Use of "small" inverters on boats.

In article <4joh8lF90rqpU1@>, mike barrett <mike@mbarrett.
freeserve.co.uk> writes
>
>"Trevor George" <tg@REMOVE-THISonmydoor.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:5yCBg.57103$F8.17757@fe3.news.blueyonder.co. uk...
>> JP wrote in message ...
>>> Nor should you disconnect the charged item, whilst the inverter is
>>> running.
>>> If its the same model as mine it will have a an on-off switch!
>>
>> I've followed all the rules exactly, about switching, and not connected
>> while
>> starting etc., but it has a mind of it's own.
>>
>> It works fine with the car battery, engine running or not, battery
>> indicating 14.5V
>> when running, with a 100W lamp-bulb soaking up the power.
>>
>> It now works fine in the boat, engine running or not, battery indicating
>> around 14V
>> when running, with a 100W lamp-bulb, but as soon as I plug in my CD player
>> (max
>> consumption 43W) it decides to play "silly-buggers" and the alarm squeals
>> and it
>> shuts down.
>>
>> Maybe it doesn't like the music I play :~(
>
>Probably due to the the switch on surge from the CD player. If the CD player
>has a switched mode supply in it, the startup current surge can be very high
>and could be enough to make the Maplin inverter shut down, the CD player
>power supply then shuts down and the whole system goes into oscillation...
>If you try an applicance with a linear power supply (unusual now days) it
>would probably work ok. Only way around it is to get a bigger Maplin
>inverter that can cope with the startup surge from the CD player.
>
>cheers
>mike

Or connect the 100W light bulb *and* the CD player at the same time

Once working happily, turn off the light bulb


--

Jeremy Nunns
Cambridge
Remove Chinese Ship to Reply

>
> Interesting that ... I'm going to try it next with a 40 watt light-bulb
> AND the CD
> player working together via a mains two-way adapter, hoping that the
> steady draw of
> the bulb will keep the inverter happy, and maybe it will then ignore my
> music from
> the CD player :~)
>
> I'll let ya' know how I get on.
>

Maybe the fridge is cutting in? dipping the voltage sufficiently from the
batteries for the inverter to think its voltage has gone below 12 volts,
thereby tripping it?

Neil

Trevor Kenworthy wrote:

>
> Even odder, Maplins are currently selling the same invertor at £39.99.

The one originally referred to was £14.99

> Clearly they may be available elsewhere cheaper. No matter. Your point
> appeared to be that its not possible to get a decent invertor for that
> money?

And it still is....

> Surely the definition of decent depends upon the use to which you
> want to put it.

The original post was a complaint that it didn't deliver what was
required of it without screaming.....

> If it serves this purpose then your arguement is irrelevant.


Yeah.. yeah.... whatever Trevor.....

(Write out 'argument' 10 times.....before deciding to have one....
£$->= )


Tony H

(getting bored now.... )

Trevor Kenworthy wrote:

>
> Even odder, Maplins are currently selling the same invertor at £39.99.

That's a 300 watt inverter. You said you had bought a 150w inverter,
and the site you linked gave the price at £14.99

Tony H

Canaldrifter wrote:
> Trevor Kenworthy wrote:
>
> >
> > Even odder, Maplins are currently selling the same invertor at £39.99.
>
> That's a 300 watt inverter. You said you had bought a 150w inverter,
> and the site you linked gave the price at £14.99
>

When I said 'you', of course I meant the other Trevor......

Tony H

Uncle Marvo wrote:
>
> You may mock, young Larrington, but you're closer to the truth than you
> think.
>
> Because of the global pollution problem, the gubbinsment have decreed that
> anyone recording a Power Factor of less than .95 as an industrial user shall
> now be penalised on a monthly basis. This is known as a reactive charge. The
> reactive charges are stored up by the power companies, eg Midlands
> Electricity Board, and once they become large enough are leaked into the
> supply chain for leisure batteries. The reactive charge is not compatible
> with the normal charge delivered by alternators and standard battery
> chargers and it results in the kind of electricity which is likely to cause
> a non-sinewave inverter (such as the Maplin cheaper models) to squeal and
> makes powering complex PSUs, notably those in CD/DVD players, impossible.
>
> The phenomenon can be easily curred by fitting a smartgauge SmartBank device
> which will remove the offending reactive element from the power line and
> thus even the cheap charger will then work properly.
>
> 10%.
>

I'll have an ounce of what you're on please.

--
Gibbo

Emails to this email address are deleted at the server. I don't even get
to see them. If you need to email me you can do so via my website.

In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
4jtka6F9hoi4U1@, I, Marvo, say :

> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>
>> You may mock, young Larrington, but you're closer to the truth than
>> you think.
>>
>> Because of the global pollution problem, the gubbinsment have
>> decreed that anyone recording a Power Factor of less than .95 as an
>> industrial user shall now be penalised on a monthly basis. This is
>> known as a reactive charge. The reactive charges are stored up by
>> the power companies, eg Midlands Electricity Board, and once they
>> become large enough are leaked into the supply chain for leisure
>> batteries. The reactive charge is not compatible with the normal
>> charge delivered by alternators and standard battery chargers and it
>> results in the kind of electricity which is likely to cause a
>> non-sinewave inverter (such as the Maplin cheaper models) to squeal
>> and makes powering complex PSUs, notably those in CD/DVD players,
>> impossible. The phenomenon can be easily curred by fitting a smartgauge
>> SmartBank device which will remove the offending reactive element
>> from the power line and thus even the cheap charger will then work
>> properly. 10%.
>>
>
> I'll have an ounce of what you're on please.

It's in the post. I notice you didn't argue though.

In article <1155126608.877530.291060@m73g2000cwd. .com>,
Canaldrifter <canaldrifter@tiscali.co.uk> writes
>
>Uncle Marvo wrote:
>> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>> 4jtkumF9i50lU1@, I, Marvo, say :
>>
>> > Uncle Marvo wrote:
>> >> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>> >> 4jtka6F9hoi4U1@, I, Marvo, say :
>> >>
>> >>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>> >>>> You may mock, young Larrington, but you're closer to the truth than
>> >>>> you think.
>> >>>>
>
>Speaking as a plumber, I cured the problem of lumpy electricity supply
>by connecting my power hook-up directly to a bank of 240v AC batteries,
>then using them to feed my mains circuitry.
>
>That way, all the lumpy electricity sinks to the bottom of the battery.
>OK.... occasionally you have to empty the batteries of lumps, but I
>don't get speed variation on my CD player any more.
>
>Tony H
>
They must be old batteries if they're 240v (+6% -10%) - new ones should
be marked as 230v (+10% -6%)

--

Jeremy Nunns
Cambridge
Remove Chinese Ship to Reply

Jeremy Nunns wrote:
> In article <1155126608.877530.291060@m73g2000cwd. .com>,
> Canaldrifter <canaldrifter@tiscali.co.uk> writes
>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>>> 4jtkumF9i50lU1@, I, Marvo, say :
>>>
>>>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>>>> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>>>>> 4jtka6F9hoi4U1@, I, Marvo, say :
>>>>>
>>>>>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>>>>>> You may mock, young Larrington, but you're closer to the truth than
>>>>>>> you think.
>>>>>>>
>> Speaking as a plumber, I cured the problem of lumpy electricity supply
>> by connecting my power hook-up directly to a bank of 240v AC batteries,
>> then using them to feed my mains circuitry.
>>
>> That way, all the lumpy electricity sinks to the bottom of the battery.
>> OK.... occasionally you have to empty the batteries of lumps, but I
>> don't get speed variation on my CD player any more.
>>
>> Tony H
>>
> They must be old batteries if they're 240v (+6% -10%) - new ones should
> be marked as 230v (+10% -6%)
>

And of course the other problem is that the men in the ivory towers at
Brussels have decreed that the post markings on the battery must change
from "+" to "-" as necessary. I understand this problem has not yet been
solved.

--
Gibbo

Emails to this email address are deleted at the server. I don't even get
to see them. If you need to email me you can do so via my website.

In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
4k1k8hF8v13cU2@, I, Marvo, say :

> Jeremy Nunns wrote:
>> In article <1155126608.877530.291060@m73g2000cwd. .com>,
>> Canaldrifter <canaldrifter@tiscali.co.uk> writes
>>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>>> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>>>> 4jtkumF9i50lU1@, I, Marvo, say :
>>>>
>>>>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>>>>> In reply to Gibbo (gibbo@smartgauge.co.uk) who wrote this in
>>>>>> 4jtka6F9hoi4U1@, I, Marvo, say :
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Uncle Marvo wrote:
>>>>>>>> You may mock, young Larrington, but you're closer to the truth
>>>>>>>> than you think.
>>>>>>>>
>>> Speaking as a plumber, I cured the problem of lumpy electricity
>>> supply by connecting my power hook-up directly to a bank of 240v AC
>>> batteries, then using them to feed my mains circuitry.
>>>
>>> That way, all the lumpy electricity sinks to the bottom of the
>>> battery. OK.... occasionally you have to empty the batteries of
>>> lumps, but I don't get speed variation on my CD player any more.
>>>
>>> Tony H
>>>
>> They must be old batteries if they're 240v (+6% -10%) - new ones
>> should be marked as 230v (+10% -6%)
>>
>
> And of course the other problem is that the men in the ivory towers at
> Brussels have decreed that the post markings on the battery must
> change from "+" to "-" as necessary. I understand this problem has
> not yet been solved.

That was last year. They're all colour coded now, grey for +/-, brown
for -/+