RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
on my highlander I jumpered around on the fuse box to make some of the outlets hot all the time. an easy "fix".
bumpy
Thanks for the suggestion, but I would need more details info. I am not the most techical person ;) Nevertheless, if RoyB's suggestion doesn't work (which I see no reason why it shouldn't), then I might investigate your method as it seems less work tham adding a second cigarette lighter. In particular since I'm sending this car to the scrap next May.
I used a fuse tap as DSchmidt linked to. put two of those in, one on fuse to the lighter without a fuse in it, and another one on a always hot fuse and jumpered between them.
bumpy
Hey! That's sounds simple to do. Thanks a lot. I have a second car parked outside (my third car - yes I have too many cars, it is a 1998) that also needs a solar panel as the battery also went kaput due to the two alarm systems draining the battery in winter. I will use this trick on that particular car instead of hacking a light at the back of the car. Thanks again :)
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
I measured the voltage when the panel was in my kitchen with the sun shinning through low-e argon windows and I was getting 23 volts..The Voc is irrelevant. It's the amperage we're concerned with.
Yeah, let us know how this works.
As 2Oldman wrote - it's the current you're interested in.
Solar panels are current sources. The go to open circuit volts with very little light, but the magnitude of ability to source current is dependent on the intensity of light hitting the panel.
The reason why a panel may read low voltage when connected to a meter when little light is falling on the panel is due to the panel being unable to drive even the miniscule current draw of the meter itself.
All you've demonstrated is that the current output of your panel is AT LEAST enough to drive the meter you used.
A better indicator is to measure the short circuit current of your panel in various lighting situations.
All this said, it may be sufficient depending on how much parasitic power is being drawn when your car is 'off'. Our MR2 Spyder will drain a battery in a month flat if left off for a month. Our 92' ranger can go for 3 months and still have enough power to start the truck. I put panels on both so I don't have to remember to run them, but the 5W on the dash of the MR2 is not enough but it slows the rate of discharge.
It is in fact a 1990 Volvo 240 (not a 1991 like I thought). Parasitic power should be few in such an old car. I just looked into the owner's manual and in addition to the 15W dome light, I also have a 15W trunk light with its own on/off switch to play with. It would look less... if I connect to the trunk light instead. Plus passing wires from the trunk into the car is much easier for me. Like I said, I'll report back when it gets very cold out there. The battery is old and not worth putting a new one in a car I'm getting rid of.
Thanks again.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
Btw, the Sunforce panel is VERY sensitive to light and others who have used it with tinted windows wrote that they were surprised by how much power the panel was still able to produce.No panel puts out much power through windows, let alone tinted ones. You'll extend your time to discharge about 4 days with optimum conditions.
I measured the voltage when the panel was in my kitchen with the sun shinning through low-e argon windows and I was getting 23 volts.
I am hoping to do much better than a 4 day extension. Time will tell. I'll keep you posted when it gets very cold outside.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
So in your case, your panel is always connected to the battery, am I understanding you correctly?
No for the MR2 spyder as it's in the way sitting on the dash, but yes for my 93' Ford Ranger
Given my setup, though the dome light, I should be ok without diode and fuse tap? What do you think?
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
You can use a fuse tap - that's what I did for the 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder. Fuses the wire to the panel too.
See Here
(it was much cheaper at my local auto parts store)
I did put a diode in series with the lead to prevent backfeeding the 5W panel I have on the dash.
BTW, you lose a decent amount of power by the sunlight having to pass through the windshield.
The car is used an average of twice per month. So as long as my setup will work and given it's going to the scrap in 8 months, I will save myself additional work. But thanks for your suggestions. I am not the most techical person.
So in your case, your panel is always connected to the battery, am I understanding you correctly?
Btw, the Sunforce panel is VERY sensitive to light and others who have used it with tinted windows wrote that they were surprised by how much power the panel was still able to produce.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
Bernadette - my suggestion was to check the rear seat cigarette lighter. The one for my back seat is always hot. You can buy an cigarette lighter extension cord from radio shack and just plug in the back seat area and run the cable hid by the console up to the dash area where you can plug into it.
I don't think I would pull the dome light light down and use those wires. It would be easier for me to run two wires from the battery area to the inside of the car where you need 12VDC battery voltage.
You solar panel is going to be laying on the dash I assume so your wiring should come somewhere close to that area. There are all kinds of small holes that comes in from the motor side of the cars where you can run wires...
All of my cars have large 4AWG cables running from the battery area to under the rear seats areas for my ham radio things...
Please don't give me credit for dropping a noose cable down from your ceiling dome light drooped over the dash where the solar panel is located. haha...
I'm just joking - do whatever cranks your tractor as the old timers say...
I'm still thinking about how to hack your cigarette lighter with a computer program...
Roy Ken
Your suggestion was exactly what I needed. I can't believe I didn't think about it!!! I can be so 'dumb' sometimes... There is no lighter in the back and I shouldn't need it. All I need to do is remove the cover of the dome light, switch it to ON permanently, remove the bulb and use alligator clips to the black and red. The panel will be in the rear window and this will provide maximum light to the panel. When I need to use the car, I disconnect my two wires, put the panel on the floor and I'm on my way.
Your suggestion was so simple, yet so efficient and with almost no work at all to do. Since this car is going to the scrap next May, no point I spend more time and energy on it. It gave me a lot of trouble those past two winters when the battery was too low and the hood couldn't be opened.
Hacking cigarette lighter with a computer program, lol!!! It is a Volvo, so it better runs with Windows ;)
Thanks again. :)
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
But sometimes I'm unable to open the hood (car sits outside), so I wouldn't be able to use the car when needed.Oh, I see, this is a car in use, and apparently not every day.
Presuming the reason for being unable to open the hood is snow and ice, that would presume a lot of cloudy weather. Based on that and the fact that's at best a 0.3a panel, and it's inside the car, I seriously doubt you'll get much good from it. But I guess it's worth a try.
A good battery shouldn't go down to zero, unless you're leaving it for months with a parasitic draw on it.
During the two previous winter, the battery went so low, it didn't have enough juice to start the car. The mechanism to release the hood is rusty and old and not always operational. Fighting with a hood that doesn't open when it is below zero ain't fun, nor smart. Winter over here usually provides plenty of sun, in particulae where the car is parked. This Sunforce panel is very sensitive to light.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
You'd probably be better of disconnecting a fully charged battery and leaving it.Huh....You'd probably be better of forgetting that teeny panel, charging you car battery, then disconnecting it.
I just want the panel to provide enough power to prevent the battery from going down to zero. Like it has happened the past winters.
Based on what I read, it might do teh trick and allow the car to start. I'll keep you guys posted.
And again thanks to all of you for your valuable help :)
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
on my highlander I jumpered around on the fuse box to make some of the outlets hot all the time. an easy "fix".
bumpy
Thanks for the suggestion, but I would need more details info. I am not the most techical person ;) Nevertheless, if RoyB's suggestion doesn't work (which I see no reason why it shouldn't), then I might investigate your method as it seems less work tham adding a second cigarette lighter. In particular since I'm sending this car to the scrap next May.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
You'd probably be better of disconnecting a fully charged battery and leaving it.
But sometimes I'm unable to open the hood (car sits outside), so I wouldn't be able to use the car when needed.
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
Not easy to do, most likely you would need to find the accessory relay and then bypass that.
Rather than hacking up the vehicles factory wiring harness why not just simply ADD a new lighter socket?
Walmart sells auxiliary lighter sockets.
Real simple to do, just run 10Ga wire directly to the battery (don't forget to connect a fuse to the POS terminal within 18" of the battery, size the fuse to the max capacity of the wire, IE 10Ga=30A max fuse).
Positive goes on the inside of the lighter socket and negative goes to the outside.
Negative of the lighter socket can be connected to anything metal near the dash (IE CAR BODY).
One note of caution, please do be aware of the airbag circuits. Messing with them even by accident can cause them to malfunction and are very costly to replace if you accidentally fire one. It is recommended that you disconnect the battery and let the car sit for 20-30 minutes before messing with the electrical system.
Thanks for all the explanation. If the suggestion of RoyB doesn't work, then I'll take that road. No problem with the air bags, it didn't exist on 91 240. Only my 93 240 has one in the driver seat. And I disconnected it years ago as the sticker on the side door said to replace the air bag after 10 years...
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
My truck is the same with the dash mounted cigarette lighter but the console lighter for the back seat folks is always hot. Check to see if you have such an animal in the back seat area. I was using one to keep one of the cell phones charged up and everytime I was in the truck it was charging but never seem to last long. I finally figured out the lighter would go dead after 4-5 minutes after I pulled the key out of the ignition.
I hate cigarette lighters anyway. I've never had much luck with them using my ham radio toys etc... I would probably install a direct fused tap to the battery terminal lugs somewhere convenient.
Roy Ken
Very clever!!! Indeed. I could switch the dome light on, remove the bulb and connect the solar panel to that wire!!!
I think it is absolute brillant and SO simple. Am I missing something? It seems to me it will work :)))
RE: Hacking the cigarette lighter
Forget the lighter..... attach the solar panel charger directly to battery. You can use alligator clips or a quick disconnect.
Problem is, sometimes the hood refuses to open. It is stuck and in winter, it isn't 'fun' to try going through the front grill with a long screwdriver to force the mechanism to release the hood. So when I would like to use the car, maybe after 2 weeks of sitting at the same spot, I wouldn't be able to start the car cause I can't start the car with the solar panel attached to the + and - of the battery and I can't disconnect the solar panel cause I can't open the hood :O
Hacking the cigarette lighter
I have a 5W solar panel which I would like to leave in the car during winter and plug it in the lighter. Unfortunately, since this is a 1991 Volvo 240, there is no power from the lighter unless the key is inserted and turned to the first position.
Is there a way to hack this lighter so that a solar panel plugged into the lighter would actually send power to the battery without having the key in the ignition?
Thanks for your help.
RE: What NOT to plug into a MSW inverter.
Ok, I don't have a lot of time to write as I need to leave home to go to the hospital for a scheduled surgery. So this is my only post for today and the next 2-3 days.
The owner's manual applies to the Schumacher PI-200, PI-400, PI-750 and XI41B. On page 5, it says:
IMPORTANT: This inverter uses a nonsinusoidal waveform. Therefore, we do not recommend you use it to power the following devices: And then it lists all 9 items listed in my first post. And then after it is written: Doing so may cause the devices to run warmer or overheat.
As to why I purchased this inverter, I explained why in another thread yesterday:
Also on a different note. Yesterday I was at WallyWorld in NY state and on the shelf they had a Schumacher 410W MSW inverter for $40. Based on the appearance of the box, it must have been sitting on the shelf for at least 2-3 years. This model is now replaced by a 400W (instead of 410). My model is the XI41B and I must admit it is a very sweet little sucker. I used a kill-a-watt and connected an electric drill as well as a reciprocating saw and managed to get 450 watts for a few seconds without the little bugger complaining about it. It immediately went down steady to between 408 and 414W, while both tools were at full speed. I love the design of the unit with the two 25 amps fuse sticking out at the back for easy replacement. Just thought to share my experience with you.
And in case you wonder why I was so impressed that the two 25 amps fuse are sticking out at the back and replacing them will take less than 10 seconds; this is what I also wrote yesterday in another thread:
This past week, for the very first time in my life, I inverted the wires and blew up a Xantrex 160W continuous (175W for 5 minutes) MSW inverter that you plug into the lighter.
So I opened it and saw that I blew the 25 amps fuse. The sad thing is those chinese suckers welded the fuse to the board. So it was a royal PITA (took me more than one hour) to unweld the fuse and clear the lead from the two holes in order to insert a new fuse. Once done, it works like new.
Hope it helps.
What NOT to plug into a MSW inverter.
As I wrote in the other thread, a few days ago I bought a Schumacher 410W MSW inverter, model XI41B. And of all 5 inverters I own, this one comes with the best owner's manual.
In the manual there is a section on what is NOT recommended to plug into a MSW inverter and I thought to post it here.
1) Switch mode power supplies
2) Linear power supplies
3) Class 2 transformers
4) Line filter capacitors
5) Shaded pole motors
6) Fan motors
7) Microwave ovens
8) Fluorescent and high intensity lamps (with a ballast)
9) Transformerless battery chargers
And as many of you already know, I will add a personal of mine: Heating blanket. I killed one last week when plugged into a MSW inverter.
RE: Connecting an inverter to a car battery for emergency use?
...I just plugged the furnace into my kill-a-watt and then into household power. Like I said, the blower is spinning at VERY low speed 24/7/375. From OFF to spinning, it reached a peak of 98 watts/144VA. And then I forced it to heat and, as always, it gradually and slowly increased to a max 510W/636VA...
That seems kind of low. I am guessing that your high efficiency furnace does not have a pilot, correct? Mine has a glow coil ignition and draws a large amount of power for about 30-45 seconds while the burner lights. My 800/900 watt generator was unable to start my furnace because of the glow coil.
You have 375 days in a year up there in Canada? :h We only get 365 here in the states! :B Even in a leap year we only get 366 days. :W
I'm not the most technical person, so you might have to do your own research if you really want to know exactly what kind of hardware is in my G61MPV (5 tons), but what you mentionned as a glow coil seems to fit the bill.
I carefully measured it and mine doesn't have a large amount of power consumed as long as I keep it in the first stage. I have a Lennox SignatureStat thermostat and it allows me to prevent the furnace from ever reaching the second stage.
Well, our gallons have 4.5 litres, while your gallons only have 3.8 litres. So it makes sense we have 10 more days in a year. ;) Btw, a year on Mars lasts 687 days, no joke. So you do less income tax returns over there ;)
RE: Connecting an inverter to a car battery for emergency use?
Hi Bernadette,
Yes, PSW inverters do require more DC side power and are less efficient than MSW.
One thing I noticed is that it seems this inverter requires a lot of power and didn't handle loads as smoothly as smaller MSW inverters. I may be wrong.
Is it possible that PSW inverters require more power than MSW due to the added electronics components?
Thanks for confirming my suspicion.
Btw, does anyone know if plugging an APC line voltage regulator like this one into a MSW inverter would result into a PSW? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Yes I know it is a bit wasteful in terms of energy consumed.
RE: Connecting an inverter to a car battery for emergency use?
all generaters in canada have neutral side 'bonded' to the ground lug of the recepticles
i suspect, the problem with the inverter is lack of bond, or RF noise on the power circuit
did you try having another load also plugged into the inverter and turned on
like maybe a 60w light bulb
I had the fridge running and then added the furnace and the fridge immediately stopped working. I don't know what happened with the inverter located in the garage as I was in the kitchen plugging the furnace through an extension cord into a power bar that was fed by the inverter.
Unfortunately I don't have this inverter anymore, so I won't be able to try your suggestion.
One thing I noticed is that it seems this inverter requires a lot of power and didn't handle loads as smoothly as smaller MSW inverters. I may be wrong.
Is it possible that PSW inverters require more power than MSW due to the added electronics components?
RE: Connecting an inverter to a car battery for emergency use?
Motomaster 1000 manual
I would ask Canadian Tire why it does not work... or return it.
I returned it and what I wrote above was the best guess CT come come up with. Thay are also baffle as to why it doesn't work.
Thanks for your help.
