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Post by rockfrawg on Aug 11, 2005 1:01:08 GMT -5
Power inverters might be something y'all might've thought about but never got around to....i always wanted one but was the same way, never got around to it until i got one for xmas one year. I love the shit outta having one. main thing i use it for is recharging my digital camera since the camera doesnt use traditional size batteries. other things i've used it for are powering a drill, sawzall to cut up firewood, other power tools, charging the electric shaver on the way to work....GREAT tool to have, especially on long wheeling weekends away from civilization. mine's only like 750watts but has been more than enough to power any power tools i've hooked up to it. you change how you pack for a trip when you've got one (took a coffee maker on one wheeling trip). another use i found when moving it from my Ford to the Tacoma is, if you run a decent size wire to it, you can jump off the sides to power an amplifier w/o having to run wires out to the battery twice keeping under hood wiring to a minimum.
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Post by DrumBum on Aug 11, 2005 1:21:43 GMT -5
yeah dude, i hardwired a 1500 watt one in my truck and built it into the center console i made, and it's awesome to have. works great for everything i've used it for... you can even get a 120v air compressor that will run off of em, and have it work a lot better than any 12v compressor for airing up after wheelin... great gadget to have
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Post by Hoodlum on Aug 17, 2005 11:02:12 GMT -5
yeah dude, i hardwired a 1500 watt one in my truck and built it into the center console i made, I would like to see some pics of this seems like a great idea  |
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Post by DrumBum on Aug 17, 2005 14:53:01 GMT -5
yeah, it worked out really well. it's a 1500 watt/3000 watt surge inverter that i picked up from costco for like, $85 i think it was, and i made the console out of 1/2" (i think) mdf board... first i mocked up what i wanted with cardboard and drove with it like that for a few days to make sure it was gonna be comfortable and work for me  then i used the cardboard for a template and for measurements and stuff and started cutting the mdf, kinda mocking it up as i went  you can see the inverter inside here...  i made the 'shelf' on the inside to be removable so i could get to the inverter without having to pull the console out. just take the stuff out of it and pull the shelf out  the inside all carpeted and stuff  layer of thin foam on the outside  coming together....  covered in vinyl... you can see i used some left over aluminum angle stock on the inside to give the 'shelf' something to rest on  the lid... i used 3/4" (i think) high density foam for the padding, it's worked out great so far  sittin' pretty  upside down, the bottom  in the truck   now we get to the inverter... sitting inside  the back  the switch and plug  solenoid  wiring to the battery  so here's how i wired it up. i used the switch/plug unit from home depot, it's a household switch. then i ran 12v from the battery to an inline fuse, through the switch, to the solenoid on the fender. and made up a pigtail to go from the outlet to one of the plugs in the inverter. then i ran 2gauge auto battery wire straight off the side posts of the battery, the negative straight to the inverter, and the positive through the solenoid to the inverter. they both run down along the frame and come up through the floor right to the inverter connections. so doing it this way, the inverter is completely hidden, and you just see the switch and the plug-in on the front of the console. so when i flip the switch, it engages the solenoid (which was made for lift gates and stuff... pretty heavy duty) and i get power to the inverter, and to the plug-in on the front of the console. works great! the only issue i've had is the inverter overheats after about 20 minutes. i installed some round vents in the sides of the console, but i think i'm gonna have to find some small 12v fans and stick em in there to keep it cool so, sorry for the long explanation and all the pictures (for you guys with dial-up connections) but there it is! |
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Post by 82yota on Aug 23, 2005 22:17:43 GMT -5
That console really looks great. I think im gonna have to get myself some nice seats like that and maybe make a console like that too. More storage. Now I'll have something to do when im at school. And the carpet in there looks pretty new too. Did you just put that in? I want my truck to look that nice inside some day. Its just gonna take some work and alot of time. And probably some trial and error too.
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Post by Hoodlum on Aug 24, 2005 10:03:24 GMT -5
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Post by DeadlyPeace on Aug 24, 2005 14:02:48 GMT -5
I've done a consoles in my past TOYS, but never went to the extent of the foam padding. Very nicely done. Looks like it could be straight from the factory. I think I may just have to do it to my current TOY when I get around to it. Got some floor mods and a few others to do first.
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Post by DrumBum on Aug 24, 2005 17:10:31 GMT -5
thanks for the compliments guys...
82yota, i put new carpet in about a year and a half ago, at the same time i put the seats in. i picked up leather bucket seats from a '98 Saturn, found some carpet i liked at a local carpet place, got some carpet pad along with it, and started ripping the old stuff out. all in all it came out really good.... i've got pictures if you want to see how it went in... anyway, thanks again, glad you guys like it!
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Post by larry073 on Jan 20, 2008 20:56:07 GMT -5
That is a pimp console. I couldnt do anything like that because i dont work well with lumber.
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[/glow]