inverter questions

If you want full capacity of the inverter, you'll want the 100A fuse. Math:

1000 Watt output w/ 85% converter efficiency -> (1000 / 0.85) 1176 Watts input -> (1176 / 12 Volts) 98 Amps @ 12 Volt.

Now, if you assume a different efficiency (85% is pretty good, safer to assume lower) you'll cross 100 Amps, but if you assume a higher voltage (can be as high as 14.4V when battery is fully charged and the engine is running idly), the number will come down.

But it'll never be below 80 amps. (would require 14.4 Volts and 87% efficiency... not a safe assumption)

 

I powered an Igloo Ice Chest in my '05 Access Cab. It would run when the truck was idling and when it was moving (100 Watts). Due to an ABS brake failure, which totaled my '05, I purchased a '14 Access Cab with pretty much the same features. Unfortunately, the Igloo Ice Chest no longer runs in the 100 Watt mode. I checked the wattage, and it is only pulling 49-53 watts. I brought it into the dealer, and after they looked at it for 3 days and contacted the regional office, they said that it was working properly.

I asked the service manager: "How much power does a 100 watt bulb draw?" When he didn't answer, I told him that it wasn't a trick question. I plugged in a 100 watt bulb for him to see. At idle (400 watts), the bulb lit and the watt meter showed that it was only drawing 94 watts. I stepped on the clutch (which forces the inverter to go into 100 watt mode) and the light went out. The outlet would only work with a 40 watt bulb in 100 watt mode. Do you think there is a problem?

The inverter on the '14 is a different part number than the '05-'09 models. Do you think there is a design problem? Have any '14 owners experienced this problem?

 

My Taco did not come with the inverter......bot a Walmart 400 watt one, dry ran it at home with a 60 watt bulb, got 6 hours and battery was dead. Then thought I'd add a deep cycle spare battery, a lot to carry around, and getting expensive.

About to buy a generator, but first bot a $20 cheapie "plug into the dash board power point outlet" inverter, then got Craftsman C3 tools. Started with one battery, a charger, flourscent trouble lite, cordless drill, later added a circular saw, second battery, AM/FM/Weather radio, and there are lots more tools available. Have enuf capacity for projects and have a light and radio at my "off the grid" desert place in AZ. Being 30 miles out from town, plug cheapie inverter into dash board power point, plug in the 110 C3 battery charger into the inverter, as I go to town one battery charges, on way home second battery charges. These C3 lithion batteries recharge in less than 30 minutes. I have a 2013 Taco with 2 power points, one charges the cell phone, the other the C3 batteries. Never have to worry about a dead truck battery out in the desert as I would have using the factory inverter set up. If projects out grow the above, I'll buy a generator. Probably any cordless tool system with a 110 volt charger would work well with the cheapie inverters......

 

600W seems about the max feasibile for the stock Tacoma with the tow package 130 amp alternator and the 27F battery. 600W pulls 50 amps DC off the alternator and battery.

I've gone about 10 hours with a 425W aftermarket, didn't run the motor to recharge the 27F battery. 10 hours drained the 27F battery so I couldn't start the truck. You have to figure that's a starting point. 600W inverter pulls 13 more amps DC compared to the 425W inverter.

 

X2 adding that inductive loads will have momentary surges, so plan your fusing/inverter selection accordingly.

 

A point of warning that was mentioned earlier which is very true:

The factory inverter produces a "modified square wave" of AC current. There are some electronic devices that will not like that square wave. I learned this quickly some years ago when I used the factory outlet in 400 watt mode to plug in a Craftsman brand cordless drill / tool charger (19.2 volt) and the inverter killed it instantly.

So, advice is to buy whatever size inverter but one that produces as clean of a AC wave as you can afford.

 

Yeah, I hadn't considered that before. I was looking at some 600W pure sine wave inverters and I see they have up to 1200W surge capability for 1-2 seconds. That's up to a 100A DC draw. Granted they're only surge capable for 1-2 seconds but if you don't have your DC cables fused and large enough AWG that could get messy. 6AWG can handle up to 75 DC amps, 4AWG up to 95 DC amps, 2AWG up to 130 DC amps.

For instance this Samlex SSW-600-12a specs: http://www.samlexamerica.com/documents/product-specs/SSW-600-12A_Samlex_Specifications.pdf

The Samlex looks like a good product, and important are the dimensions of the SSW model - 9.1x6.1x2.2 inches. The same 600W Samlex but the PST-600-12 model dimensions are 10.9x9.5x3.2 inches.

There's only about 3 inches of clearance under the front seat, so there's a height limitation for that preferred mounting spot.

Some other pure sine wave models I looked at the AIMS 600W, PowerBright 600W, Xantrex ProWatt 600W, those are also too tall at over 3 inches in height.

A GoPower 600 is OK at 2.8 inches height, but it looks like the Samlex SSW-600-12A for me. I see them priced at $170-$229 online and that's about four times the cost of a 600W modified sine wave inverter, but a pure sine wave is probably the better way to go.

 

If you pull 20 @120 volts from the inverter you drawing 240 amps from the battery.

 

Excellent point. I normally derate to 13 or 14 amps@ 12 VDC for one amp @ 120 VAC depending on the efficiency of the inverter and wiring loss. For more information on inverter and battery sizing, see Sections 7.9 & 7.10 in the Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ on www.batteryfaq.org. Wire sizing calculators can be found in Sections 8.2.

Depending on the electrical load, there is a point that a quite portable gas generator probably makes more sense that an inverter, isolator, extra batteries and charging system upgrade.

 

if you do not use the compartments under the back seat, you can remove them, and place it there. inverters create ALOT of heat, what i did for my amps, if you look under the rear plastic compartments at the front 'wall' like under where your knees would be, there are some holes, i just cut the divider between the holes to make a square, then cut the same size square in the carpet and mounted 12v square fans like you put in a computer case to create air-flow, IE cool the amps

just make sure you have some like 2ga or even 0ga heavy insulated power wire, that is a very long run for an inverter, the longer the run, the more stress, more heat, less output. and for sure go with pure sine especially if you using like power tools and stuff

 

tried using the OEM converter for my 18W cordless drill charger and it would even light up. Is there something to turn on the outlet.

 

key has to be in and turned, and then you press the button to the left of the steering wheel to turn on the inverter

 

thanks

 

After a lot more research on Pure Sine Wave vs Modified Sine Wave (see the details below, they might help people out) I'm gonna order the Samlex SSW-600-12A. It's $169 compared to apx $50 for a Modified Sine Wave, but a 600W is the best usable size for a stock DC system. And if you read below, there are not any 600W Modified Sine's available. Also, the Modified Sine Waves produce RF whine through harmonics into your radio.

I'll go on a bit since my research may be helpful, but if you follow this link http://www.donrowe.com/power-inverters-s/1814.htm they have every inverter brand both modified sine and pure sine so you can compare.

Unfortunately, for Modified Sine Wave inverters the wattage choices are limited. I couldn't find a 600W unit. Wattage varies by brand:

- 400W (Power Bright)
- 425W (Craftsman/Diehard, the same I have now which works for charging 19.2v cordless power tools, and I can use both the 17" Dell laptop and the Smartphone at the same time for internet access)
- 450W (Samlex)
- 500W (Energizer, built by Power Bright, but oddly Power Bright doesn't offer a 500W under their own brand name). Also, Energizer lists this 500W unit as producing 2.1 amps AC, which can't be right it should be twice that. Probably a misprint, they say 2.1 AC amps shared between two outlets, probably meant 4.2 AC amps shared between two outlets or 4.2 AC amps from one outlet).
- 750W (Power Bright)
- 800W (Samlex).

The 800W Samlex model SAM-800-12 with dimensions 8.6 x 7.0 x 2.4 inches is an option. But it pulls 67 DC amps at 800W. I won't necessarily be using 800 watts continuously, but 67 DC amps is 55% of the 130 amp alternator's capability so it's not even really usable.

 

I see this company DC Power has 180amp, 250amp, and 270amp alternators https://www.dcpowerinc.com/high-out...a&make=Toyota&year=2011&engine=4.0L+V6+1GR-FE

Only for the 4.0l and up to 2011 from their website. $390 is the cheapest, the 180 amp. And you'd have to upgrade the "Big Three" cables from alternator to battery, battery to ground. $105. Supposedly just a bolt-on installation, same belts, same voltage regulator, etc. They've been around awhile and have good customer service from what I see.

Not bad, you'd be able to slap a huge inverter on with those DC amps provided. Add the proper DC wiring to the inverter and you're in business for up to 3240 watts (P=IE, so 3240W=270amps x 12volts).

A 180amp alternator would provide 2160 watts. Not bad for just running your truck motor. For example:

- A 2000 watt Modified Sine Wave Samlex http://www.donrowe.com/Samlex-SAM-2000-12-p/sam-2000-12.htm 13.9 x 8.0 x 3.3 in, $254.

- A 2000 watt Pure Sine Wave Samlex http://www.donrowe.com/Samlex-SSW-2000-12A-p/ssw-2000-12a.htm 12.2 x 8.7 x 3.5 in, $429.

So a minimum apx total cost for an upgraded alternator and aftermarket inverter is:

$390 for 180amp alternator
$100 for Big 3 cable upgrade
$254 for a 2000W inverter
= $744 minimum

That's actually pretty good, something to consider anyway.

 

^^ that is the way to do it. An inverter powering heavy tools is going to get hot, suck up more power that the alt. can produce and discharge your battery. Truck batteries are not deep cycle they are high current starting batteries and don't like to go through repeated discharge/recharge cycles.

 

A lot of us run deep cycle and even 2+ batteries. in the trucks. and as stated, there are also higher amp alternators redily available on the market. any of those, plus a big inverter and you're set. I have a 5000w inverter, that i have yet to get close to the capacity of. for tools though, redundancy is key, so i have corded, that can be run off the 5000w, some dewalt cordless, and then air tools that the CO2 tank can power.

 

Using a 200+ HP engine to make 2K watts of electricity is not even slightly cost effective you can buy a 4K watt generator for half that price and power most any thing you want don't forget it takes a least 10HP just to keep a 4L engine running. $25K truck or a $350 generator what one would you rather replace?

 

You have a very valid point, however, sometimes it comes down to space and ease of use. a lot easier to pack up an inverter the size of a shoe box than it is to load up a generator and the needed fuel for it. space can be tight on some of the camping/wheeling trips.

 

I sell upgraded bolt-on alternators for both the 4.0V6 AND the 2.7 I4 engines. As well as the required cabling kits. Price examples to give you all a general idea are:
4.0L 200A alternator - $265 plus shipping
4.0L 250A alternator - $320 plus shipping

Same price for the 2.7L engine alternators. Just a different casing.

The stock alternators put out less than 70% of their rated power at idle. So even a stock 130A alternator will only average 90A at idle.If you want to have the alternator supply 140A of current at idle for an inverter, you would need at least a 200A unit.