Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
Targus sells a DC-DC kit to go from the cigarette lighter directly into a laptop, no inverter required. Same kit works on airplanes. I've used an 800 watt inverter (direct to 12V battery terminals) along with a few long heavy duty power extension cables before, during earthquake-caused power outages to keep the fridge and a few fluorescant lights going . Very helpful. Wouldn't allow my computer UPSes to start however. The modified sine wave was detected as a power fault. To run non-laptops off an inverter you need a true sine wave inverter. s
Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
Edmund Storms wrote: I suggest if you want to power serious items that you attach the DC-AC inverter directly to the 12 V battery. Yes, that's what guy suggested here: http://www.invertersrus.com/priusinverter.html QUOTE: I have two inverters in my Toyota Prius. I use an AIMS 75 Watt Power Inverter plugged into the 'cigarette lighter' outlet and use it to run my laptop . . . I also have an AIMS 1250 Watt modified sine wave power inverter mounted in the rear beside the rest of my disaster preparedness kit, in the event of an earthquake . . . It is set up to power the refrigerator, TV, computer and selected lights in the house. . . [The inverter] connects to this 12v battery to provide the 120v AC to the house. A full tank of gas (10 gallons) could keep my house powered for weeks. 1250 watts is more than you might think, especially with today's low-wattage refrigerators, compact fluorescent lights and personal computers. My 3 kW generator is more than enough during most outages, even at night. The only thing it does not do is run the gas furnace (the blower, lighter, controls, etc). I would have to modify the house wiring for that. I would be a little bit concerned about putting such a large inverter on the battery for hours or days at a time. Could that hurt the battery? - Jed
Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
I wrote: 1250 watts is more than you might think, especially with today's low-wattage refrigerators, compact fluorescent lights and personal computers. My 3 kW generator is more than enough during most outages, even at night. The 1250 W inverter cost only $129. It would pay for itself after one or two Atlanta power outages, by preserving the food in the refrigerator. With our 3 kW gasoline unit, we run the fridge for maybe 15 minutes every hour, and we do not open the freezer. Atlanta is prone to power outages because we have many trees and old power lines. Actually, we have had so many storms in recent years that most of the old trees have fallen in my neighborhood, so we have not had a major outage in a year or so. To maintain the gasoline generator, once or twice a year you should pour a cup of gas into the machine and crank it up, then put a load on the generator and let it run for 20 minutes. Ours paid for itself when we bought it, when we were out of power for a week in the middle of winter, with kids in the house. We would have been forced to go to a motel without it. - Jed
Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
Jed Rothwell wrote: Edmund Storms wrote: I suggest if you want to power serious items that you attach the DC-AC inverter directly to the 12 V battery. Yes, that's what guy suggested here: http://www.invertersrus.com/priusinverter.html QUOTE: I have two inverters in my Toyota Prius. I use an AIMS 75 Watt Power Inverter plugged into the 'cigarette lighter' outlet and use it to run my laptop . . . I also have an AIMS 1250 Watt modified sine wave power inverter mounted in the rear beside the rest of my disaster preparedness kit, in the event of an earthquake . . . It is set up to power the refrigerator, TV, computer and selected lights in the house. . . [The inverter] connects to this 12v battery to provide the 120v AC to the house. A full tank of gas (10 gallons) could keep my house powered for weeks. 1250 watts is more than you might think, especially with today's low-wattage refrigerators, compact fluorescent lights and personal computers. My 3 kW generator is more than enough during most outages, even at night. The only thing it does not do is run the gas furnace (the blower, lighter, controls, etc). I would have to modify the house wiring for that. I would be a little bit concerned about putting such a large inverter on the battery for hours or days at a time. Could that hurt the battery? Success depends on how much current can be supplied to the 12V battery by the 200V battery. As long as this current is equal to or greater than the current being drawn from the 12 V battery, the 12 V battery is hardly being used. If the supplied current is less than the current being drawn, the 12 V battery will naturally be drained. Ed - Jed
Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
I suggest if you want to power serious items that you attach the DC-AC inverter directly to the 12 V battery. Remember, for a 100 W load at 110 V, the current at 12 V will be about 10 A, which is about the limit of most wiring at an outlet in a car. In any case, you need to know the wiring limit, in addition to the battery limit. Ed Jed Rothwell wrote: Actually, any car will do, but a hybrid is particularly well-suited to this application. See: http://www.invertersrus.com/priusinverter.html If I did not already have an emergency 3 kW generator I would get one of these gadgets. I am thinking of getting the 75 W version, that plugs into the dashboard DC outlet. I have heard that this $34 Kill-A-Watt AC watt meter is pretty good too: http://www.invertersrus.com/killawatt.html I would like to buy one and send it to Mark Mills, the guy who claims that the average personal computer consumes 1 kW. That would be pretty funny except that resident Bush and the Wall Street Journal have quoted him, and he has been invited to testify before Congress. He is with the Greening Earth Society, the coal industry front organization that is trying to convince the world that global warming is good for you. This gives you an idea of who makes national energy policy in the U.S., and how much they know about the subject. - Jed
Re: Prius used as an emergency generator
On Wednesday 02 November 2005 22:19, Edmund Storms wrote: I suggest if you want to power serious items that you attach the DC-AC inverter directly to the 12 V battery. Remember, for a 100 W load at 110 V, the current at 12 V will be about 10 A, which is about the limit of most wiring at an outlet in a car. In any case, you need to know the wiring limit, in addition to the battery limit. Ed Jed Rothwell wrote: Actually, any car will do, but a hybrid is particularly well-suited to this application. See: http://www.invertersrus.com/priusinverter.html If I did not already have an emergency 3 kW generator I would get one of these gadgets. I am thinking of getting the 75 W version, that plugs into the dashboard DC outlet. I have heard that this $34 Kill-A-Watt AC watt meter is pretty good too: http://www.invertersrus.com/killawatt.html I would like to buy one and send it to Mark Mills, the guy who claims that the average personal computer consumes 1 kW. That would be pretty funny except that resident Bush and the Wall Street Journal have quoted him, and he has been invited to testify before Congress. He is with the Greening Earth Society, the coal industry front organization that is trying to convince the world that global warming is good for you. This gives you an idea of who makes national energy policy in the U.S., and how much they know about the subject. - Jed Many years ago I had a computer that consumed more than a kilowatt, but not by much. It was an IBM system 34 that I got at a yard sale for a couple hundred dollars. It ran pretty good for a while, but repairmen were pretty scarce for it and the hard drive took a dive. That baby came with a hefty printer, too. An old line printer. Standing Bear
