Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

DC to AC Voltage Converter

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Kajtek1 
#1 ·
Any recomendations for hard wiring DC to AC voltage converter to charge laptop etc. ?
 
#3 ·
I wired one in. a 400 watt. (which is way more than needed for a laptop)
I spliced into the power cord of the converter CAREFULLY
(so i can use it again with the 12 volt cig plug if necc)
knowing which is hot and ground.
I bought an add on fuse box, mounted it back in the passenger footwell near the center hump and firewall.
I ran three sockets for various 12 volt adapters to my dash area.
and one for the DC to AC box.

the only thing I'd suggest is that you mount it so it's vented.,
so air flows around it. like on stand offs. (stilts?)
they do give off a little heat.
and. use an inline switch from the fuse box to the unit so you can UN-Power it when not in use,
this way it stays cool and doesn't draw all the time
I hooked up my diesel for cross country trips :)
 
#5 ·
sorry.
I just crawled under the dash. :surrender: :bowdown:
160 watt Jensen with a 20 amp integrated fuse.+
the fuse from the aux fuse box @ 20amps.
I used 14 gauge line from the battery to the aux box.
I put it in months ago. was looking at many.
I did buy a 75 watt plug type, similar to the one linked by a previous poster...
but my laptop was rated at 90 watt. .
who knows. maybe by the time I make the next trip I'll redo the whole setup!
all I have is time.
 
#6 ·
I have 46 of Inverters installed in company vehicles and they work fine UNLESS you leave them powering something over the weekend. You will find a dead battery on Monday as my techs have experienced many times. Heat and noise is another issue. The cooling fans are cheap and they make a lot of racket when running. Install the unit in an area with no air flow and you are asking for trouble. Good luck....
 
#7 ·
I've been using $6.98 (no kidding) inverter for my laptop while using it for GPS.
The no-fan inverter is 90W rated and it will support 120W for few minutes, but later on it goes into overheating and start going on and off. It was OK when I was using laptop occasionally and when inverter shut down, it was working on internal battery power, but in hot summer after 2 HR I was getting internal battery going low.
Than I have 250W inverter with plug into cigarette lighter socket. This one supply all the power I need, but when used on parking makes annoying fan noise.
You definitely don't need to wire-in inverter for a laptop.
Microwave oven and coffee maker is another story.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top