Inverter Location

Because I prefer to camp where there are not electricity plug-ins, I purchased an inverter with true sine waves so that I can charge my camera batteries and laptop on this so-far imaginary cross-country trip. It is a box measuring 8x6x3. In my youth I'd just hack away at things until whatever the thing I wanted to fit, did actually fit, but with this little camper I am being cautious and actually taking time to think things through. It seems that the cabinet directly above the battery compartment in the galley would be an acceptable location as the battery is close by. However, it would mean taking things in and out of the cabinet every other day or so, a cumbersome plan. Have any of you found a good source of 12 volt power somewhere inside the Camp-Inn's cabin? Since the inverter is silent and does not heat up charging a laptop, it would be nice to locate it inside, perhaps near the air conditioner, or in one of the cubbies behind the sofa. The design of the camper is so perfect, there isn't much room left for this sort of addition.

The other possibility is to drill holes in the Outback, but having already had quite a time wiring the brake controller, I'd prefer to keep this new project out of the car.

If any of you have already solved this sort of problem, I'd be interested to know how you did it. Many thanks. Michael

 

You are far better off sourcing 12 volt powered chargers than using an inverter. You get power conversion losses with an inverter, greater with a true sign one, and you have to find a place to put it and wire it up.

12 volt universal laptop chargers are easily available, and depending on your laptop may be available from the OEM. Camera 12 volt chargers are also likely available I have one for my camera (Panasonic Lumix)

 

Thank you for your suggestion. You might well be correct in thinking that I have not made the best possible choice in purchasing my inverter, but once I have decided where to mount it, I expect to be happy with it. The batteries all charge relatively quickly, and I doubt that efficiency will much matter when the car is running. There are four different pieces of electrical equipment I will be needing to charge. Two of the batteries are specialized and offer no 12 volt options, and the other two will be easier to manage if I can plug them in to 110 V because there will be fewer wires to tangle.

I was wondering if anyone has discovered a sneaky little hiding spot that might work. I doubt that there is such a place because the planning that has gone into creating these campers is extraordinary. I've yet to find any spare room. Again, thank you.

 

For your proposed use, there are a lot of small inexpensive 12v invertors that would fill the bill. That would give you the option of plugging it into either a camper or car outlet. I would caution against adding an unnecessary load to the camper battery, but that is only because we live in our camper full time, and our battery leads a hard life as a result.

 

Have you considered a "solar generator"? It's really false advertising but that's what they call them. It's a lithium battery back with 120 v, 12v and USB output. Can also jumpstart your car. They can be charged with solar panels, 12v (while running the car) or 120v. I've been pretty happy with mine. This is the model I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Rugge...248880&sr=1-7&keywords=suaoki+solar+generator

I also got some solar panels but really haven't yet needed them. Ben H

 

Some years ago, I bought a small 12 V inverter that plugged into the cigarette lighter of my car. It was troublesome and extremely noisy. A few years later, I tried again, but the second one was no better than the first. Neither one let me use my mp3 player in the car. Knowing that I will need my computer on this trip, and not trusting the inexpensive inverters after my unfortunate experiences with them, I bought this one I have now which is 600 watt (surge to 1200). It is silent, charges my batteries and runs my laptop. I'm pleased with it, especially now that I have found a good place to install it. I appreciate the opinions I've read here, and maybe I'd have done things differently had I not already bought the inverter. However, I'm not going to send it back. It's quiet, light and will fit in a spot that wasn't getting used.

Thanks to all. Next time I'll try to remember to ask my questions before buying a new gadget.

 

In the unlikely event there is someone wanting to know where I mounted the inverter, I built a shelf for it and placed it under the storage cubbies to the right of the air conditioner. I ran a 14 gauge wire directly to the battery and was able to hide this cable behind the lip of the cabinets. There's room enough for the inverter to be vented properly and the shelf doesn't interfere with my shins. I have fully recharged my laptop and my camera battery at the same time and according to the built-in battery monitor in the galley, there was no measurable drain on the CI's battery. It was worth the effort for my purposes. All I need to do now is remove the box, sand it and spray lacquer on it so that it isn't the eyesore it is currently. It was a trial run and needs to be made to look pettier to keep up with the rest of the camper. End of boring saga.

 

With 14 gauge wire, it better not have happened! The poor little camper would go up in flames for sure. Let's change that to 4 gauge and stay alive. I will post a photo after I've neatened things up a bit.

 

Here is a photo of the little inverter which will charge my camera batteries, my Makita batteries and run a small electric drill. I'm pleased with it. It is hooked up to the battery with #4 jumper cable wire which is not quite flexible enough to allow me to center the inverter in the little box which annoys me no end. I fastened it with 3M Dual Lock and it is the devil to try to relocate.

 

Maybe you can put some small spacer blocks around the inverter to hold it so that it's equally spaced on all sides, just until the cable looses it's old positions memory, and learns the new one. Kinda like Alzheimer's in reverse....or you could even mount the spacer blocks permanently with some more of your Dual Lock. I think it could still look good with them in there too.

 

To those of you who have been understanding the shame I had felt for a shoddy job, you will be happy to know that I have disassembled the whole thing and centered the inverter properly. Funny how annoying such a small thing can be, but it would have been a source of constant aggravation. There is no point in buying such a fine trailer and then doing less than my best. The circuit breaker I installed is nice as it doubles as an on/off switch so I am not likely to leave the inverter on accidentally only to find later on that the Firefly's battery is all tuckered out.

Now that I've located the controller I've ordered a 100 watt flexible solar panel which I probably will never need, but which might be nice to keep the battery fully charged in the event that Lane and I find an especially nice spot and decide to stay for several days. I'm having such a good time with this camper: planning is every bit as much fun, almost, as the actual traveling. My thanks to all those who have contributed to this forum. I've gotten lots of good ideas and information from the posts.

 

Cool install interested in hearing how this works for you. I just went through this on our last trip last month. I have a lot of camera batteries, drones laptop and AA batteries all with different chargers. It's a pain to pack and keep track of all that stuff. I would have chargers laying in the back of our TV when traveling and things would fall out or shift around. I decided to make a charging case for this trip. I bought a cheaper 300 watt inverter and velcroed it and all my chargers in a pelican case I wasn't using much any more. When I need to charge I lay the case in our 550 and plug in the inverter. I like the case because I can move it around. So if we are camping where we have power I can have the case on the picnic table and run a 110 extension cord to the case and by-pass the inverter. I can also use it in the TV if needed. Worked great this last trip. However this set up was strictly battery / laptop charging. Your set up looks more robust and cable of more options for equipment larger electical draws.

 

A neat, efficient arrangement.

I'm happy with the inverter now that it's centered. It makes no noise, charges my computer and camera batteries and will run a small electric drill (an experiment which will not travel with us, but nice to know it will run with no voltage drop). I don't think I needed one as large as that, but I did want an inverter that would not ruin my computer.