Member Since: 31 Jul 2010
Location: Berkshire
Posts: 287
Hmm I'm just using the fuses that came with my Traxide kit, easy enough to swap out though when I change things around a bit..
What rating fuse would be suggested for the 300w inverter I'm planning on running? I believe it already has it's own onbard 40a fuse so should I just stick with that
1st Sep 2011 2:09 pm
discoBizz
Member Since: 20 Sep 2008
Location: Manchester
Posts: 1416
I did not plug the inverter in a socket, for this reason exactly.
Mine's got a 40A maxi fuse holder inline with it's power source, which in turn comes from a 40A switching relay. The relay is either on or off depending on the small current it gets from the switch next to the mains socket I have (see pick on page 4 on the topic).
Let me find a pic...
Here: this is the wiring before it went in the car...
Click image to enlarge
Detail of the relay which I attached to the inverter...
Click image to enlarge
This is where the fuse holder for it lives in the other side...
Click image to enlarge
and in place...
Click image to enlarge
If you plug the inverter in a socket, it will be limited to the 20A rating of both the socket and the 10-15A of the switch. Depending on the loads you plug into the mains, this could mean constant blow-ups of the socket fuse.
For example however, a Vaio laptop charger draws 19.5V at 4.7A = 92W or 7.6A at 12V so you should be fine with that. At peak running of 300W, you'd be drawing 25A at 12V and even higher at peak momentary power (most 300W inverters have a peak power output of 600W I am led to believe). This could then take you up to 50A at 12V but rarely happens I am told... I stand to be corrected of course as I am not an engineer To date I have ran 3 Vaios concurrently with no issues or fuses blown with my setup.
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
badgerade wrote:
What rating fuse would be suggested for the 300w inverter I'm planning on running?
Hi badgerade, if you have the SC80-LR with the TPSE kit, then the main twin cable running to the back has a continuous current rate of 65 amps but the thinner twin cable going to each power socket are only rated at 25 amps ( continuous ).
If you want to run thicker cable to power your inverter separately then it would be easy to junction a new cable at the twin screw block and then you would also have a lot less voltage drop.
The kit comes with a 30 amp auto resetting circuit breaker in the box on the other end of the cable running to the rear ( at the auxiliary battery ). If you find the inverter is pulling enough current to cause this circuit breaker to trip, you can easily replace the 30 amp circuit breaker with a 40 amp one, but for safety precautions, don’t go any higher.
I would be very surprised if your inverter tripped the 30 amp circuit breaker so just see how it goes with the existing set up.2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
1st Sep 2011 8:25 pm
badgerade
Member Since: 31 Jul 2010
Location: Berkshire
Posts: 287
discoBizz wrote:
Hope this helps?
Yep loads!
@ drivesafe - thanks for the reply! Just had a weeks camping and the traxide worked brilliantly.
1st Sep 2011 9:19 pm
v40mav
Member Since: 10 Aug 2008
Location: West Lothian
Posts: 264
discoBizz wrote:
20A may be a little excessive for accessory sockets IMHO, 10A or max 15A fuses should be plenty for any accessory powered through the socket. (different story for stuff you power directly from the fuse though).
Switches look the same but for my setup I got them from here and they are rated at 15A... If in doubt, just use a switching relay
guys - I'm finally getting round to installing a similar set up - One question that springs to mind ( and I'm not an electrician ) - is it okay to switch 12v Aux sockets via the fuses - or should these be switched via a relay -
I do not expect to have high wattage items powered from these but want to do the set up correct and not have to mess around later -TDV6 HSE - Silver
Defender 110 County
Freelander 2 HSE
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
badgerade wrote:
drivesafe - thanks for the reply! Just had a weeks camping and the traxide worked brilliantly.
Hi badgerade, good to hear, I like happy customers.
v40mav wrote:
One question that springs to mind ( and I'm not an electrician ) - is it okay to switch 12v Aux sockets via the fuses - or should these be switched via a relay -
Hi v40mav, I’m not quite sure what you mean by “Switch via the fuse or switch via a relay�2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
31st Oct 2011 2:32 pm
discoBizz
Member Since: 20 Sep 2008
Location: Manchester
Posts: 1416
If you mean +ve from fuse to switch then to socket, then assuming your switch is rated at or above your fuse rating then I would imagine you're ok... For example my switches are rated at 15A which is also the fuse I am using for my socket, so never had any issues there...
If on the other hand the switch is rated below the amps of your fuse, then you should use a relay to power the sockets. I can't see this being frequent though as the sockets themselves also have a max rating I think...
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To date I have ran 3 Vaios concurrently with no issues or fuses blown with my setup.
