600 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter

[maxingout]

I have been searching for a 600 watt pure sine wave inverter for my catamaran. The only thing it will be used for is running a laptop and charging cell phones, sat phone, camera batteries, iPad.

No big loads. Most charging will be done through USB style port.

Probably even a 400 watt inverter would work for me as long as it is pure sine wave. I would rather have a couple of small pure sine wave inverters rather than a large single inverter. That way I will have back up incase an inverter fails.

What inverters should I consider?
What inverters should I avoid?

Thanks

[sailorboy1]

There has to be some, I use a 400w for my laptop and tv. Did you search on Amazon, that’s were I got mine.

I use a USB bus off my 12v for cell phones and tablets

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

There has to be some, I use a 400w for my laptop and tv. Did you search on Amazon, that’s were I got mine.

I use a USB bus off my 12v for cell phones and tablets

I guess I should just run some 12 volt automotive style receptacles for the cell phones and tablets like you suggest. That is an affordable and easy solution.

The Lap top computer is under 100 watts. I need to sort that out because we use it for emails and weather fax.

I looked on Amazon, and read the reviews on inverters like Xantrex, and most of the reviews are good, but if find them confusing because some people use inverters for things that they are not designed for, and then they give a bad review.

I don't know if modified sine wave inverters will trash a lap top.

[sailorboy1]

Just looked and there’s a bunch of 600w inverters on Amazon. I cut the 12v plug off mine and wired it to my DC panel with its own breaker

I don’t use the cigettle type plug for my phones etc. I have a usb strip at the salon table for that. It again is on its own circuit with breaker.

Ran my laptop off my main modified inverter for years, but run it off my 400w as it’s more power efficient to small a small inverter for a small load

[Scott Berg]

the best small inverters we've found are from Victron; for example: https://www.victronenergy.com/invert...ct-250va-800va

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Just looked and there’s a bunch of 600w inverters on Amazon. I cut the 12v pump off mine and wired it to my DC panel with its own breaker

I don’t use the cigettle type plug for my phones etc. I have a usb strip at the salon table for that. I again is on its own circuit with breaker.

Ran my laptop off my main modified inverter for years

Are you running a pure sine wave inverter?

[Tillsbury]

I'm not sure why you'd bother with an inverter for this at all. I have a dozen or more USB ports ($2-3 each) throughout the boat for charging assorted stuff, and for the computer I bought a docking station (it's USB-C) and mounted that tucked away in a cupboard. It takes 19V, so is powered from a DC-DC converter ($6) next to it. I can plug the computer in with one cable and everything else is connected immediately. No need for an inverter anywhere.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

I'm not sure why you'd bother with an inverter for this at all. I have a dozen or more USB ports ($2-3 each) throughout the boat for charging assorted stuff, and for the computer I bought a docking station (it's USB-C) and mounted that tucked away in a cupboard. It takes 19V, so is powered from a DC-DC converter ($6) next to it. I can plug the computer in with one cable and everything else is connected immediately. No need for an inverter anywhere.

This sounds like something I need to investigate. I will do some research on this and it would be nice to dodge the inverter bullet.

Things have changed a lot since my first voyage, and I am having to think about things in a new way.

[Jim Cate]

I don't know if modified sine wave inverters will trash a lap top.

Dave, FWIW we've been using an old Heart Interface mod sine wave 600 w inverter for around 25 years now. We've run numerous different laptops, phones, tool chargers and everything else on the boat. The only difficulty we've encountered is old SCR controlled variable speed drill motors don't vary speed well... kinda off or on.

I don't know if this antique and initially expensive inverter has a multi step pseudo sine wave or the more common single step version, but none of the dire consequences mentioned for this usage have materialized for us.

And are there not small (~150 watt) PSW inverters that are specifically intentioned for laptop power? I seem to recall even West Marine flogging them.

Jim

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by maxingout

Are you running a pure sine wave inverter?

Yes, it was cheap so there wasn’t reason not to

The usb strips are way to go for phones etc

[S/V Illusion]

For the uses the OP noted, there is no reason to limit the choice to sine wave inverters. So-called modified sine wave units will no harm charging circuits nor will it radiate sufficient noise to interfere with other electronics.

Marketing hype is like smoke - it's hard to see through if it's thick enough...

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

I'm not sure why you'd bother with an inverter for this at all. I have a dozen or more USB ports ($2-3 each) throughout the boat for charging assorted stuff, and for the computer I bought a docking station (it's USB-C) and mounted that tucked away in a cupboard. It takes 19V, so is powered from a DC-DC converter ($6) next to it. I can plug the computer in with one cable and everything else is connected immediately. No need for an inverter anywhere.

Something I'm researching too. It makes no sense to charge a phone with an inverter when you can buy a 12-volt charger for a couple dollars. Let alone the inefficiencies. I just ordered a converter for charging my trolling battery from my house battery. Any ideas or recommended converters would be appreciated.
Maybe put it on the thread charging dinghy from Mothership

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Dave, FWIW we've been using an old Heart Interface mod sine wave 600 w inverter for around 25 years now. We've run numerous different laptops, phones, tool chargers and everything else on the boat. The only difficulty we've encountered is old SCR controlled variable speed drill motors don't vary speed well... kinda off or on.

I don't know if this antique and initially expensive inverter has a multi step pseudo sine wave or the more common single step version, but none of the dire consequences mentioned for this usage have materialized for us.

And are there not small (~150 watt) PSW inverters that are specifically intentioned for laptop power? I seem to recall even West Marine flogging them.

Jim

The refit is now over except for the little stuff like inverters and many other things that nickel and dime us to death.

I want to get it right the first time, and once we set sail, it will be harder to sort out things that don't work since we will be underway - wherever we end up going.

I am not trying to create the perfect boat. I just want reliability so that I can pull down the weather fax and email when I am offshore.

I will be checking out Amazon for the products mentioned in this thread. I don't want bells and whistles. I just want to have things work and be reliable when I am offshore.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

For the uses the OP noted, there is no reason to limit the choice to sine wave inverters. So-called modified sine wave units will no harm charging circuits nor will it radiate sufficient noise to interfere with other electronics.

Marketing hype is like smoke - it's hard to see through if it's thick enough...

In the past I had small modified sine wave inverters on board, and they were hooked up to a cheap laptop that used 65 watts of power. I am willing to run a cheap lap top with less than optimal modified sine wave current, but I am concerned about using non sine wave current with my Mac. I don't want to toast my Mac.

[AKA-None]

Apple ac power supplies for laptops are amazingly robust