pugwash Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Looking to buy good quality battery charger and inverter. The battery charger will be used overnight to keep the twin batteries of the truck setup. I've sen all sorts of prices and things for sale but don't know what to buy- is it true that trickle chargers can actually bugger up batteries within 9-12 months? i want something that does the job well and want to spend enough to get the job done. Inverters i'm looking a for a permanantly plumbed jobby thats good for 800-100w continuous for recharging cameras, phones and possibly running kettles and the like. Again have seen stuff from £20-£200 for the same rating and metnions of sine-wave, pure sine-wave etc etc. how the hell do i choose? Again i want to spend just enough to get the job done right. Also can 2 batteries be used in both parrallel and series at the same time? Ie battery A supplies 12v, battery B is charge by a 12c alternator along with battery A, but battery A and B are being used to produce a constant 24v. is this possible or just silly? oops that seems to be three questions- sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark90 Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I have a one of these battery chargers for keeping my two liesure batteries topped up. It's an inteliigent multi stage charger and can be left connected without damage to batteries. You should be able to find one for less than £80. Or depending on what your charging requirements are, you may get away with a smaller charger, the 3600 or maybe even the 800, if it's just to keep the batteries toppped up during periods when not being used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 The battery charger will be used overnight to keep the twin batteries of the truck setup. I've sen all sorts of prices and things for sale but don't know what to buy- is it true that trickle chargers can actually bugger up batteries within 9-12 months? i want something that does the job well and want to spend enough to get the job done. OptiMate / Accumate - I wouldn't swap mine for anything, it's revived countless dead batteries and can be left on trickle permanently. Dumb trickle chargers could well damage batteries long-term, but anything half decent should be fine. All our batteries at work are on float their entire lives and don't suffer for it. Inverters i'm looking a for a permanantly plumbed jobby thats good for 800-100w continuous for recharging cameras, phones and possibly running kettles and the like. Again have seen stuff from £20-£200 for the same rating and metnions of sine-wave, pure sine-wave etc etc. how the hell do i choose? Again i want to spend just enough to get the job done right. The difference is in the quality of the output: Mains AC is a nice smooth sine wave, that's hard to do unless you have an actual rotating generator. Pseudo-sine wave is a rough digital approximation of a sine-wave, usually involving a couple of steps rather than an analogue wave. Really cheap inverters just put out a square wave. Things with transformers in them (EG CRT tellies, microwaves) can get upset by impure AC, at the very least they will make bluddy horrible noises. Things with no transformer, or a switched mode power supply (most laptops for example) don't care so much, in fact RS sold a cheap 240v DC inverter for a while that worked with switch-mode PSU's as they don't actually need AC to function. Also can 2 batteries be used in both parrallel and series at the same time? Ie battery A supplies 12v, battery B is charge by a 12c alternator along with battery A, but battery A and B are being used to produce a constant 24v. is this possible or just silly? You could use ONE battery (preferably the one with it's -ve terminal connected to chassis ground) to supply 12v whilst drawing 24v from the two in series, but you can't wire two batteries in series and parallel simultaneously, that's called an electric fire if you need 24v to run a few bits, have a look around for a 12v-24v converter, they crop up in truck stuff as they have a lot of 24v stuff and sometimes need to run it away from the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotian Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I've been using an 800w/1200w peak inverter for about 5 years now. Its been great for running proper power tools although without the engine running it wouldnt provide enough power to run them on full speed. You will never in a million years run a kettle from an inverter as they use more power than anything other than a bar heater. I found myself looking at the Watage on all sorts of small heaters and kitchen appliances and I found a toasty maker that will run and a small electric powered oil heater that I am thinking of buying and trying on it. Only thing is even though it says 800w on the inverter and 700w on the appliance I;ve found that they still dont really work. I tried a Dyson hoover once and it went so slowly that it wouldnt pick up. Its just a case of suck it and see. I would advise to buy biggest one youc an afford and make sure its a proper one with internal fans and lots of cooling fins and some proper cables (not cigar lighter) to connect it to the battery. Here a link of of a co,mpany with inverters that I keep in my favorits list for when Its time to get a new one. http://www.powerinverter-shopping.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I think you'd be better off with a 12V kettle (from a caravan shop) or use a small gas burner (we've got a little primus stove that takes small disposable gas canisters... it roars like a oxy-torch and will boil a litre of water in about 3mins... I'd keep to a smaller inverter and just use it for charging camera batteries, etc.... we've got a little 300w inverter, which has always suited our needs... if you need big power, get yourself a genny... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I tried a Dyson hoover once and it went so slowly that it wouldnt pick up.Its just a case of suck it and see. or not, in your case.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 thanks guys How much heat does an inverter produce? can they be put in a large sealed space? Also if i want 400w continuous will i be better getting a 800w inverter- does a larger inverter produce less heat compared to a smaller inverter if both are producing 400w? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troddenmasses Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 thanks guysHow much heat does an inverter produce? can they be put in a large sealed space? Also if i want 400w continuous will i be better getting a 800w inverter- does a larger inverter produce less heat compared to a smaller inverter if both are producing 400w? They should produce precisely the same amount of heat, but the larger ones usually have better designed (read - more expensive) ways of dealing with that heat, and getting it away from the delicate components. The best advice that I have been given about anything like this is to buy the best one you can afford. That way, when you decide to do something with it that you haven't thought of at the moment, you'll be able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSD Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 They should produce precisely the same amount of heat, but the larger ones usually have better designed (read - more expensive) ways of dealing with that heat, and getting it away from the delicate components. The best advice that I have been given about anything like this is to buy the best one you can afford. That way, when you decide to do something with it that you haven't thought of at the moment, you'll be able to. Not quite true, as efficiency depends on load current, and will vary from one design to another. Typically efficency peaks around 80% load. However, a larger unit may run a little cooler, as while it is slightly less efficient at around 40% load tahn the smaller unit at 80%, it often has a larger heatsink so dissipates the heat energy more effectively. Have had good results with Waeco units in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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