Power Inverter ? for Battery Break-In

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e-doggies
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Power Inverter ? for Battery Break-In

I'm about to plunk-down a few bills for 4 new 20Ah SLA's. I'm going to "condition" them before I take the first ride. I've read about using the 1157 automotive brake light bulbs to get about 2 amps.

Has anyone used a power inverter to provide the load? I have a Vector 800W inverter that has an LED display showing voltage (in), and watts (out). If the display reads 240W, at 120V, that's 2 amps of output. Does that mean I will be also pulling those 2 amps from my 12V battery?

I try to learn something every day. Sometimes, searches don't provide the answer, and I'm hoping someone here will confirm if I'm on the right track, or set me straight.

Appreciate all your responses. Harlow

andrew
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Re: Power Inverter ? for Battery Break-In

power (in watts) = voltage * current.

This should be more than 20 amps at 12v input. The inverter will not run 100% efficient so it will probably be a bit more than 20 amps. The inverter can't create power.

I would get a cheap $6 light dimmer. That can be used with a light bulb to get pretty close to the exact load you need. Use a digital multimeter to measure the current from the battery, and slowly crank the light dimmer higher.

Please be careful when working with a 120v circuit. Never do any wiring while it is energized.

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Pic from http://www.electri

e-doggies
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Re: Power Inverter ? for Battery Break-In

Thanks Andrew. I think I had a moment of clarity AFTER I posted my question. If I'm putting 12V, 2A (24W)in, how did I think I was going to get 240W out? I wish there was a machine like that.

I actually already have a dimmer/outlet mounted in a square electrical work box on a grounded extension cord. Should be able to fine-tune if I can figure out where to connect my DMM.

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