LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With QuoteSearch the forums, you'll probably need to modify the computer power supply to get it working with your inverter without wasting a lot of power.
It involves removing the AC filter capacitors and possibly shorting the RF inductors.
So I finally got my carputer done and was setting it up in my car for a trial run, and it just seems like it doesn't want to work.
When I had it inside everything worked fine, with LCD and all. Here are the specs:
850 MHz Athlon (Slot A)
Asus K7M (onboard sound)
64 mb SDRAM
10 GB HD (For trial purposes)
Now at first I thought it was the inverter, 300 watt one. But then I tried another inverter, 140 watt one, and have the same problems.
It will power the LCD, but when I try to turn on the computer the inverter starts beeping at me and it's kind of like have a circuit overload in your house, it just turns off (not inverter, inverter stays on but everything else shuts off and can't press power button again until switching the inverter on and off.)
I'm planning on getting an Opus PSU, but for now I'd just like to at least get this thing running. Any help is appreciated.
Search the forums, you'll probably need to modify the computer power supply to get it working with your inverter without wasting a lot of power.
It involves removing the AC filter capacitors and possibly shorting the RF inductors.
of course don't do this if you aren't good with electrionics.. you can kill yourself.
'98 Explorer Sport
http://mp3car.zcentric.com (down atm)
AMD 800mhz 192megs RAM 60gig hard drive 9 inch widescreen VGA
80% done
How is the inverter wired in the car? Is it just plugged into the cig. lighter? If it is try cutting the cig. lighter adaptor off and Wiring it to the battery with an in-line fuse. A 30 Amp should do fine. I used to have the same issue way back when I was just getting my first setup in the car. After I wired it to the Battery it worked flawlessly.
hijinks21: Yes that's absolutely true.. Be careful when doing anything with AC mains.
Also forgot to ask, have you tried a different computer power supply? It might be that the one you're trying doesn't like inverter AC.. some of them just don't due to their design.
Defiler - How do you control the power on/off of you inverter?
1993 BMW 325is - 15.2sec
I have a rocker switch in the center console to turn it off and on. My inverter is in the trunk.Originally Posted by SiGmA_X
If you open up the inverter you will see wires running to the switch. All you need to do is remove the rocker switch that is in the inverter, cut the wires connecting the switch, solder wire (make sure the gauge is at least the same or a little larger) from the leads on the rocker run the wires to where you want to mount the inverter, put little bullet connectors on the ends of the wires from the inverter and the end of the wire you ran, and mount the switch where you want it.
How would I go about wiring it directly to my battery??
I just went to Radio Shack and asked some questions like this and he just had no idea what was goin on, lol. Also since this is not my inverter I'd probably have to get a connector that would do a cig. lighter connection from the inverter then to the battery. But yeah, I'm not to keen about running wires to the battery and hooking them on, rain???
Any help is appreciated.
Get some 8 gauge wire (preferably red color) and a heavy duty fuse holder. The fuse should go as close to the battery as possible. Then run the red wire and connect it directly to the B+ on the inverter (You can use a lighter socket but I don't recommend it). Then us a shorter heavy duty (same gauge) black wire and attach it to the car frame AWAY from the fuel tank. You might have to ground the PC case to the same spot as the inverter. Good luck!!
Correct! Also, you can do it like me and power it from the distrobution block that powers your amps.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks