Thread: Opus,inverter-??

I'll translate this all into english. The Opus is a replacement for the power supply inside the computer that's smart enough to deal with a car turning on and off (eg, it turns the computer on and off automatically, keeps it running during a crank, etc).

All an inverter does is convert the car electricity into the same as wall electricity, so you plug your computer into the inverter and it thinks it's in a house. There's no handling of turning the computer on and off with the car, it takes a lot more power, etc.

If you have an opus, all your power/startup controller/etc needs are taken care of. If you have an inverter, you're only halfway there and even when you do get there, it'll be less efficient.

I would say the Opus is better, and few would disagree. The real conflict starts when you talk about value. There are some on the board who will say that while the Opus is the porsche, sometimes a Corolla is ok too. For $200 you can have a super great Opus that does everything and makes your system integrate into your car, or for $50 you can get an inverter that'll WORK, but you'll still have to manually turn it on and off. You can get it so that it eventually does what the Opus does, but it'll generate more waste heat, eat more electricity, and cost around $50 less then the Opus, but with more work and electronics skill needed. (Shutdown controller, relays for switching inverter on and off, tank circuits for allowing system to stay on during crank, etc).