08-05-2007, 09:04 PM
[quote name='glen' post='4002' date='Jan 21 2005, 07:59 AM']hi jon,
i am just curious why you need 1000w inverter for a 500w globe. wouldn't a 500w inverter do the trick? would the 1000w inverter cause the battery to go flat quicker than necessary? i have never seen inverter's for sale over here (in Australia) but i guess you can buy them from hardware stores? its an interesting idea. i might give it a go.
also, how big is an inverter? if you have any photos that would be great.
thanks for your help, cheers, glen[/quote]
Helo Glen,
the reason you would need a greater capacity in the inverter is really as a safety margin. You need a little extra capacity "Up your sleeve" just in case something draws a little more current than you anticipated. With some types of gas vapour or gas discharge lamps they draw a lot more power than they do when they are running.
You can buy inverters from places like "SuperCheap Auto" but bear in mind that you need a big battery if you want to draw some real power. There is this funny thing called "Internal Resistance" in lead-acid batteries that can be a big problem when you get into the higher wattages.
I live on a solar powered power system and after about 15 years I seem to have sorted most of the problems that you usually come across.
Dennis.
(Up near Port Macquarie, NSW)
i am just curious why you need 1000w inverter for a 500w globe. wouldn't a 500w inverter do the trick? would the 1000w inverter cause the battery to go flat quicker than necessary? i have never seen inverter's for sale over here (in Australia) but i guess you can buy them from hardware stores? its an interesting idea. i might give it a go.
also, how big is an inverter? if you have any photos that would be great.
thanks for your help, cheers, glen[/quote]
Helo Glen,
the reason you would need a greater capacity in the inverter is really as a safety margin. You need a little extra capacity "Up your sleeve" just in case something draws a little more current than you anticipated. With some types of gas vapour or gas discharge lamps they draw a lot more power than they do when they are running.
You can buy inverters from places like "SuperCheap Auto" but bear in mind that you need a big battery if you want to draw some real power. There is this funny thing called "Internal Resistance" in lead-acid batteries that can be a big problem when you get into the higher wattages.
I live on a solar powered power system and after about 15 years I seem to have sorted most of the problems that you usually come across.
Dennis.
(Up near Port Macquarie, NSW)