Following feedback from our customers, we have introduced this budget range of inverters for the people that simply want mains power in their vans without the frills. We removed anything that wasn't essential to achieve this, such as a remote, LCD screen, Bluetooth connectivity etc. and have just provided what was important, a pure sine wave inverter with UK shuttered sockets at an affordable price..
Features
- 500W continuous power with a 1000W surge.
- 230V 50Hz output
- Pure sine wave technology, allowing the running of sensitive mains electronic devices
- One-piece metal body for strength and to aid cooling
- ON/OFF switch
- One UK socket
- One USB port
- Brushless cooling fan
- Soft start noise filtered technology - Progressively increases the output voltage to start heavy loads, with minimal or no interference
- Low voltage protection
- Overvoltage protection
- Overload protection
- Over temperature protection
- Input reverse polarity protection
- Short circuit protection
- Instruction manual
Technical Information
- Continuous Power - 500W
- Surge Power - 1000W
- Input Voltage - 12V DC
- AC Output Voltage - 230V AC
- Wave Form - Pure Sine Wave
- USB Output - 5V DC
- No Load Current - 660mA
- Efficiency - >85%
- Over Temperature Shut Down - >80°C
- Terminal Size - 5mm Screw
- USB Port Fitted - 1
- Sockets Fitted - 1
- Dimensions - 25cm X 11cm X 7cm
- Weight - 960g
- Markings - FCC, ROHS, CE, PSE
What does an inverter actually do?
Simply put, an inverter converts DC or Direct Current to AC or Alternating Current. This means that with an inverter installed you'll be able to run mains appliances in your vehicle.
What can you power from it?
The unit comes fitted with a UK socket and has a power output of 500W. This means in theory it can run any mains appliance up to that power. For example if you had a laptop charger rated at 30W, it would power it. However, if you had a coffee machine that was 800W, it wouldn't.
The operating time of the inverter is determined by the size and type of battery you use, but more specifically it is determined by how much power you draw. Follow the below steps to roughly calculate the battery capacity you may use (this is the same for any 12V inverters, not just ours) -
- Establish how many watts each piece of equipment consumes. This usually can be found on the power information label. If only current draw is given, you can estimate the watt consumption by multiplying current draw by 230.
- Estimate the time in hours you will be running each appliance between charging your battery.
- Calculate the total watt hours of energy consumption (power x operating time).
- Divide the watt hours by 12 to determine how many Ah will be used.
For example (assuming a two day period without any form of battery charging) - A hairdryer consumes 1000W and a laptop charger consumes 100W. The hairdryer is used for 15 minutes a day and the laptop charger for 3 hours a day. The hairdryers consumption over the two day period would be 500Wh (1000W X 0.5). The laptop chargers consumption would be 600Wh (100W X 6). Total consumption over the two days would be 1100Wh. This would use 92Ah of battery power (1100Wh/12).
How do you mount it in a camper van?
The unit has built in brackets in the body to allow it to be installed on any horizontal or vertical surface.
Connection to your leisure battery
For the best load starting performance, the DC cables should be short and as large as possible and should match/exceed the inverters current. A solid, low resistance connection to the DC power source is important for the proper operation of the inverter. Using a smaller cable may cause it to shut down under a heavy load.
Earthing
Like most inverters of this type, it is a standalone inverter and does not provide a functional earth. All appliances should be plugged directly into the sockets. Extension leads or connection to a distribution system is not allowed. If you are looking for an suitable inverter to power your consumer unit, please see our 2000W inverter charger or our 3000w inverter charger.
