Robert Fenster wrote:
I am interested in getting a 100W - 150W power inverter for the car.

I figured rather than buy every single ligher adapter for every cell
phone/laptop/digital camera, the power inverter would do the trick.

My concern is based on the fact that both cars i have are small 4 cyln
engines.

Assuming i remove the lighter adapter if while i drive throught the
mountains of West Virigina (once a year), what are the pro's and con's of
such a solution.

(NOTE: I do see the irony of plugging a transformer into an inverter, but it
seems like a workable solution).


Thanks in Advance,

Robert Fenster


That is more or less the route that I went. Lots
of stuff comes with both a 120 charger and a DC
charger that plugs into the cigar lighter, but my
stuff didn't.

First, the size of the inverter is largely
irrelevant, you determine the minimum size you
need by the draw (the stuff you plug in). But,
smaller may be more efficient. I bought a really
nice 350 watt inverter from Costco for $25 that
has a fan in it and a digital read out of the car
voltage the output voltage and the watts output.
And it has all the safety features, turns off when
car voltage drops below a certain point, etc.

Charging my 7.4V camera battery (NiMH) or charging
four AA NiMH batteries (different charger)
draws so little current that the inverter won't
even indicate watts out, the fan never comes on,
and the inverter is the same temperature as the
car air.

So, to answer you question, get a good inverter,
that includes protection for the car battery and
the inverter. Get one with a voltage and power
read out with a maximum power of 300 watts. Note
that most battery chargers are under 10 watts. If
you auto battery is in good shape, using an
inverter to charge a camera or phone battery
for 1 hour would have little effect on the
battery. If the engine were is running, you would
never notice any effect; the heater fan on low
probably use way more power.

It is a non-problem.