Power inverters generate power in areas where you normally would not be able to use these amenities. A power inverter that is run off of a battery changes D.C. power to traditional A.C. power and you can use an inverter to power devices like televisions, microwaves, computers or power tools.
These are many kinds of inverters and many different sources from which they convert power. Some car inverters convert power straight out if a cigarette lighter input in your car. Others are powered off of batteries of varying sizes. With this second kind of inverter it is important to match it with the proper battery. It is important to be discriminating in the purchasing process.
If you are using a smaller inverter than an automotive battery will work sufficiently for generating your power. Most automobile batteries will supply enough power for 30 to 60 minutes of power before they need to be recharged. You can recharge your batter by running it in a car engine, a gas generator or plugging it into an A.C. outlet. If you are using a battery from a car you should run the battery in the car for approximately 10 minutes every hour to keep the battery changed. The time that the battery will last depends on largely on what kind of device you are running off the inverter. When continuously running appliances that a put a heavy load on the battery it is not advices to use your car or truck battery. The battery can become so drained that it no longer has the power necessary to start the vehicle and so cannot be recharged using that method. Smaller batteries should not be drained beyond 10% capacity. If you drain a battery of this kind beyond that point it will significantly shorten the life of the battery.
If you are using a 500 watt inverter or larger, it is suggested that you use a deep cycle battery. This includes RV and Marine batteries. Marine batteries have the capability to withstand being drained and recharged many times. These deep cycle batteries should give you several hundred cycles of charging and discharging. If you are going to run a larger inverter off of a car or truck battery it is advised to keep the vehicle running during the use of the inverter. Larger batteries should not be drained beyond 50% capacity. If you drain a battery of this kind beyond this point it is significantly shorten the life of the battery.
If you want to multiply the amps that one battery supplies you can connect several batteries together. This can also give you more time before you need to recharge the batteries. This should be done with 12 volt batteries of the same type as one another.
Using an inverter to generate power can be an invaluable resource for anyone who finds themselves away from traditional power sources.
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People always ask us “exactly how does a power inverter work?” The answer to this question often surprises our customers.
Car power inverters work much more simply than mysteriously, and the learning curve required to understand them requires no more than a very basic knowledge of electricity. Essentially, there are two forms of electrical power in the Universe: Direct Current (DC) and Alternating Current (AC). Direct current flows continuously from the positive electrical pole to the negative electrical pole.
Alternating current flows back and forth between the two poles. DC current occurs in Nature and batteries, while AC current is man-made and supplies power through the public utility grid that supports human industry and infrastructure.
Car batteries presented a problem in the past when people realized they needed to operate traditionally AC-powered devices in their cars but could not do so because of incompatible current requirements. Manufacturers like Vector stepped up to solve this dilemma by working to design car power inverters that would safely and efficiently convert DC to AC. Their successful engineering has resulted in a wide range of compact, rectangular devices that connect to batteries and output the resulting alternating current safely through one or more standard electrical plugs.
Two factors determine how a power inverter works: wave output and wattage output. Wave output describes the physical appearance of electrical signals as they move across an oscilloscope. Square waves appear exactly as their name specifies: like squares on a grid. Pure sine waves, also called true sine waves, appear as visible waves on the screen. Sine wave car power inverters work better than square wave power inverters when uninterrupted power flow is a critical issue.
In fact, true sine output is sometimes slightly superior to that of public utility power grids! Because of this, they are also the most expensive devices of their kind on the market. Recent advances in technology have accommodated users on a budget with a hybrid design generally referred to as either a modified square or modified sine wave power inverter.
The technical differences that determine how a true sine car power inverter works and how a modified sine power inverter works are too minor to produce any notice.