hey guys -
i need to get a power inverter that will have the ability to power both my ps2 and my laptop. i dont know much about these things though and i haven't seen anyone list what they are using.

the cheaper the better, but i dont want to get something that sucks just to save some money.

do you guys have any recommendations please?

thanks

 

i bought a Motomaster Eliminator 700W Power Inverter at canadian tire.looks great,but should try it first.......

59.99+TAX=68 canadian dollars

 

Try Radio Shack.

 

i checked radio shack last night and it was 100 bucks for i believe a 300 watt inverter. and that's the only one they had.

maybe i'm just cheap, but i think that's too expensive. i'll just look around online i guess.

 

the radio shack one sucks... makes an extremely annoying high pitched turn on noise

 

I found a 300W inverter at a computer expo (those shows they have at diff coliseums around the country) for $30.

 

i went to best buy today and bought an inverter with 400 watts continuos power and two plug power outputs, and it was only $35. the brand is Vector. I'm hoping it's not too good to be true because it's way cheaper than anything else ive seen so far. the only thing i can say i dont like about it so far (haven't installed it yet) is that the power input has screw terminals on the side of the inverter to hook it up, it isn't like internally connected.

any opinions?

 

bump... anyone with any experience or opinions on the inverter i got?...

 

i almost got a vector for my car-computer setup , but i read reviews and specs on it from mp3car.com and it gives 80-85% efficiency. it cost 35 bucks at best buy like you said.

I looked around and got a colemann power inverter (which is the higher level of inverters giving a 90%-95% efficiency) 200w/400w for 30 bucks shipped+tax from dakmart on ebay.

i didn't need more than 200W since my car-computer power supply was only 170w.

try opening it up to make sure the connections are fine. I opened mine cause i had to hack away the cigarette lighter to hard-wire it to my battery (needed to find out the + & - wires).

 

When you hardwired you inverter how did you do it? Run a wire to the positive terminal on your battery and ground it to the closest spot on your chassis, or did you run the hot wire to your fuse box. I want to hardwire mine but I really dont wanna mess with pulling a wire through the firewall, but I also don't have a clue how to wire it to the fuse box.

 

i'm planning on just splicing the wires for the cigarrete ligther. since i'm putting the inverter in the glove box it's already right there, and the wires are fused.

desiZ or anyone that can answer this - what does the efficiency affect? just the amount of watts the inverter is delivering or something else? i only plan on running my ps2 and on occasion my laptop (most likely not at the same time ever) so 400 watts is way more than enough.

 

I use the high pitch noise to let me know if i left my invertor on by accident when i turn on the car.

 

hndumafia: long story short: an inverter gives the appearance of an ac source to the requesting device. 90-95% efficiency means that the sine wave generated is 95% of the time a sine wave.
when efficiency is below 85% with cheap inverters, it "could" damage your device/computer/ps2.

black-hawk: i already had a wire running to the back of my car to power my basslink. so all i did was connect the positive of the inverter to a toggle switch i mounted in the center ashtray, which then went to my power line from the battery (which was connected to the sub). For the negative/ground wire, i connected that to the frame at the same spot the inifinity basslink was connected (<-- this is important to ensure least amount of noise).

i play dvd-movies and sound goes through to my alpine 9833 with full surround effects ... its pretty neat

I mounted my inverter behind the glove box in the loads of space back there... hence i needed the switch up front to switch it off... the colemann is pretty quiet , though with the car switched off and if you're in a really quiet neighborhood, you can hear the fan whizzzing...

 

thanks a lot desiZ! i think i'll return the vector and look into the one you mentioned on ebay. and that's a great idea for the switch, which i think i'll do as well.

 

What is the smallest inverter I can use (wattage wise) for PS2 (Thin one) application?

 

I'm pretty sure that any inverter you buy will power a PS2. Just check the wattage that the PS2 requires(on a sticker on the bottom most likely). Then go to a place like Circuit City or Best Buy and get an inverter with at least that much handling capability. It'll probably run you around $35.