Inverters

[OtisAir]

Hey Ya'll, I did the search before starting a new thread but didn't find anything even though I'm sure this has already come up.

(Why) Can't I purchase a small inverter that plugs into the cigarette light in the plane and plug in a mini DVD player or whatever? I'm thinking for longer cross country's, my right seater could watch a movie, plug in a blender (ok ok I know better than that one), use her computer, etc...

Can I do it? Is it safe? Any suggestions for inverters (IF it is safe)?

Thanks!

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Hey Ya'll, I did the search before starting a new thread but didn't find anything even though I'm sure this has already come up.

(Why) Can't I purchase a small inverter that plugs into the cigarette light in the plane and plug in a mini DVD player or whatever? I'm thinking for longer cross country's, my right seater could watch a movie, plug in a blender (ok ok I know better than that one), use her computer, etc...

Can I do it? Is it safe? Any suggestions for inverters (IF it is safe)?

Thanks!

I did lose the power supply on a video game once that I blamed on the inverter. But the inverter I have now (low price from a discount department store IIRC) I've used on a couple lap tops with no problems. I see a lot of them in test vehicles at work to power laptops and stuff.

 

[CT Arrow]

A small 200 watt unit should suffice for small electronics. The only issue you may run into is some of the crappy inverters spue RFI (Radio freq. interference). If you notice a new noise coming through your electonics or bizzare stuff going on, disconnect the inverter.

FWIW

 

[Rob Schaffer]

why do you need an inverter? Our travel DVD player has a cigarette plug for the car and would work in the plane right? It's a 12V output,..

now if you wanted her to start packing hair dryers and coffee makers, then you get the inverter

 

[jesse]

It's a 12V output,..

Not all of them. But yes, for the most part, you would be better off not using an inverter if possible.

 

[gismo]

Hey Ya'll, I did the search before starting a new thread but didn't find anything even though I'm sure this has already come up.

(Why) Can't I purchase a small inverter that plugs into the cigarette light in the plane and plug in a mini DVD player or whatever? I'm thinking for longer cross country's, my right seater could watch a movie, plug in a blender (ok ok I know better than that one), use her computer, etc...

Can I do it? Is it safe? Any suggestions for inverters (IF it is safe)?

Thanks!

First of all, does your airplane have a 14 volt system or is it 28 volt? If it's 14v most commercial inverters would work OK if the airplane's cigar socket can supply enough current (check the breaker rating). Due to efficiency losses you need a minumum of 1 amp for every 10 watts of 120v output. You will also need an inverter with enough capacity to provide the highest transient load of any device it's powering. For example my laptop adapter requires a 150 watt inverter even though it's output is only 65 watts. When I tried it on a 100 W inverter it would only work if the laptop battery was fully charged or removed because charging the battery while running the computer required 150 watts at startup.

But like Jesse mentioned, if you just want to power a portable DVD player most of them can be powered directly from the cigar lighter socket.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

But like Jesse mentioned, if you just want to power a portable DVD player most of them can be powered directly from the cigar lighter socket.

And that is *definitely* the way to go. Most inverters are square-wave or "modified sine" wave and will induce a LOT of noise into your headset, that will drive you batty after only a couple of minutes. DC is your friend.

 

[gismo]

And that is *definitely* the way to go. Most inverters are square-wave or "modified sine" wave and will induce a LOT of noise into your headset, that will drive you batty after only a couple of minutes. DC is your friend.

While DC is indeed less likely to be a source of noise, a large majority of portable gadgetry generates and radiates far more noise than most inverters. I have a 28 to 14 v switching regulator feeding a 150W modified sine inverter in my plane and it's never made a perceptible noise in any of the plane's audio systems. Now if you attempt to interface audio into the intercom from a device powered through an inverter, you could indeed be in for some serious noise unless you include an isolator in the audio path.

I recommended the DC powered DVD player for simplicity's sake.

 

[OtisAir]

Sounds like I should start huntin' for a DC power supply for both the DVD & laptop too then.

She'll start running laps around the inside of the airplane after an hour or so unless I give her something to do. On the other hand, I could depart Wings at 2:00 a.m. and wake her up over Ripon.

Thanks ya'll for the good info!

 

[gismo]

Sounds like I should start huntin' for a DC power supply for both the DVD & laptop too then.

She'll start running laps around the inside of the airplane after an hour or so unless I give her something to do. On the other hand, I could depart Wings at 2:00 a.m. and wake her up over Ripon.

Thanks ya'll for the good info!

What brand of Laptop? Dell has an AC/DC adapter that works with most of the laptops they've made in the last several years. It comes with two detachable power cords, one for 11-16 VDC in and the other for 100-240 VAC in.

 

[OtisAir]

What brand of Laptop?

Hi Lance, It's an Acer baby laptop. I think the battery lasts 5 hours so we may be good. I was just quietly searching for risk mitigation strategies!

 

[gismo]

Hi Lance, It's an Acer baby laptop. I think the battery lasts 5 hours so we may be good. I was just quietly searching for risk mitigation strategies!

My daughter's first laptop was an Acer and I used a 150W inverter from Radio Shack to power it in the airplane.