That darn 12v cable...

No matter what inverter you use, you will have to upgrade the wire to the inverter. That means from the power source (battery) to the entertainment cabinet also.

Don't waste money on another inverter until you upgrade the wiring.

I had the same problem with my Samlex 150 PSW inverter plugged into the cig outlet on the antenna booster wallplate. Firing up the TV made the inverter's "low voltage" alarm scream. The wiring run to the outlet was too long and too gauge too small to draw any power out of it.

What I did was get a one-circuit 15A transfer switch, wire the inverted directly to the batteries, and use the transfer switch to power the 120v circuit that includes the TV outlet. No more issues.

Write up on my inverter insstall is here. Nice thing was that all the wiing was done at the panel, I didn't need to run any wires up to the TV area. I did boost the wire gauge between the batteries and the load center to help with charging and have since added a Progressive Dynamics converter.

I don't think buying a new inverter is going to solve anything for you, but I guess you can try...

donn0128 wrote:
Even though the inverter may be rated for 200 watts, or about 18 amps, the cable is probably not large enough to support the load. In simple terms you are probably strangling the inverter.

I agree.

I had similar problem. I have a television rated for between 12 and 14 volts input. I decided to wire it in to the nearest 12 volt line It would work until something like the water pump came on.

I ended up installing a golf cart solenoid directly to the battery and the TV so that I could switch it off. I used the smaller 12 volt circuit as the signal power to the switch connected to the solenoid so that when the main 12 volt power was off so was the solenoid even if the switch was on. This provided direct 12 volt on a heavier cable to the solenoid and then I used 12 gauge cable to the TV. No more problems. I also connected a converter on a short cable to the solenoid so that I could connect the VCR/DVD player as well. The player runs on 110 through the converter and is switched at the solenoid as well. This prevents voltage drop to the converter as well.

Direct current (DC) systems are much more sensitive of cable runs and voltage drop through those runs than is Alternating Current (AC). That is one reason they are not practical for commercial power and why AC came out over DC



Just to give you another example.
I was having trouble with the towing lights on my pickup not glowing very brightly. LED bulbs did not work properly at all.

I tested the voltage at the light socket and found I had just over 9.5 volts with the engine off and just a little over ten with the RV engine on.

It was the run. The trailer light plug was wired in to the tail light harness on the RV. there was about ten feet of wire wrapped up in a ball tucked up under the rear of the RV. The wires still had to travel the length of the RV and go through the turn signal switch and everything else.

The running lights worked fine so I ended up cutting out the excess wire and re connecting everything. Then I tapped in to the turn signal/brake light wires along the frame and used them as signal to a pair of typical relays. I then ran a heavier gauge wire from the front of the RV that was fused directly to the fuse block.

I then connected the relays to the trailer light plug and the direct power line to the relays so that whenever the turn signal lines flash it opens and closes the relays. Whenever I use the turn signals on the RV I can hear the relays activate and deactivate but I now have nearly twelve volts at the light sockets I mounted in the toad's tail lights and the LEDs work perfectly. There is a slight delay when the turn signals flash leaving the lights on the RV to flash a split second before the trailer lights but that is fine.

BobandShaz wrote:
Bad inverter?

I think it cant handle the load it claims it can... made in china maybe they meant 20 to 40 watts and not 200 to 400..

Bad inverter?

Cerevisaphile wrote:
? I think i might get another inverter (pure sine)with a higher load that i can connect directly to the house battery and see if that fixes the problem

Yep. As said, not having a direct connection is your problem.

thanks everyone for the great tips and suggestions...

the 12 volt cable that is in the "entertainment cabinet" ( which I only call entertainment cabinet since it has the outlet for the TV and the switch for the antenna booster and that "darn" 12 volt cable ) is the same gauge as the cable that is connected to the 12 volt outlet.

I think I am going to buy this inverter http://www.amazon.com/AIMS-Watt-Pure-Power-Inverter/dp/B007KDDSXQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389547832&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=600WATT+PSW+AIMS as suggested by RoyB.

thanks again this forum has been very helpful for a rookie RVer like myself.

Our TV in the TT uses a brick power supply that has a 12V output. I bought a 12V power plug and "M" barrel connector and made my own 12V power cord for it. The Jensen radio / DVD player is already 12V. So - I can watch TV or play DVD's w/o an inverter.

One issue with a MSW inverter is that switcher-type power supplies in TV's and such run hotter and draw more power on a MSW inverter vs a pure sine wave one.

I very much doubt that a "cup holder" sized inverter can supply the rated loads that come with the product (200-400w). I've used a variety of small inverters and have never seen one of small size that is rated to that amount of AC power.

Even with the stated loads you are using, long lengths of DC wire may have too much voltage drop to operate the inverter. As others have said, locate the inverter close to the batteries and use large wire. How did you terminate the cig outlet to the 12v cable? What devices are also powered by that wiring?

Typical cigar lighter maximum amperage ratings are in the neighborhood of 6-10 amps. That is 70-120 watts at maximum and, with contact losses may be under the draw of the inverter. Don't use a cigar lighter receptacle, if possible.

Smaller pure sine inverters don't cost that much more than a comparable MSW inverter. Electronics will like a pure sine inverter much more. This is one choice where a bit more money is well spent. Don't buy the cheapest you can find, get a known good brand like Gopower, Samlex, Xantrex, Tripplite, etc.

Good luck with your 12v power.

Inverter appears to have enough capabilities to do the job but the 12 volts being supplied to it is insufficient due to existing wire diameter and length. Two choices are to wire inverter close to battery and run the AC output the desired length to the entertainment center or use a much heavier gauge wire and run it from the battery to the inverter located in your entertainment center.