How to: Clean Inverter Installation in S60 Trunk

[coflynn]

Do all this at your own risk, since it involves both high currents from the battery and high voltages from the output of the inverter. Be extremely careful whenever operating around such devices, and always have a buddy trained in CPR present. I list the following purely for academic reasons.

A while back I picked up a cheap inverter on sale, as I always wanted the convenience of a plug for charging/running electronics on the go. I ended up installing it in the rear of the vehicle, so it looks like this:

Inverter mounted in the back

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The electrical outlet is GFCI, critical because the system doesn't provide a "real" ground. Many inverters already have this on the output, although mine was a smaller one that doesn't. To mount the outlet, I used an "air-tight" electrical box which was secured with hot glue, then the faceplate sandwiches the whole thing together perfectly. The box was this one:

Electrical box used (mine was yellow otherwise exactly the same) from Home Depot

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The connection to the inverter uses a regular 3-prong cord I cut off a dissused appliance. If doing that make sure the wire is heavy enough gauge as often they are pretty flimsy. Use an outlet tester to confirm you have wired this correctly & the GFCI works. Pulling the socket forward, it looks like this behind it:

Mounting weather-proof box

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Where the inverter is off to the left. The inverter setup looks like this:

Mess of wires! Inverter mounted with double-sided tape + long zip ties going around it

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My inverter didn't have a remote on/off switch, so I used a relay to provide it. I used the following system, where I put two small push-buttons on the front dash that turn it on & off. The system is wired that way because it means the car needs to be in the "accessory" position (or on) to turn the inverter on. BUT once the car is on, you can turn it off & take keys out and the system stays on. An LED reminds you that the inverter is on, so you can press the "off" button to kill the system:

Schematic Setup (Click for Larger View!!)

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The two diodes can be almost any type, 1n4001/1n4002/1n4003/1n4004/etc series is probably best, e.g. as at: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2062589 . Diodes are polarity sensitive, that means you need to install them the correct way around (band indicates 'cathode'). I've put a photo of this on the schematic too.

I wired into the main power block by the battery, as it made the whole thing a lot cleaner. I didn't have a photo but it looks like this:

Power distribution box

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You can add an extra fuse & safely get your power tap. I didn't have a fuse that would fit those buses, so instead tapped off directly from the battery bus (e.g.: far side of box), and used an inline automotive fuse just outside that box. It's not quite as clean but still looks pretty good, and can easily be removed in the future. I think I had to heat up nut to press into the plastic so it would take another bolt on the bus bar. Be sure to disconnect the battery first! And use suitable cable (thick enough for your inverter power requirements).

Do all this at your own risk, since it involves both high currents from the battery and high voltages from the output of the inverter. Be extremely careful whenever operating around such devices, and always have a buddy trained in CPR present.

Finally label the max current & wattage your inverter can provide. They normally have output protection, but it's worth adding a label so you can easily check what you are plugging in is below that limit. I also added a warning about the fact the output wave is not a sine wave (mine was cheap), which will damage certain devices.

FYI if you aren't familiar with what you can run from inverters, this quote I pulled from around the net:

Modified Square Wave inverters will work fine for pure resistive loads, like lamps or heaters. It will also work well with pure inductive loads, like universal motors in mixers and blenders. If these devices have electronic speed control this could be damaged. Devices that have transformers in their power supplies, Microwave Ovens, TVs, Computers etc. will run hotter and less efficient. These devices will not last as long as the would on pure sine wave inverters. For the money the modified square wave inverter will cost more in the long run by reduced efficiency and possible damage to appliances. I highly recommend that you use a pure wave inverter it will cost less by increased efficiency, problems and possible damage to your appliances.

I can guarantee this isn't fear-mongling, as I've damaged devices that use a transformer to step down the voltage.

Hope someone finds this useful!