in the engine bay. (I've become preferential to the fine strand copper, silicone jacketed stuff the RC guys are using) https://a.co/d/3CfdoX7

60A automotive/marine breaker, surface mount, push to trip, manual reset, as close to the battery as I could get (like under the starter relay)

Something like these: https://www.amazon.com/Fastronix-Surface-Circuit-Breaker-Manual/dp/B092BB6761?th=1

https://www.waytekwire.com/item/46921/EATON-s-Bussmann-Series-184060F-01-1-Surface-Mount/

Jim, you gathered here all the information I needed, thanks so much!

This makes me realize that I never considered the supplemental power load I added to Big Brother during the years.

Here is a portrait of Big Brother's situation:

• No A/C;

• Exterior:

-LED beams (I plan to change them, not satisfied. I am actually discussing with Daniel Stern about a solution similar to Gary's one. BTW Gary, did you know that this gentleman speaks French (he unmasked me at my first question —I cannot figure out how — and directly answered to me in French )

-OEM markers and stop lights

-7 blades trailer plug, with electrical brakes module under the dash

-Backup camera

• Interior:

-2 OEM dome lights

-OEM cluster but with LED lights

-OEM AM-FM radio, but upgraded with a Bluetooth hands free kit (no subwoofer installed, but could have one)

-OEM air/heater fan

-OEM 12V cigarette lighter plug for accessories

-Replacement mirror with integrated backup camera screen

Contemplating to install:

• Small inverter (400W?)

• Daniel Sterns more powerful marker lights

No more, I promise.

For the moment.

With that in mind, am I already pushing Big Brother's 1G to its limits?

Or there is no reason to panic...

 

[Gary Lewis]

Jim, you gathered here all the information I needed, thanks so much!

This makes me realize that I never considered the supplemental power load I added to Big Brother during the years.

Here is a portrait of Big Brother's situation:

• No A/C;

• Exterior:

-LED beams (I plan to change them, not satisfied. I am actually discussing with Daniel Stern about a solution similar to Gary's one. BTW Gary, did you know that this gentleman speaks French (he unmasked me at my first question —I cannot figure out how — and directly answered to me in French )

-OEM markers and stop lights

-7 blades trailer plug, with electrical brakes module under the dash

-Backup camera

• Interior:

-2 OEM dome lights

-OEM cluster but with LED lights

-OEM AM-FM radio, but upgraded with a Bluetooth hands free kit (no subwoofer installed, but could have one)

-OEM air/heater fan

-OEM 12V cigarette lighter plug for accessories

-Replacement mirror with integrated backup camera screen

Contemplating to install:

• Small inverter (400W?)

• Daniel Sterns more powerful marker lights

No more, I promise.

For the moment.

With that in mind, am I already pushing Big Brother's 1G to its limits?

Or there is no reason to panic...

I didn’t know that! But he sure seems to know a lot, so knowing another language shouldn’t surprise me.

Don’t go to LED tail/brake lights w/o testing. My trailer brake controller doesn’t work with them. Don’t know why but it doesn’t.

As for the headlights, I really like my setup. However you really need to install a relay setup for your headlights if you don’t have one.

But I don’t think you are pushing the 1G too much. Nothing you have or are talking about is excessive.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim, you gathered here all the information I needed, thanks so much!

This makes me realize that I never considered the supplemental power load I added to Big Brother during the years.

Here is a portrait of Big Brother's situation:

• No A/C;

• Exterior:

-LED beams (I plan to change them, not satisfied. I am actually discussing with Daniel Stern about a solution similar to Gary's one. BTW Gary, did you know that this gentleman speaks French (he unmasked me at my first question —I cannot figure out how — and directly answered to me in French )

-OEM markers and stop lights

-7 blades trailer plug, with electrical brakes module under the dash

-Backup camera

• Interior:

-2 OEM dome lights

-OEM cluster but with LED lights

-OEM AM-FM radio, but upgraded with a Bluetooth hands free kit (no subwoofer installed, but could have one)

-OEM air/heater fan

-OEM 12V cigarette lighter plug for accessories

-Replacement mirror with integrated backup camera screen

Contemplating to install:

• Small inverter (400W?)

• Daniel Sterns more powerful marker lights

No more, I promise.

For the moment.

With that in mind, am I already pushing Big Brother's 1G to its limits?

Or there is no reason to panic...

Jeff,

Daniel Stern used to feature Cibie and Marchal lamps and had extensive documentation about the French selective yellow headlamp regulation that was in effect for much of the middle 20th C. (1938 - 1993)

I imagine he has to speak French to do business with them and read all those research papers/regulations.

I don't think you intend to overload your alternator or that a laptop or drone battery would be too much.

But I also don't know how much power a cooler draws.

Blower and wipers can eat a bunch of watts and you have the ignition on top of that.

AC doesn't add any electrical load beyond the compressor's magnetic clutch.

Just pointing out that by installing an inverter you make it possible to over load/heat the 1G.

Maybe better to fuse the inverter at 40A which aligns a little below 500W @ 12V (41.666 A*)

I still wouldn't go any smaller on the wires. Low voltage has a lot of resistance as runs get longer.

Do you have a voltmeter? If not, have you considered the Rocketman mod? (because I think it's much more telling of actual state of charge than the wonky ammeter that came stock)

Forewarned is forearmed.

Edit: A for V Sorry I didn't catch that when I first posted.

[BigBrother-84]

But I also don't know how much power a cooler draws.

Koolatron says 12V-5A-DC.

Low voltage has a lot of resistance as runs get longer.

Yep, and Big Bro being a Crew Cab, chances are that I'll locate the little inverter somewhere on the back seat, maybe behind it.

So the bigger wire running from the battery would be the best?

Do you have a voltmeter? If not, have you considered the Rocketman mod? (because I think it's much more telling of actual state of charge than the wonky ammeter that came stock)

Forewarned is forearmed.

You're absolutely right. My only concern is that I want to "hide" as much as possible the modern upgrades I make to Big Bro (Jim, you well know my "as stock as possible" obsession ). If a modern voltmeter that mimics the OEM one exists, I buy and install it in the cluster right now, no matter (or, well, almost) the price.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

But I also don't know how much power a cooler draws.

Koolatron says 12V-5A-DC.

Low voltage has a lot of resistance as runs get longer.

Yep, and Big Bro being a Crew Cab, chances are that I'll locate the little inverter somewhere on the back seat, maybe behind it.

So the bigger wire running from the battery would be the best?

Do you have a voltmeter? If not, have you considered the Rocketman mod? (because I think it's much more telling of actual state of charge than the wonky ammeter that came stock)

Forewarned is forearmed.

You're absolutely right. My only concern is that I want to "hide" as much as possible the modern upgrades I make to Big Bro (Jim, you well know my "as stock as possible" obsession ). If a modern voltmeter that mimics the OEM one exists, I buy and install it in the cluster right now, no matter (or, well, almost) the price.

Okay, so add another 5A to the load on the alternator, as I expect a cooler will be running for extended periods, unlike a cigarette lighter which is typically drawing for maybe 15 seconds?

Any of the 3G conversion threads have links to the Rocketman's Classic Cougar Innovations ammeter conversion.

He only works on original Ford meters but you could pull one from a junkyard or eBay and have that one refurbished.

You want the F100-80V. It's $50 with a couple of weeks turnaround. https://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-volt-all I don't know about any added shipping to Canada.

Gary could better tell you how well the modified ammeter works. He might even have a spare that you could figure out the round robin to get an exchanged one in your hands.

If you intend to locate the inverter in the back seat you need to count the distance both ways, because electrons 'run' all the way back to ground.

Before, I had only considered that the wire might be 10' long and that 10Ga.+ XT60 would be fine for that.

I also need to consider that you're never likely to max out a 500W inverter for what you intend.

(I chose 500 because that seems to be a sweet spot where there seem to be lots of models and features available)

A smaller 400W inverter should be fine with 10Ga. wire. The chart shows 36A @ 25' and 400W is less than that.

There seem to be a few that are pure sine wave and have a couple of USB ports for charging things like phones and drones as well as the usual 2x NEMA 5-15R sockets.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

Okay, so add another 5A to the load on the alternator, as I expect a cooler will be running for extended periods, unlike a cigarette lighter which is typically drawing for maybe 15 seconds?

Any of the 3G conversion threads have links to the Rocketman's Classic Cougar Innovations ammeter conversion.

He only works on original Ford meters but you could pull one from a junkyard or eBay and have that one refurbished.

You want the F100-80V. It's $50 with a couple of weeks turnaround. https://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-volt-all I don't know about any added shipping to Canada.

Gary could better tell you how well the modified ammeter works. He might even have a spare that you could figure out the round robin to get an exchanged one in your hands.

If you intend to locate the inverter in the back seat you need to count the distance both ways, because electrons 'run' all the way back to ground.

Before, I had only considered that the wire might be 10' long and that 10Ga.+ XT60 would be fine for that.

I also need to consider that you're never likely to max out a 500W inverter for what you intend.

(I chose 500 because that seems to be a sweet spot where there seem to be lots of models and features available)

A smaller 400W inverter should be fine with 10Ga. wire. The chart shows 36A @ 25' and 400W is less than that.

There seem to be a few that are pure sine wave and have a couple of USB ports for charging things like phones and drones as well as the usual 2x NEMA 5-15R sockets.

Additionally, 40A seems to be the smallest type III surface mount breakers available.

Disregard the above 60A models!

It appears they are popular for trolling motors.

I like the style with a 'test' button so you can disable the circuit if need be.

[Rembrant]

You want the F100-80V. It's $50 with a couple of weeks turnaround. https://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-volt-all I don't know about any added shipping to Canada.

Gary could better tell you how well the modified ammeter works. He might even have a spare that you could figure out the round robin to get an exchanged one in your hands.

He might have one in-stock:nabble_crossed-fingers-20-pixel_orig:

I sent him one to convert but he was extremely backed up at the time, and he had it for several weeks in queue, and then I went and sold my truck:nabble_smiley_cry:

I told him to keep it. I had several extras at the time anyway.