Mains to car charger adapter?

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simon14

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#76830 7-Feb-2011 20:31

I never completed Electronics 101 in College so I have no idea if this is possible but we just purchased an Intex Queen Air Bed that comes with a cord to auto pump up the bed via a mains power supply. Is there any way we can get an adpater so we can plug this into our car to get power when camping?

This would also we useful for other things too light lamps and stereos etc....

Thanks :)

robjg63

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#436536 7-Feb-2011 20:36

Try putting the words "power inverter" into the www.dse.co.nz website - they have a few.
Provided you dont need too many watts (ie dont try running a microwave off it) you should be ok.

EDIT: Actually try those words in the www.jaycar.co.nz website as well if you have one of those shops nearby - they are cheaper!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

simon14

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#436540 7-Feb-2011 20:39

Thanks, found what im looking for.

Would it work ok with this:

INTEX Rising Comfort Airbed w/ Built in 230v Pump Queen

http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/product/INTEX-Rising-Comfort-Airbed-w%252f-Built-in-230v-P...

This is the device i found from DSE:

DSE Power Inverter 12-230V 150W

http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4d4fa16300e847562740c0a87f3b069e/Product/View/M5150

Does that mean it will work on 230V devices? (such as this air bed pump?)

trig42

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#436542 7-Feb-2011 20:39

An inverter would be your friend.

What sort of power does that pump draw?

http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4d4fa0ba00d04954273fc0a87f3b06cc/Product/View/M5300 - good for 300W. Doubt you could suck that through the Cig Lighter, might have to jack it straight to the battery - at 300W output it would draw between 20 and 28 Amps (depending on voltage of battery - car batteries can output between 10.5 and 14.5ish volts) - I don't think you would want nearly 30amps going through your cigarette lighter.

robjg63

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#436551 7-Feb-2011 20:57

simon14: Thanks, found what im looking for.

Would it work ok with this:

INTEX Rising Comfort Airbed w/ Built in 230v Pump Queen

http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/product/INTEX-Rising-Comfort-Airbed-w%252f-Built-in-230v-P...

This is the device i found from DSE:

DSE Power Inverter 12-230V 150W

http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4d4fa16300e847562740c0a87f3b069e/Product/View/M5150

Does that mean it will work on 230V devices? (such as this air bed pump?)

Yes - but you would need to check 2 things:
1) How many watts does the airbed pump require - If its more than 150w then you would need a more heavy duty inverter
2) Is your cigarette lighter wired to take enough amps?

Some of the ones that jaycar had have a cigarette lighter plug AND alligator clips to connect directly to the battery.

Say your cigarette lighter was on a fuse that was - say 15A - 12v x 15A = 180 - so your cigarette lighter could supply up to 180w ok. If it was rated at 10A then it would be 12v x 10A = 120w. So if you were drawing 150w with the airbed pump that would be too much and blow the fuse all the time. - If you had a 150w inverter and your airbed pump only needed 120w or less then you *shouldnt* blow the fuse.

If the inverter connects directly to the battery then you can take more amps than by using the cigarette lighter circuit.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

gzt

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#436613 7-Feb-2011 23:28

Low tech alternative.

What is the wattage & current draw of the motor? Should be printed on the pump motor unit somewhere...

simon14

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#436796 8-Feb-2011 13:03

Thanks for everyones words of wisdom.

I have checked the power output on the pump bed and it says:

220 to 240v
50Hz
90W

Now how is an easy way to find out how much amps my cigarette lighter plug can handle?

Would it be safe to say 90v would be ok in a "standard" cigarette lighter plug?

And thanks for the low tech alternative, very amusing :)

robjg63

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#436805 8-Feb-2011 13:13

Hope I remember it like I think I do, but....
Watts = Volts x Amps
so

90w = 230v x 0.4 A ie with 230v that would be 0.4 Amps
or
90w = 12v x 7.5A ie at 12v 90w would be 7.5a

I would be surprised if your cigarette lighter couldnt supply that.
Probably look for the fuses panel and check the fuses on the circuit.
I am sure its probably fine.

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simon14

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#436806 8-Feb-2011 13:16

Sounds good, i'll probably get the one from Jaycar.

I just dont understand why Intex didn't supply a cigarette lighter adapter in the first place....

gzt

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#436835 8-Feb-2011 14:54

A 12v air pump might be worth considering.

Inverters operate around 90% efficiency. But also, for lighting I believe dedicated 12 volt LED lighting will be far more efficient than using 240v lights through an inverter. You would need to check the lumens brightness output figures to know for sure. Similar for a stereo.

If you have plenty of battery it is not a problem though.

About the calculations - In AC power calculations the watts = volts x amps relationship holds true only for simple resistive loads. Most electric motors (and most energy efficient light bulbs) will have a higher current (Amps) flowing in the circuit than this simplified calculation predicts, even though the Watts always remains the same.

I'm guessing there is enough headroom in the 150W inverter to deal with that for your 90W/240V air pump motor.

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