Continuous sine wave inverter for LCD tv

[samhain7]

Hi all. Any issues with running an LCD tv with a continuous modified sine wave inverter?
What would the results be?

[MrWizard]

i think the OP has had his question answered
No need to rehash everything for the 4th time

[SoundGuy]

joebedford wrote:
You only need a 300W MSW inverter. So get a pure sine wave inverter if $$ are available.

Have you read the entire discussion? ... we've already been through this.

However, one of the worst things you can do with an inverter is use undersize cables to the battery. My 300W came with a plug and it gets very hot with moderate use.

A 300 watt inverter at maximum load will pull ~ 25 amps @ 12 vdc so of course any cables that aren't sized properly or are too long will get hot. Avoiding such a situation is easy though with DC Current Charts like this so readily available.

With a 1000W inverter like you're talking about DON'T use a plug or you will burn something up.

Not true at all ... one can run ANY size of inverter and still plug it into a cigarette lighter 12 vdc outlet provided maximum draw doesn't exceed 8 amps or ~ 100 watts ... suggesting otherwise just isn't the case at all. Any circuit terminated with one of these cigarette lighter outlets will be fused anyway and that fuse will blow long before the inverter can possibly draw enough current to cause any problems.

[joebedford]

samhain7 wrote:
Btw. Did your inverter come with a 12 v plug? The only thing I don't want yo get into is routing wired etc.

You only need a 300W MSW inverter. So get a pure sine wave inverter if $$ are available. However, one of the worst things you can do with an inverter is use undersize cables to the battery. My 300W came with a plug and it gets very hot with moderate use. I directly connected it to the batteries - no biggy. With a 1000W inverter like you're talking about DON'T use a plug or you will burn something up.

[SoundGuy]

samhain7 wrote:
That is my plan if it goes on sale again soon is to use it for simple stuff with the option of powering more stuff down the road.
I only have the one G31 battery, and will be getting 200W of solar, so I am not sure exactly how much I would be able to use some of the higher draw items in my trailer...

No question about it, battery reserve is key ... my current G27 is now 7 yrs old and will need to replaced at some point anyway so if I find we use this inverter enough to justify the expense I'd consider investing in a couple of 6 volts rather than the single G31 I had been planning on.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Amazon.ca has a samlex 300 watt psw for $115.00

[samhain7]

Unfortunately, I don't drink "coffee", but I do like the flavoured stuff from the Tasimo. But that is 1300W so not even this inverter would power that...

That is my plan if it goes on sale again soon is to use it for simple stuff with the option of powering more stuff down the road.
I only have the one G31 battery, and will be getting 200W of solar, so I am not sure exactly how much I would be able to use some of the higher draw items in my trailer...

[SoundGuy]

samhain7 wrote:
So I can get that inverter...wire it with a 12v adapter...and use it. And the only downfall will but is that it won't produce the full 1000w. No damage to anything?

Of course, most of those male cigarette lighter plugs are fused anyway but if that 12 vdc outlet in your trailer you're planning to use is part of the Winegard wall plate then it will be protected by a fused circuit as well. It's maximum rating is 8 amps or ~ 100 watts. ... the inverter won't care if you draw more than that but you will blow any fuse that happens to be in that circuit once you exceed whatever it's rating is. Certainly a 1000 watt inverter is overkill for this application alone but if you can buy one on sale as I did for $199 + tax you'll then have the option of making better use of it later if your dry camping plans expand and you'd like to power other devices. In my case, because I wired mine "whole house", I now have the convenience of even briefly powering our coffee machine or electric toaster or most importantly my wife's hair dryer :R (albeit on it's low heat setting) simply by plugging into any receptacle in the camper. Just this morning I wired in the remote control, installing it inside the camper, so I can turn the inverter on/off without even going outside or having to unlock the front passthrough where the inverter is located. :B

[samhain7]

So I can get that inverter...wire it with a 12v adapter...and use it. And the only downfall will but is that it won't produce the full 1000w. No damage to anything?

I have an existing 400w inverter from Canadian tire but it is not pure sine wave so I don't want to use it. But I can steal the 12v adapter from it.

[SoundGuy]

samhain7 wrote:
Btw. Did your inverter come with a 12 v plug? The only thing I don't want yo get into is routing wired etc.

No of course not, any inverter of this rating would far exceed the ability of any typical 12 vdc outlet such as the cigarette lighter style often found in RVs and which would be limited to a maximum draw of ~ 8 amps. A 1000 watt unit could easily pull 80+ amps at full load, ergo the reason for short, heavy gauge cables connected directly to the battery. For light use you could obviously wire one of these connectors to the input terminals but you'd be limited in what you could power with the unit ... fine for the time being but if you never plan to take advantage of what this inverter can do for you then a smaller unit perhaps does make more sense BUT regardless, you won't buy one here in Canada that's (pure) sine wave for any less. This 1000 watt unit is supposedly manufactured by Xantrex, built specifically for Crappy Tire which obviously buys them in the thousands for distribution in their big box stores located all across Canada, ~ 487 at last count, ergo the reason this particular model is such a good deal. It may not necessarily be the "best" in quality but certainly is "good enough" for what I'm using it for and is FAR better than any MSW inverter as I can safely use it to power anything without having to think about whether the sine wave signal it puts out is suitable. I guess some like pianotuna don't agree but especially at the sale price of $199 + tax it's a no-brainer to me ... YMMV. 😉

[SoundGuy]

pianotuna wrote:
Amazon.ca

pure sine wave inverter $100.00

Plus shipping, plus import duties, plus tax. I buy online occasionally as well when it makes sense but not when I can simply buy right off the shelf from a local dealer, especially with electronics, which if it fails, can simply be returned to that dealer within the warranty period for immediate exchange.

[samhain7]

While I love hearing the options...that inverter wasn't a choice...

[JiminDenver]

I've been using a PowerBright 150w MSW inverter for the flat screen/satellite plus phone charging, netbook charging and for me, it's been fine.

[MrWizard]

that is what is called a universal outlet
UL American and European and Asian male plugs all fit

i think i would pass, its not shipped directly from Amazon

[time2roll]

Last pic shows a universal international connector.