What inverter should I buy to charge cell phones, computers, TV etc. in my TT. I have two 12V batteries. Also should I hard wire it to a switch and to a outlet?
The simplest solution for powering Li-ion battery chargers, laptop power supplies, and small TV's is a Radio Shack or similar Modified Sine Wave inverter plugged into a 12 volt cigarette lighter outlet. These can give you up to about 75 watts of 120 volt power, of a quality that is acceptable to most such devices.
The more expensive Pure Sine Wave inverters produce the "clean" AC power some devices need. They, and larger MSW inverters, are best hard wired with proper sized cables close to your coach batteries, then connected either to dedicated 120 volt outlets or switched into one or more existing 120 volt circuits. A search on this forum will turn up lots of discussion of such units and their installation.
I bought a 400W XPower digital power inverter from Camperworld that can either be hard wired or plugged into a cigarette lighter and can accommodate 2 plugs for about $70. Used it a few weeks ago on a trip from FL to Indiana then to NJ and back to Indiana to power my laptop and charge my cell phone. Works great as far as I can tell. Had tried one of the models that sit in a cup holder but it did not work.
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