Thread: Help installing power invertor (doesn't turn on)

Originally Posted by TaylorH

Alrighty, i'll preface this by saying i know enough about electronics to be dangerous

I am starting my first carputer install, i am using an old compaq armada laptop.

The problem i have run into is that my invertor won't start, not for the life of me.

It is a generic 350Watt invertor. I have connected it to the fuse for the blinkers (for it's 12V power, i used the blinkers because they only work when the car is on, and that way i don't have to mess around with flipping a switch to use the invertor, it will just be on when the car is on) and grounded it securely to the cars frame. I have tested the power and ground leads using a voltmeter, and it's a solid 12 volts, so i know the ground and power are good. I have connected the invertor the the cig lighter in my wifes car, and it works that way. i have connected the invertor directly to the battery, and it works that way. i have taken the power and ground leads and connected them to a little 12V light, and it DOESN'T light

I can't figure it out, the voltmeter says that i have a solid 12 volts, but It won't light a bulb let alone power my invertor

any help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated

There arent enough juice in your 12v, from the blinker!
You need some more AMPERE.
Inverter should have its own connection to the battery.

12v isent just 12v, you need to find a place where you can draw some power, which you cant from a small wire fore a bulp, or from a blinker rela.

I guess i am a little confused... why does it work when you connect it to a cig lighter then? does that go straight to the battery?

I guess the main thing i want is for it to only be on when the car is on, so that i don't have to worry about the hassle of forgetting to turn it off and ending up with a dead battery. if there is a way to do this (splice into the ignition maybe?) *like i said... enough to be dangerous* :-D

There are more juice in the cig lighter than other places because the car manufeatures know that people are connecting fridges and things to the cig ligther that uses high power

another things i am confused about is why i can't light a little 12v bulb (that pulls 250ma of current) with the leads. if i connect the same bulb to a 9V battery it glows perfectly :P

darn me and my confusion

ok... i hooked the 12v into a different fuse (a 30A fuse) and now it is working fine... looks like you hit it on the head with the fact that it needed to be able to draw more current

you could connect your inverter to the 12volts for the cig lighter circuit via a relay. Then pic the relay with the blinker circuit.

I do that only with the headlights it gives me the option to turn things on any time and hear a warning chime if I open the car door and forget to turn it off.

did it work when you turned your blinkers on?