Mamooguy

You know what I'm talking about ... those dealies that plug into the ciggy lighter and let you plug in electrical devices like laptops or whatever while the car's running.

Are they safe to use? Or do I risk overloading the alternator?

I'm taking a long road trip this weekend and the girlfriend might like the ability to use her laptop to do some work.

m73m95

I use them all the time. They work great. I have a couple small ones I use in the cars. I run radios, charge cordless tool batterys....anything under 100 watts

I also have a 24v to 110v ... 3500 watt one in my crane to run a window AC unit. Never had any trouble.

white924s

works fine for most small electronics (laptop, cell phone charger, soldering iron, etc)...I had one that I used for a number of things (including driveway car stereo installs) before I lost it in a move a year ago...

544DRS

When I was thinking about redoing my 944, I thought about repurposing the cigarette lighter wiring to run an inverter full-time. I've since abandoned that idea, because I don't need to run a laptop while I'm moving, but I wonder if that idea would still be okay for others?

Nick

white924s

sure...its just a +12V power line and ground. Wal mart sells some inverters that you can permanently (or semi-permanently) install in your car too. they work great for most applications (tv, ps2, dvd player) but don't try to power an electric generator with one (long story, but i've seen someone try and fail spectacularly)

Mamooguy

Groovy! Thanks for the tips, guys!

m73m95

Most are listed by the Max wattage they can handle, usually for only a few seconds. Make sure anything you want to use doesn't exceed the rated "use" wattage (usually about half of the max wattage)