Safe to use a 12vdc to 120vac power supply for charger

[dgd3]

I have the standard 120 VAC charging system that comes with the Phantom. I also have an older 12 VDC to 120 VAC inverter to plug into a cigarette lighter plug. Does anyone see any issues with me using the inverter as the 120 VAC supply for the Phantom battery charger?

 

[Grandpa Don]

Good question! I don't know if it is safe or not. But I do know that I also have an inverter that plugs into my truck's 12V power socket. I did use it once to charge my P3 Pro battery while out in the field. I have three batteries, and I flew all three until they were discharged. I just needed one more flight, so I used the inverter. It worked fine, and charged the battery for me. That was the only time I had to use it.

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

I use a 12v to 120v inverter in my car/truck. Only thing is the smart battery won't like all the electrical noise and usually won't initiate charging when the engine is on. Just charge it while engine is off and it will work.

 

[dgd3]

Tried a 300 watt 12vdc to 120vac converter to power a switching power charger for another device. The 300 W converter went into fail mode and wouldn't work even given a few tries.

 

[BigAl07]

We use several different "inverters/adapters" for Mobile charging. The small "cigarette lighter" one will only charge a single sUAS battery at a time (we use triple chargers so only plug one battery in at a time in our setup). Larger inverters will run multiple chargers with no problems or at least they have in our works in the field. There are times when we operate from inverters for a couple of days at a time with no problems.

Just keep in mind you're pulling juice from your auto's STARTER battery so don't get carried away and leave yourself stranded LOL.

 

[umanbean]

Todays better inverters have 'noise filters' and will auto shut off before the vehicle battery gets so low it won't crank... ain't technology wonderful?

I wouldn't run higher than a 300W inverter on a 'cigarette lighter' plug, those plugs usually have smaller wires and a 10 - 15 amp fuse... but a 400 watt would be okay on modern vehicles which tout a 'power adapter' plug - larger wires to the battery and a 20 amp fuse. Check user manual for vehicle specs.

I use a 300 watt just to be safe, works great

 

[BigAl07]

Todays better inverters have 'noise filters' and will auto shut off before the vehicle battery gets so low it won't crank... ain't technology wonderful?

I wouldn't run higher than a 300W inverter on a 'cigarette lighter' plug, those plugs usually have smaller wires and a 10 - 15 amp fuse... but a 400 watt would be okay on modern vehicles which tout a 'power adapter' plug - larger wires to the battery and a 20 amp fuse. Check user manual for vehicle specs.

I use a 300 watt just to be safe, works great

When we use larger units we go straight to the battery out of an abundance of caution. Unfortunately none of my units are "Smart" enough to not over drain the battery. My next one will LOL.