AC plug

One of the most frequent questions we get is “can I plug in to your bag with a standard wall plug?” Based on experimentation, a review of specs and some basic logic, the current answer is no. If you’re using solar, we instead recommend using devices that run off DC power and figuring out ways to connect to them (we supply an array of standard adapters that fit most devices). We like to be proved wrong, so if you’ve seen inverters that work well at 3 to 30 Watts, please let us know.

Most small-scale inverters are designed to power electronic devices from a car battery or series of car batteries. A car battery is capable of outputting 12 Amps at 12 Volts or 144 Watts. In turn, most electronic devices that run off of AC are designed with the perspective that an unlimited amount of continuous power is on the other end. This includes things like TVs, DVD players, many radios and fluorescent lighting. Devices that need less power like phones, portable radios, laptops, portable DVD players and LED lighting accept DC input so you don’t need an inverter, just the right connection to your device from a DC power source and the right power level (current and Voltage).

If you’re running DC devices, using an inverter is also not very efficient. You’re taking DC power, storing it in a battery, converting it to AC so that your your device can convert the waveform back to DC. You’re losing some power at each step in the chain so unless you have unlimited solar power to waste, this should be avoided. You’ll need a smaller solar panel and a smaller battery which will save you money, weight and space.

We’ve tested several inverters plugged directly into 15Watt and 4Watt arrays and our Generator laptop battery. Neither worked: GE DC-AC Power Inverter – 150Watt, Xantrex XPower Micro Inverter 140 Watt

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.