Simple l2V to 230V Power Inverter--A mobile power outlet （1）

Published:2011/7/26 0:38:00 Author:Li xiao na From:SeekIC

Design by G. Gerards

The absence of a mains power outlet is often keenly felt on camping sites, with car repairs in the middle of nowhere and with picnic or party events in the countryside. In some cases, mains power can only be brought to a remote site by running a very long cable — which either dangerous, impossible or not available. Whatever the occasion, planned or unexpected, it is great to have a power inverter available capable of changing the 12-V car battery voltage into 230 volts AC.



The idea for a simple, portable ’power outlet’ was first suggested by a trainee at the Aixcom company, which is normally involved with high-tech power inverters and special high-current power supplies. The trainee, called Dirk, had been trying for quite some time to build a power inverter for his model aircraft club. In his enthusiastic attempts he ran into problems obtaining the special integrated circuit that was to form the heart of his project. When he was finally successful in obtaining the elusive chip, albeit at horrific costs, all the circuit did was produce a loud bang at switch-on, wrecking a lot of components.

The company decided to continue the design, and the result is presented here: a power inverter that was not only successfully reproduced by nearly all trainees at Aixcom, but also presented as a Christmas or anniversary gift to dad, used on a camping site and, last but not least, deployed in a (very loud) music parade. A beefed up version of 1,000 watts was developed and installed by Dirk at his model aircraft club, where it has performed beautifully for over a year despite rough conditions.

Concept

Arguably, the circuit represents the simplest way of creating a power outlet for on the road. In the design phase, the aim was a 100% bare bones circuit, stripped of anything that could be, well, stripped! For example, there’s no voltage regulation, and a sagging battery voltage also causes the ac output voltage to sag. However, because most mains powered equipment continues to work just fine in the face of ac voltage variations of ±10-15%, the mobile power outlet does so too. Rather than perfecting the design for performance, Aixcom went for simplicity, low component count and utter reliability in practical use. None the less, the 230-Vac output is short-circuit resistant and an under voltage protection switches the inverter off before the battery has been drained to level that would no longer allow the car to be started. The circuit is simple enough to be reproduced successfully by beginners, too, provided they realise that 230 Vac is a really dangerous voltage.

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