I've just obtained a 150watt inverter to charge my Phantom batteries and remote control when in the field.
I have the pro so my understanding is that the charger is 100 watts.
All seems to work although I've only hooked up the remote for testing purposes. The lights flash in order so seems to work.
My question is how much of a drain on the battery on my old car is the inverter. My cigarette lighter is powered on even with the ignition off so whilst in the field or having a cuppa at a cafe it would be nice to leave it on for an hour to charge the battery. Would this work or would I end up not being able to start he car afterwards?
Some of these things have been discussed in certain threads but here are some good rules of thumb to bear in mind if using an inverter to charge your Phantom 3 battery in your car using the 100 watt charger and not the 57 watt.
1) The car you are using should support a 15amp or better fuse to be on the save side. If it only supports 10amp the max power supported is around 120 watts which might not be adequate. I'll be following up on this with some tests to see the actuall battery draw using my UPS which shows that info.
2) It is recommended your car be either left running, or if idle it should be started once an hour to avoid battery drain. I'd recommend getting a portable car jump started to be on the safe side. You do not want to start your car while the inverter is plugged in though. You can probably get away with leaving your car idling while charging the first 10 to 20 minutes then leave your car off for the remainder of the charge until it is topped off.
3) Do NOT use a cheap quality inverter. Get a good name brand such as Bestek or Tripplite.
4) True vs Modified Sine wave inverters. Most inverters you see on the market are not "true or pure sine wae inverters. Modified sine wave inverters are good for charging and running most things except sensitive electronics and motorized items like drills. The modified sine wave inverters will also make your charger generate a bit more heat than a true sine wave inverter.
Although likely not necessary, If you want the best possible reliability assurance and piece of mind that your inverter wont cause any problems with your charger, you may want to consider paying the extra cost (as much as quadroople) of a modified sine wave inverter and go with a Pure sine wave inverter.
5) If you're not sure your car can handle the 100 watt charger or your car runs only a 10amp fuse for the charging system, buy the 57 watt Phantom 3 battery charger and you'll be fine.