DC And AC Power System tests.

[pushx]

A while back I talked about building a power system for my classic 1989 chinook to better handle my modern electronics needs. I've been working on this for a while, with a number of variations of equipment trying to find the right pieces. I've done a lot of other projects while working on this one as well. But one of my questions of building this system was 'was it worth it?'. Maybe I could just plug my laptop into an inverter and that would be 'good enough'. I recorded my work in progress and ran a couple short tests:

https://youtu.be/yVs1DqwV7vo

[Scott]

Cool experiment! Good info. Thanks for posting it. My 2000w inverter draws only 5-6 watts in standby (like yours), but then as you've explained, you have more conversion loss in the brick. To be able to go directly DC to your PC is pretty slick, although in the grand scheme, I don't see it making an enormous difference if you're just charging your PC now-and-again. But since you have only one house battery and no solar (correct?), I can see why you want to be ultra frugal.

As an aside, I would seriously consider getting solar (even if only a small system). You're in AZ after all!!!! It would be a breeze for you to install since you clearly know your stuff, and it's cheap. You'd get a lot more usability.

[pushx]

Thanks for the reply! Very interesting that you don't see much difference in draw from your beefy inverter! And yes, the idea was to experiment with direct DC power, and cut out the AC middleman. And perhaps some day I will get a solar install. I think my electrical knowledge is definitely getting better, and I think I could probably get a couple panels and put em on the roof...but i've got a lot of other projects before I even get to that point!

Thanks again!