AC outlet- who uses it

Not sure if this question has been asked yet... But has anyone thought of a dual battery setup with wiring and a rocker switch to change between 12v parallel and 24v series?
Would be complicated but if figured out by an electrician, you could swap the inverter with something else that could utilize the 24v when needed, or just use the extra capacity of the second battery when switched to 12v parallel

I think Toyota's push button switch for the 3rd gen inverter is kind of dumb... Trying to think of a scenario in which I would need to limit the inverter to 100watts, or increase it to 400watts...

I haven't used the inverter at all yet, maybe someone can clarify for me why Toyota did this?

 

2nd Gen owner here but it probably doesn't matter..

Does the truck need to be turned on for this outlet to work? If I am driving I am guessing it is powered up and can work. What if I'm not driving? Do I just hit the button in the cab to activate it? Do I need to have the key in the ignition?

 

Key in the ignition, lol....

Truck must be running for it to give power. I think you can have it in accessory mode or driving for 100 watts. And it will give 400 watts when idling in park.

They only 100 watts whole driving so all the other driving systems have enough power to operate.

 

400watts works out to something that draws 3.3amps @ 120V AC.
its well above most run current, but well bellow start up.

Not sure what you can use this for besides charging your phone or batteries for flashlights while camping. or maybe powering a little pump for blowing up an air mattress.

Otherwise can't see really running any sort of tools. Basically anything with a motor will have too high of a start up current so wont work.

unless its a macbook we're talking about. I know my charger is 400watt, and macbook batteries are 16.5V so can't connect directly to battery. You need to step up to 120V to then step down to 16V DC.

 

I wonder how hard it would be to transfer the inverter over to a different battery.

I'm thinking its a small inverter and limited to 400watt to reduce battery drain considering how much other stuff would be running off that same battery. But if you have a separate battery, and changed the inverter to a higher wattage one you could get more from it. Still not expecting to have enough power to run high draw power tools but still maybe double it up. Like 800watt. Be able to run a small coffee maker or something.

Probably going to look into this once I get my taco finally. Shouldn't be too hard to do.

Or like others said just putting in a bigger inverter. But I'd be too concerned with battery drain, especially considering when you'd be using this and causing that drain would possibly be out in the bush where there might not be anyone around to give you a boost.

 

I think it's limited to 400 watts due to the size available to the inverter under the center console.

 

Have not had the chance to use the one in the new Tacoma, but it was a life save in my 2014. I have a rental home in MO, was TDY and had use it to keep my batteries charged when working on the fence. I have tenant in the home so I really couldn't use their power.

 

What's a VCR?

 

The Magic Bullet blender only uses 250w... I'm thinking some camping truck bed margaritas might be in order.

 

I've used it for a small blower. It works....

 

Currently use it to keep AA/AAA batteries charged up and ready to go. Got this charger:

$10 EBL AA AAA Battery Charger, 8-Bay Individual Charger for NiMH NiCD Rechargeable Batteries with AC Plug Fast Charging

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EB7812C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 from Amazon and glued a couple magnets to the back of the charger and the inside of the truck bed. Stays on when I'm driving even when I hit potholes (got to love Atlanta roads).

 

I've used it a few times. The plastic cover is sharp as a knife and I've drawn blood twice flipping it up. Not sure if others have this issue, but I need to smooth mine out with a dremel.

 

Reliability is just one consideration - the noise level is another - the Honda/Yamaha units are quiet, the cheap units are LOUD!!!

 

I will be taking a road trip soon and mostly staying at campgrounds. I have a small 1.5 qt slow cooker that draws 60 watts on the low setting. If I cook while I drive, is there any danger I'll be running down my battery? I would only run it with the engine on.

 

Should not be a problem. Several folks do the same thing. I might try it someday.

 

This magnet thing is awesome!

 

I have one of these. I bought a kit from an outfit in Maine that also lets me run it on propane. Really convenient.

 

Yep, I've adapted two eu2000i's to propane with a kit from http://www.motorsnorkel.com/

The Maine outfit I believe is LP only, motorsnorkel.com is tri-fuel, you can still use gasoline if you like.

LP has only 73% of the BTU's per gallon compared to gasoline but LP is so much easier to deal with.

I bought a Yamaha 2000i already setup for tri-fuel from those motorsnorkel guys, it's running right now outside the trailer on LP, I doubt I'll ever use gasoline in it. Had to run it on gasoline for a three hour breakin period per the instructions, but that's it for me.

 

Oh, and for usage of the inverter, I had to run the trailer off of the 600W aftermarket in the Runner. The trailer battery bank failed and could not keep the furnace running overnight. I think the 400W could do the same, all it has to do is run the furnace fan and the piezo igniter, water pump, maybe an LED light. Very handy thing to have.

 

I use mine for Christmas lights!