Here in the middle of the US, SAMs Club sells a 500watt inverter that I've had very good luck with, as long as you use appropriately sized feed wire (#10 in general for ~10ft run) and supply voltage. The price is less than $30.00 and it comes with a carrying case.
I have mine outfitted with Anderson Power Pole connectors and harnesses to allow me to connect it to a wide range of DC sources. Normally, it is just plugged into my jack block in the vehicle.
Power source issues: My 1997 honda accord needs to be running with a well charged battery to keep the low voltage alarm from going off (directly wired to battery). My 2001 Dodge Dakota will operate, engine off, no problem for quite some time. So, it really is important to manage the incomming voltage source appropriately or else the current rate will increase. The output power, requires the right number of watts of input power. Depending on the design of the device, a low voltage situation can cause the current rate to reach a level that will damage the device.
Gregg Wonderly
Reicher, James wrote:
I've had good results running my HD73 rotor, using a 300W inverter, purchased from a big-box store discounter, for about $40.
I bought it initially to run a 13" TV with a built-in VCR in the car for my harmonics when on long trips. It uses a lot more wattage (140 watts) than the rotor does and I've never had an issue with it cutting out or blowing a fuse.
73 de N8AU, Jim in Raymore, MO
Light travels faster than sound... This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:24:23 -0500 From: "Rhett Duke" rhettduke@gmail.com Subject: [amsat-bb] Running Rotors on A/C Inverters ? To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Message-ID: 1ce2b74b0709231224p716e916bob520781d46a6044@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Hello All, I have a old Alliance HD-73 azimuth rotor and a Kenpro KR-500 elevation rotor.At present time I cant set up at my home on a permanent basis but would like to run a setup on a spare utility trailer that I can work from in a field behind my house...problem is no A/C power.....I am curious what size a/c inverter would be recommended for this type of load......I'm currently taking the ARRL Analog Electronics course and am learning how to figure such things but I'm not comfortable making calculations for a real world situation that involves motors at this time. I am also aware that you have to be carefull with what "quality" of inverter you choose.....some of the cheaper units you buy at discount places are WAY overrated.....I'm looking for something thats a good VALUE....Thanks
73
KI4OVO
AMSAT # 36579