Good quality DC/AC inverter?

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Ok thanks. I could get usb chargers for our toothbrushes but will probably continue to use my inverter. How much more efficient is it to convert 12V to 5V than to 230V?
 
Ok so ended up getting a Green cell Pro 300W pure sine thing, cost 50 quid all in. Will report back on whether it's any good...
 
Ok thanks. I could get usb chargers for our toothbrushes but will probably continue to use my inverter. How much more efficient is it to convert 12V to 5V than to 230V?
Those USB chargers don't convert back to 240v, they just use 5v and therefore take a little longer to charge the toothbrush from flat but I just leave mine on so it never gets too low.

Regards,
Del
 
Those USB chargers don't convert back to 240v, they just use 5v and therefore take a little longer to charge the toothbrush from flat but I just leave mine on so it never gets too low.

Regards,
Del
They must put some sort of sine wave or rapid switching into the coil current otherwise there would be no induction.
 
I have a toothbrush that takes AA cells for the van. Usually I use rechargeables but it will run off disposables. Not as good as say an Oral B but takes the same heads, and does the job. I found it at Lidl and will buy a spare next time I see one, as I don't expect it to be as durable, though it might be just as good.

If plugging an Oral B charging base into a modified sine inverter it kills the base instantly. The brush itself survives. Likewise the charger for my Canon camera.

As said, the induction chargers expect a smooth clean sinewave, feed them with the jagged output of so-called "modified sine" and the square edges of the current can induce large voltages in anything inductive that is connected. The best inverters run at low frequency using a big transformer inside, rather than synthesise the output, but they are big, heavy and not as efficient.

If I needed something in the kilowatt class I'd consider one, meanwhile my inexpensive 300W pure-sine appears to work well. Amazing considering how little it cost. Wouldn't want to try it with something with a power factor far from unity, but it certainly powers switch-mode universal voltage power "bricks" such as my laptop and TV use.

My inverter-generator also does a good job, but will trip out under some loads of which it is theoretically capable. Anything powered by an induction motor for example. Whereas the previous simple generator running at 3000 rpm with a self-excited alternator, not even an AVR, just soldiered on.
 
They must put some sort of sine wave or rapid switching into the coil current otherwise there would be no induction.

I'm sure they do but the batteries in the tooth brush are only about 3v so I'm pretty sure it won't be 240v at the charger end.

Regards,
Del
 
The same applies to inductive charging pads for mobile phones etc. Usually very poorly made if bought as an add-on.

An Oral B toothbrush typically uses a single NiMh cell inside, AA size, 1.2V nominal. The inductive charging circuit is decent with flashy LEDs to keep you informed. You can take them apart quite easily and put in a new cell, but by then they are probably wearing out elsewhere. My cheapo Lidl job has twice the capacity and will go in the Wee when it dies.
 
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A usb charger will not help. It is a sealed unit and charges from it’s own sealed mains powered base. I think the base charges via a mains powered induction coil.
Lovely to read such arrant nonsense. Of course it bloody well works. I'd not recommend it otherwise.
The USB powered charger base works exactly the same way as the mains powered one. The only difference is that it only costs £4.99
 
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The same applies to inductive charging pads for mobile phones etc. Usually very poorly made if bought as an add-on.

An Oral B toothbrush typically uses a single NiMh cell inside, AA size, 1.2V nominal. The inductive charging circuit is decent with flashy LEDs to keep you informed. You can take them apart quite easily and put in a new cell, but by then they are probably wearing out elsewhere. My cheapo Lidl job has twice the capacity and will go in the Wee when it dies.
Modern Oral B toothbrushes have li-ion batteries. Much, much better. Probably better battery life than your Lidl one.
 
Lovely to read such arrant nonsense. Of course it bloody well works. If not recommend it otherwise.
The USB powered charger base works exactly the same way as the mains powered one. The only difference is that it only costs £4.99
I was not aware of a USB charger for my Li-Ion tooth brush when I made that post, I thought you were referring to a different type. I then learnt something and a few posts later acknowledged that and said thanks. I thought that was the point of forums, sometimes you learn something. There are politer ways of pointing out a mistake.
 
I was not aware of a USB charger for my Li-Ion tooth brush when I made that post, I thought you were referring to a different type. I then learnt something and a few posts later acknowledged that and said thanks. I thought that was the point of forums, sometimes you learn something. There are politer ways of pointing out a mistake.
If I post something that is wrong, when I realise my mistake, I correct it. Why didn't you?
 
Ok thanks. I could get usb chargers for our toothbrushes but will probably continue to use my inverter. How much more efficient is it to convert 12V to 5V than to 230V?
The conversion from 12v to 230v to just power a toothbrush charger is about 0.1% efficient. The conversion from 12v to 5v is about 99.5% efficient.
 
Ok so ended up getting a Green cell Pro 300W pure sine thing, cost 50 quid all in. Will report back on whether it's any good...
What is the current used when it is switched on but with no load?
 
you can get cheaper on ebay, or even 3 quid from china, but I like amazon for the quick and easy retrurns/refunds if things go tits.

 
I agree with many of the posts.
You do not ned an inverter
  • Get A USB powered charger/toothbrush
  • Many 12V to 19V from many sources for Laptop eg https://www.power4laptops.co.uk/
  • I got a new charger for the battery for my Old Canon Camera..It is USB powered
Pure sine wave are expensive
Both Pure Sine Wave and Modified are inefficient for most purposes
If you have extra batteries and solar then careful use of an inverter will not drain batteries too much
BUT WHY when there are 12V DC alternatives
 
USB can be equally as inefficient. And the poorer adaptors really not good, even unsafe, nor provide the correct output for my modern devices that expect far more sophisticated chargers than a crude 12V to 5V converter.

I prefer to use my devices with the power supplies that their manufacturers provided, which are designed for 110 to 230 V, having had one mobile phone, and at least one tablet destroyed by cheap cigar lighter socket adapters, which was an expensive lesson.

This also provides a measure of isolation between them, for example whilst my TV will accept a 12V input, when connected directly to the battery bank it does not always work well. The voltage on that can vary hugely, and when connected to the aux-in socket of the radio to make use of the good sound system there was a ground loop that was quite dangerous. Turn on the internal lighting, fed from the same internal wiring, and there could be half a volt drop along the negative connection. When the water pump turned on and off it was worse.

The 3rd party adapter for my laptop kicked out so much EMC that it blocked FM and TV radio reception completely and disrupted my mobile and WiFi signals too.

I am not concerned about charging my toothbrush, nor operating a hairdrier, nor do I have large power demands. But anything that I connect directly to the van's basic 12V system is now designed for that job.

Are you aware of, for example, the realities of how a vehicle alternator can respond to changes in load ? Look up "load dump" for example. This sort of thing can happen when jump starting a vehicle, or just having a poor battery terminal connection that you haven't noticed. Or just switching off a heavy load (such as a big inverter) whilst the engine is running. Or every time a primitive voltage sensing relay disconnects the habitation batteries as you turn off the engine. Or just every time you turn off the engine, if the alternator has been working hard to charge a low battery.


Anything connected to the starter battery, such as things plugged into the lighter socket, could see that. The better ones pause a little to prevent this.


Well made automotive parts each have their own protective devices to guard against this. The components alone added about £2 to the cost of the things that I used to design for motorsport use. I've not found this inside any of the inexpensive stuff I have examined. Certainly not in a £50 inverter, but I could live with the inverter being damaged, as long as the expensive equipment connected to it was not.
 
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