12 V plug?

[Christopher Glaeser]

I want to power a 600 W inverter from my Suburban and according the
manufacturer, it is too large to power from a cigeratte lighter. The wires
included with the inverter can be attached to the battery using the terminal
post screws. Is there a 12 V wireharness/plug available that can be
attached to the battery such that the inverter can be plugged and unplugged
easily, without screwing and unscrewing the terminal posts with each use?

Best,
Christopher

[Scott Dorsey]

Christopher Glaeser <cdg@nullstone.com> wrote:
>I want to power a 600 W inverter from my Suburban and according the
>manufacturer, it is too large to power from a cigeratte lighter. The wires
>included with the inverter can be attached to the battery using the terminal
>post screws. Is there a 12 V wireharness/plug available that can be
>attached to the battery such that the inverter can be plugged and unplugged
>easily, without screwing and unscrewing the terminal posts with each use?

Sure. Try an auto parts place. They sell kits for this sort of thing
for applications like tow trucks, where they frequently need to hook up
booster cables to the battery. They'll put a huge 2-pin connector on
the grille, hooked with #4 up to the battery, and then connect cables with
#4 to the car being started.

You could make your own with something like the Russelstoll connectors
too. Just be sure it's rated for 50 amps DC; a lot of connectors that
are fine at 50A AC will be badly damaged if they are disconnected under
load with DC because DC will sustain an arc for much longer.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Christopher Glaeser]

> Sure. Try an auto parts place. They sell kits for this sort of thing
> for applications like tow trucks, where they frequently need to hook up
> booster cables to the battery. They'll put a huge 2-pin connector on
> the grille, hooked with #4 up to the battery, and then connect cables with
> #4 to the car being started.

Many thanks for the quick response. I'll check the local auto store.

> You could make your own with something like the Russelstoll connectors
> too. Just be sure it's rated for 50 amps DC; a lot of connectors that
> are fine at 50A AC will be badly damaged if they are disconnected under
> load with DC because DC will sustain an arc for much longer.

Good suggestion. In addition, I'll also power-down the inverter first to
minimize any arcing. Thanks again.

Best,
Christopher

[Kurt Albershardt]

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Christopher Glaeser <cdg@nullstone.com> wrote:
>
>> I want to power a 600 W inverter from my Suburban and according the
>> manufacturer, it is too large to power from a cigeratte lighter. The wires
>> included with the inverter can be attached to the battery using the terminal
>> post screws. Is there a 12 V wireharness/plug available that can be
>> attached to the battery such that the inverter can be plugged and unplugged
>> easily, without screwing and unscrewing the terminal posts with each use?
>
>
> Sure. Try an auto parts place. They sell kits for this sort of thing
> for applications like tow trucks, where they frequently need to hook up
> booster cables to the battery. They'll put a huge 2-pin connector on
> the grille, hooked with #4 up to the battery, and then connect cables with
> #4 to the car being started.

Most of the tow trucks use Anderson SB175 connectors (175A) which are a
bit large for some applications. Anderson also makes a 50A model and
there's a new 120A version in limited colors.
http://www.andersonpower.com/products/mp/sb.html

Most industrial battery places handle them and you can also get them
from Wrangler NW online http://www.wranglernw.com/

I have a case of the 50A versions with 6 ga. contacts and yellow bodies
(Anderson's recommended color for 12V applications) that I had to order
in from the factory since nobody was stocking them yet. They just
arrived last month and even with the overnight freight I paid on them
they are quite affordable. Drop me a line if you can't find what you
need and I'll sell you a few at cost.

Keep in mind that a 600W inverter can draw somewhat more than 50A but
it's not very likely to do so for any length of time.