But then I've had no probs charging a laptop, charging phone, camera, MP3 etc using a modded 600W inverter. Surely the answer is to try one out at home and if it works for you fine. If not.... They are so much cheaper than pure sine wave inverters that I'd take a chance on wasting your money.
Q

I'd agree with Quintin. I've used a 75w Ring modded sine wave inverter to charge phone and cameras with no issues. Cost all of 20 quid. The only equipment I've ever heard of having issues with a modded sine wave are flourescent tubes as already mentioned and TV's. Also be aware that inverters are very inefficient and use a fair bit of power when just sitting powered up and idle so buy as small a unit as you can get away with and watch you don't flatten your car battery if you don't have a secondary battery fitted.

Thanks everyone for feedback. I'm still on the fence. Good to know it CAN be done cheaply if need be!

Some people get a small (150-300 watt) pure sine inverter AND a cheap 600-1000 watt modified sine, using the small pure sine to charge things that are or might be sensitive.

My only concern is the new video camera, I wouldn't want to fry it using a cheap inverter trying to save money and then having a AU$2000 camera fried... thát would be a waste too!

Why would anyone prefer to charge a phone from a mains charger through an inverter rather than a 12volt cigrette lighter socket? Unless thats the only charger you have available of course!

Also, what happens inside a 12volt charger for a phone for example that doesn't happen in an inverter? The "chargee" still must get the same voltage from both, is it just most things like phones require a voltage closer to 12 than 220 so the smaller step means greater efficiency??

In my case, i bought a shiny new pc with lots of disc space for photos etc, thinking i would buy a posh sine wave inverter, encase the pc box in foam to keep the dust out, and have a disc drive, keyboard etc etc on long leads so i would never need to access the pc itself. But having looked at the input wattage of both the pc and the nice efficient lcd screen, and best advice seems to be get an inverter capable of twice what you need, even two sine wave inverters (cheaper than one big one of identical capacity) were more expensive than binning the pc and buying a new laptop that could run happily on 12volts!! Thats before looking at the battery requirements to power a big inverter!

This may be a useful device for some people.

https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome...epower/000193/

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Cheers Dan
gettinglostagain.com

Several manufacturers make 12 volt adapters that allow you to run/charge your laptop from a 12 volt adapter, Kensington for example. As we live in a 110/240 volt world, all laptops are sold with a transformer that converts 240 volt to somewhere between 12 and 24 volt. For example, an apple laptop typically runs on 18.5 volt/85 watt. No one makes an adapter allowing you to power an apple laptop from 12 volt, but there is a US company that will adapt you adapter to connect to a kensington adapter and run on 12 volt.

In an ideal world, laptops and battery charges - like mobile phones and ipods - would be charged from 12 volt directly, when travelling on a bike/in a car/having a solar powered house etc.

Otherwise you would be using an inverter two step up 12 volt to 240, then step it back down again to say 18.5 volt, it doesn't take a scientist to understand that that's a very inefficient way of powering your laptop, with a lot of loss of energy, and it drains even a good deep cycle battery rather quickly.

We're travelling with 2 kids, one apple laptop, two netbooks, and more battery chargers for cameras and torches then I care to mention.

To get the apple laptop converted to run on 12 volt + another kensington adapter to run at leaste one of the netbooks sets you back more then even a 1000 watt mod sine inverter that will run anything...

I've decided to go with a 1000 watt mod sine inverter, no kensington adapter for now, one battery charger that will charge AAA and AA batteries from 12 volt (phew), ipods/iphones charge on 12 volt, but everything else will have to run off an inefficient, but cheap, modified sine inverter.

The money I save by not choosing an expensive pure sine inverter and/or kensington adapter to run laptops from 12 volt is invested in a 130amp/hour agm deep cycle battery. This shouls run the fridge for 3-4 days before recharging, and hopefully allow 'some' charging of laptops as well... When they run out of juice we'll just have to go and play outside!