Inverter help.

**underoath7402** · 09-28-2007, 03:43 AM

Hi. I have a standard inverter i've been using in my car but for some reason my car's cigarate lighter has been burning the plug and making it start smoking after it's only been on for a few minutes. My inverter is made to only be plugged into a cigarette lighter but my dad said I'd be able to cut up an extension cord or two(for extra length) and wire them to the positive and negitive wires that connect to the inverter's plug and then run the positive and negitive wires to the battery.

1st: Would I be able to use just a home extension cord just cut and stripped to connect to the battery and also connect to the inverter?

2nd: Would I have to wire up a fuse somewhere in the line?

3rd: If possible how would I wire it so that it doesn't use the battery while the car is turned off or is the inverter switch set to off good enough so it won't be using the battery at all?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

**2k1Toaster** · 09-28-2007, 03:59 AM

Your dad is on the right track, that it is smoking because you are pulling too much from your cig port. Hence the classic picture:

1.) No. Regular cords are meant for AC. Meaning they dont actually draw as much as a DC cable needs for the same thickness. If a cable of x diameter is needed for AC of some voltage, a cable of 2x or 3x diameter is needed for DC. (not actual numbers, but you get the point). You could take multiple cords (not for length) and multiple wires would carry the same current. So if you had 6 extension cables with 2 wires each in them, wire side #1 of all 6 to the battery, and then side #2 of all 6 cables to a ground point. Now this becomes pretty messy and unless you have lots of cables lying around, you are better off just buying a good cable to begin with. And it will look nicer!

If you go to walmart, you can get a 4awg or 8awg amp wiring kit for like $20-$50 that has all the wires you ever need. If you go to Circuit City or your local car audio shop they will sell good quality (and low quality too) power cable by the foot. Expect about $1 to $3 a foot for cheap to mid-range power cable.

2) Within 18" of the battery on the + line.

3) There are a few inverter SDC circuits on here. SDC is short fr SDC. You may want to look into this voodoo magic box we call a DC-DC PSU. No need for an inverter as an inverter is messy, inefficient, and cause tons of problems.

What are your system specs?

**underoath7402** · 09-28-2007, 04:09 AM

Well see the funny thing is. I run one of these in my car with 3 extra speakers i wired up. 1 extra speaker under each front seat on the side so you have front and rear sound, and a little 6 inch in the middle underneath the dash under where the tape deck is:

It's an 88 montecarlo ss. Has nothing but a tape deck and really ****ty old blow out speakers. Ao my way around buying a headunit and all new speakers was to take an old inverter sitting around along with my home stereo which i never use and put them both to good use.

**underoath7402** · 09-28-2007, 04:14 AM

Hrmm. Nothing fancy. Just one of these: [media]http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NRK8YPKHL._AA280_.jpg[/media] hooked up with a few extra speakers since my 88 monte has just a tape player and old blown out speakers lol

**underoath7402** · 09-28-2007, 04:18 AM

Won't let me post replies. Keeps deleting them.

**underoath7402** · 09-28-2007, 04:20 AM

We'll try again. It's just a home stereo wired up with 2 extra speakers for the front. It sounds nice though. Since it's 2 big speakers in the back. 2 subs in the back. And then my extra 2 speakers under the front seats facing outwards towards the door so the sound kinda bounces back to me so all my sound isn't just in the back.