Outside Event

[agp]

I have been asked to photograph a Horse Show and provide prints on the day, but because of the location there is no electric..... I do not have a clue what I would need to power a couple of laptops and digital printers safely. A generator would be a good start but what size and how do I control the power so I don't blow anything up?

Any ideas please!

[anonymous-user]

As you probably won't be needing huge amounts of power for that, an inverter might do the job. It will provide 240V AC from the 12V DC of a car electric system.

[agp]

Thanks LexSport, Would that just clip on my car battery and convert enough power to do the job?

[_dobbo_]

Would plug into your cigarett lighter.

Like this one for example

Just make sure the combined maximum power consumption of your laptop and printer are not more than 100w and you will be fine with that.

[agp]

Thanks to both of you. I was about to jump in and buy a generator, you just saved me a few quid.

[anonymous-user]

_dobbo_ said:

Just make sure the combined maximum power consumption of your laptop and printer are not more than 100w and you will be fine with that.

And if it does, Maplin do 300W and 600W inverters too.

[agp]

How would I find out the max output? Sorry if this is a silly question....

>> Edited by agp on Sunday 10th July 18:41

>> Edited by agp on Sunday 10th July 18:42

[simpo two]

agp said:

How would I find out the max output? Sorry if this is a silly question...

All your kit - laptops & printers etc - should have a wattage marked on them, on the back or underneath, or in the manuals. Just add them all together.

[rude girl]

I got my inverter from screwfix. About £22 I think, and arrived the next day. I'd take a spare battery to run it off though - remember that your alternator won't charge your battery at tickover, you'll need some revs on. Shouldn't be too tricky to borrow one I'd have thought.

[agp]

Hello rudegirl, what did you run off yours and how long did it last on one charge?

[V6GTO]

agp...I did a Carriage Driving event many years ago, sending the little photos from a contact sheet to all the competitors with a nice covering letter and price list. I charged a very reasonable price as I was doing it for a fried, but still make a very tidy profit. Just factor in all your costs.

Martin.

[rude girl]

agp said:

Hello rudegirl, what did you run off yours and how long did it last on one charge?

I used it to recharge a laptop, mobile phones, PDA, electric shaver (for himself, not me!) on holiday. Charge lasted as long as usual.

Not at all sure I'm answering the question you've asked here, but feel free to pm me if you want to know more. Depending where you are, you can borrow it if you like - it's just sat in the back of the Griff doing nothing.

[agp]

Hi V6GTO, what did you use to power your equipment?

[Phil S]

rude girl said:

remember that your alternator won't charge your battery at tickover, you'll need some revs on.

Surely not true?

[rude girl]

Phil S said:

rude girl said: remember that your alternator won't charge your battery at tickover, you'll need some revs on. Surely not true?

You could always test the theory

[Phil S]

So, if you let a car idle with lights on, wipers on, radio on, fans on, heated screen(s) and seats on then you would get a flat battery?

I'd hate to be stuck in a cold, dark, wet traffic jam in your car

[simpo two]

My understanding - but I'm not an expert - is that you need to give the accelerator a boot to wake the alternator up first, *then* you can let it return to idle.

[rude girl]

Phil S said:

So, if you let a car idle with lights on, wipers on, radio on, fans on, heated screen(s) and seats on then you would get a flat battery? I'd hate to be stuck in a cold, dark, wet traffic jam in your car

Phil, you can ridicule me as much as you like. I was first told about this by a much-respected PH mechanic - someone I doubt you'd take the pi$$ out of, when I was sitting in a jam (in the daily driver, so it's not specific to "my car" ) waiting for a lorry to be dug out of a snowdrift - a 3 hour job. He told me to "switch the lights off because a car at idle won't charge the battery and you could end up stuck".

Like I say, test it in your own car and prove it wrong - I hope you turn out to be right. It was a tip to try and save someone from getting caught out. But frankly I don't care whether you or anyone else chooses to take it on board or not.

[anonymous-user]

Edited to add something a bit more useful - it'll all depend on the alternator in your particular car. The output of an alternator at idle will definitely be lower than at normal running speed, but, whether it's low enough to let the battery die, that will depend. However, if it is that bad, the alternator warning light on the dash should light up.

>> Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 12th July 17:57

[agp]

Thanks to all of you for your advice, I'll give it a trial run before the event and see how it goes.