power inverter help

CuriosityKat · 2009-05-17T11:34:40+00:00

Well we will see how this works, I have a very limited electrical understanding. But anyway I bought a 400w DC to AC converter at a garage sale for $5 that is designed for vehicles. Simply said it does not work😔. It came with a cigarette plug in. I used it in my car, it made a horrible sound for a couple seconds with a red "fault" light lit up before blowing one of the car's fuses. From looking at the trouble shooting guide the sound is the "low battery alarm". It means either bad wiring or low battery. My battery is fine though. I did notice the fuse in my car is 15amp, while the fuses in the inverter say 30amp, Is it possible it is drawing too much from the outlet? Also nothing is plugged into the inverter, but it still blows the fuse. It says it can be connected directly to the battery, but I'm kinda afraid to do that.... Any help?

power inverter help

CuriosityKat
@curiositykat-6HrTPv

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Views: 2.4K

Well we will see how this works, I have a very limited electrical understanding. But anyway I bought a 400w DC to AC converter at a garage sale for $5 that is designed for vehicles. Simply said it does not work😔. It came with a cigarette plug in. I used it in my car, it made a horrible sound for a couple seconds with a red "fault" light lit up before blowing one of the car's fuses. From looking at the trouble shooting guide the sound is the "low battery alarm". It means either bad wiring or low battery. My battery is fine though. I did notice the fuse in my car is 15amp, while the fuses in the inverter say 30amp, Is it possible it is drawing too much from the outlet? Also nothing is plugged into the inverter, but it still blows the fuse. It says it can be connected directly to the battery, but I'm kinda afraid to do that....

Any help?

0

Replies

Howdy guest!

Dear guest, you must be logged-in to participate on CrazyEngineers. We would love to have you as a member of our community. Consider creating an account or login.

Replies

reachrkata

Member • May 18, 2009

The inverter AC output may have shorted/heavily loading inside the inverter itself. That could be one reason why the fault light is glowing and excess primary current is drawn. Check the resistance at the output terminals without the inverter connected to anything.

-Karthik

Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
Cancel
Saandeep Sreerambatla

Member • May 19, 2009

Check how much power the inverter is drawing from supply.
Check the O/P values.
Check the resistance then according place the fuse .
There should be some short circuit inside such that it is blowing the fuse.

Are you sure? This action cannot be undone.
Cancel