120 Volt Outlet

For anyone considering it, I finished my 120 Volt outlet mod. It uses an 800 watt inverter that is directly connected to the accessory battery. The inverter is small and quiet (I had to try three different ones beofre I found one quiet enough). I then popped out the outlet, switch and indicator lights and installed in the area under the shift knob (by the 12 volt accessory outlet).

The switch turns it on and off. The green light indicates that it is on, and the red light indicates an overload. The unit is tucked behind this area.

See picture for finished look.

Very nice looking mod!

Which inverter did you use? I was worried about an inverter that size. The warning materials seemed to say keep inverter below 150 watts.

Very nice!

Did you run a lead all the way back to the accessory battery, or tap in somewhere close to your install location?

Beautifully done!

I have a few questions:

1. What inverter did you use?
2. Where did you make the connection to the 12v battery?
3. Did you add a new fuse or is there a breaker built into the inverter (what triggers the light)?
4. How did you make the cuts into the panel (for installing the 120v plug, switch and lights?
5. Is everything set right behind the panel?
6. Do you have pictures of the installation or the original inverter?

Nice!!!!

I'll second everyone's opinions - very well done.

Now, adding to the questions:

Where did you get the meat outlet?
Can you kindly explain how you took that console apart?
Was there alot of room back there? Did you take any more pics?

Thanks!

I think that limit applies to inverters that you plug into the lighter socket. There should be a 10A fuse in there, which would limit you to 120W.

That is one fine piece of work! I mean that in a very positive way. Beautiful and artistic job.

Huh, I didn't think there would be this much feedback about it. I'l post more detailed information about it when I get a chance.

Please do. I was thinking about doing the exact same thing. I'd love to hear about how you did it...

You did some very nice work!
Bryan

Are you kidding?!! It's a beautiful job. I was just expectng to stick an inverter in the cargo area or beneath a seat. I now have new plans.

One more question: Did you go with a pure or modified sine wave inverter?

Thanks.

another fantastic mod hawkmoon! thanks for sharing and i'm definitely looking forward to more details as you have time to share

Very nice and looking forward to the details as I use an inverter now but would love to do a permanent install like this!

Also, what are your plans? Like a coffeemaker? Toaster oven? I'll stop there.

How much of a drain is it on the battery?

When I saw that the Fusion Hybrid had a 120V outlet, I thought it was a great idea. With it you wouldn't need a separate car charger for cell phone, laptop, DVD player, or BeerTender. In an emergency, you can even power part of your house (you might need to go to 1KW though). The ICE will just run to keep the aux battery charged as needed, which is why it is perfect for a hybrid.

Note on the inverter. I bought this:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-PI-400-Instant-Power-Inverter/dp/B000CRO4FI]Amazon.com: Schumacher PI-400 Instant Power DC to AC Power Inverter - 400 Watts: Automotive[/ame]

It is a 400 watt continuous/ 800 watt peak inverter. In my last car, I installed a 100 watt, which was fine for most things, but I did go through 3 fuses in 6 years, so I stepped it up a bit.

I bought this one for the follwoing reasons:

1. Small size for it's power delivery makes it easier to tuck away.
2. Nearly silent fan - this was a dealbreaker for me with another inverter I tried and later returned.
3. Metal case allows for better heat dissapation.
4. Reasonable cost. I paid 40 bucks at a local automotive store.
5. It also included overload protection which should help prevent blown fuses.

It is not a full sine wave, but I mostly plug in DC power supplies anyway.

Why build it in? First off, I hate the old standard. It was based around a cigar lighter form factor. It's bulky, a hack, and I hate seeing modern devices still using it. I also hate having two of every power supply and charger (at-home chargers and in-car chargers). All of my chargers are 120 volt. It limits the amount of wires and stuff I need to have and look at - which was the point of building it in. It bugs me seeing an inverter plugged into a cigar lighter, and then seeing a charger plugged into that, and then seeing my phone plugged into that. This is just a bit cleaner.

It is connected directly to the battery, and has no power drain unless the switch is on (at least none that i could detect with my multimeter). The green light indicates that it is on - helping to prevent me from leaving it on by accident. If this was a big concern, I would have connected a relay right to the neighboring accessory power supply which would have triggered the devices power. Of course, the power switch would ground out the relay, so there would be no phantom power drains - meaning that if the switch was off, not event he relay would be charged. I can explain this further if anyone needs an explaination.

If the switch is on, and there is nothing plugged into it, well... I once forgot it on in my old car for nearly week. No problems. It is nothing more than a single LED. If a device is plugged in when the car is not running, well, that's one of the reasons for connecting it right to the battery in the first place. The battery can supply enough for my needs. I have, for example, left my phone charging while I went shopping for a few hours. I have NOT tried operating a toaster oven with the car off.

As for the how I did it, I'll give some general advice until I get some pictures up.

1. One wire was run to the battery - not as hard as i first thought.
2. The inverter was modded. I opened it up and attached longer wires to the switch, LED's, and power outlets, soldering them right into the board (I do not recommend this as there is an easier way to get this look. I'll talk more about that later). These wires then went to a 9 pin wire harness right behind the faceplate.
3. The inverter is just to the right of the accelerator - more space and better airflow.
5. The best was to cut the slots is actually with a sharp utility knife. It cut through the thin plastic very cleanly.

Hawk,

Thanks for the info - where did you get the power outlet? Also, where did you pull/route the wire through the firewall?

TIA

No need to go through the firewall. I used the outlet that came with the inverter, although many places sell the same type of outlet for 1 to 2 bucks.

hawkmoon,

How did you get that panel off? I was playing with it today, but I couldn't figure it out.