Re: 12V dc to 120V AC converters

• From: "Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark)" <username@xxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 01 Aug 2005 22:01:34 -0600

Will be in a remote camp in Maine in October for six days and we'll
have no electricity or generator, though we can drive in (about 90 min
drive on a logging road) so we'll have a vehicle.  We'll be shooting
mostly medium format film but will also have digital gear and a laptop
and will need power for the laptop, a Nixvue external HD and a Canon
battery charger.  So I guess I need to get a converter that plugs into
the cigarette lighter of the rental car.

This looks pretty simple so these are probably dumb questions, but I
was wondering if anyone has done this and had problems?  Can you plug a
power strip into the single outlet most of these converters seem to
have so you can run several things at once (keeping within the power
limitations of course)?  Does the car have to be on while doing this to
keep the battery charged or does it discharge so little of the power
that you can run it with the car off (I'm expecting very cold temps, at
least at night)?

Thanks.

Bill

Bill,
I have run numerous things off of DC to AC converters, from computers
to scientific instruments, to battery chargers.  The one point I would
consider is not to get too much capacity as efficiency of the
converter might be low and a lot of power dissipated as heat in
the converter.

I have run a telescope (motor driven) with autoguider (custom
computer and CCD sensor) all night with no problem.

For laptops, I buy the DC converter designed for the laptop.
I've also done a microwave (600 watt converter).

Get everything well before you go and test all of them.  I was
running a laptop and GPS once and about an hour into first time
use of the laptop converter, the converter went up in smoke.
I had to jump out of the car quickly and get it out before
it caught other things on fire!

While I have run numerous battery chargers from DC to AC converters,
I have not tested the 1D Mark II charger (yet).

I also have a nifty solar cell that can charge a car battery
in a day.  I use it when camping for a long time and needing
continuous power.  It has no model number as I got it used from
a do-it yourselfer.

I have never had a problem with square wave converters.

Roger
.

• References:
  • 12V dc to 120V AC converters
    • From: Bill Hilton

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