Posted: 10/12/2005 9:25:49 PM EDT
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Ok, I'm looking at those small power inverters that plug into the cig lighter. Don't need much, just enough to power a laptop/notebook. The ads for the 75 watt models say they are enough for this. However, I can get a 150 watt for about the same price. Question is... do I need to worry about "too much power" to the laptop if I go with an inverter that has more watts than I need? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I've never dealt with inverters before and despite being in construction, I'm seriously lacking in electrical knowledge. Thanks in advance. 3n8fan |
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Your standard home electrical outlet is 1800 to 2400 watts. Your appliances (computer, lamp, whatever) will draw only the current that they need. A lamp with a 100 watt bulb plugged into a 2400 watt outlet will still only use 100 watts. You can use whatever size inverter you wish, so long as it supplies at least the maximum number of watts used by your appliance. Jim |
Good advice, go bigger if you can, it won't hurt your small electronics. High wattage is designed to power up things that need it, but will safely power up anything smaller. They all put out -for our purposes- 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC, the higher watts -forget about peak watts- is basically an indicator of what type of items can be powered up with the unit without tripping the circuit breaker. I always tell my customers at the shop to get the biggest inverter that they can find within thier price range. In an emergency you can power up things you wouldn't normally need or want to. Also, for high output inverters I don't recommend lighter or spare power outlet hookup, it is always best to hard wire it right into your vehicle, perhaps not for low watt inverters, but the more powerful inverters should always be wired in using heavy guage wire for the most reliable operation. I've seen too many lighter sockets get fried. |