Power inverter problem.

I just bought a 700 watt power inverter. I have a 500 watt power supply for my computer. I ran one 8 guage wire to thebattery and i grounded another 8 guage to the chassis of the vehicle. Anyways i turn on the power inverter then i try to turn on the power supply for the computer and the little red light starts blinking and the power supply doesnt turn on. I then connected a much smaller 200 watt power supply and it worked fine. My question is do i need to use bigger wires or is my power inverter messed up? Also should i have a fuse on the line going from the battery to the power inverter? By the way i know 500 watt power supply works because tested it in my house. Thanks in advance for your help.

you should always fuse anything coming off the battery

The first thing you need to do is fuse the battery wire. Once you've taken care of that, break the ground prong off the a/c power cable you're using between the inverter and power supply and your problems will probably go away.

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Originally Posted by numbers

The first thing you need to do is fuse the battery wire.

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Indeed. Try to keep it as close to the battery as possible too (a few inches away if possible).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by numbers

break the ground prong off the a/c power cable you're using between the inverter and power supply and your problems will probably go away.

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Yeah that's smart. :rolleyes:

Is the inverter 700 continuous or peak? Sounds like it's not drawing enough power. Is your car running at the time? Try some 4 Guage wire with the inverter right next to the battery and check it.

-arebelspy

its 700 continuous
my car was running at the time when i tested it.

It still sounds like you are just not drawing enough power.. try plugging something smaller in, like a desk lamp, and see if that works.

-arebelspy

yea problem is probably in the 8ga wire.... i have a 750w peak inverter before, and it was probably pushin it using the 8ga i used, with the 700w continuous id bump that wire size up some.... and just wondering, but do you need the 500w supply or can u go with something lower, only asking because lower the less drain on the battery, but if you're like me then u actually need that power

Sounds to me like you didn't break off the ground prong yet.:search:

:eek: WTF don't break off the ground prong, it's there for a reason!

-arebelspy

Try to keep the opinions to a minimum. I won't say it a third time. Ok... yes I will. BREAK OFF THE DAMN PRONG. I really won't say it a fourth time, though. It's been said plenty of other times. Search the board.