Comparison BASEUS In-Car Inverter 150W CN/EU vs Power Plant HYM300-122

The method of connecting the auto-inverter to the on-board network or car battery.

— In the cigarette lighter. Connection to a standard car socket DC 12V; traditionally, the role of such an outlet is played by the cigarette lighter socket (hence the name), but many newer cars also have a separate socket. This option is the most convenient — after all, plugging the plug into the socket is much easier than pulling cables from the battery to the inverter installation site. On the other hand, it is only suitable for models with a rated output power (see below) up to 300 watts — high power creates extra loads on the on-board network and can lead to overheating and damage to the wiring.

— Crocodiles (to the battery). Connection directly to the battery using cables with alligator clips. By itself, a direct connection to the battery allows you to create quite powerful devices — the 300 W limit, typical for power from the cigarette lighter (see above), does not apply here. However, it is believed that alligator clips provide a less dense and reliable connection than cables (see below), and are less suitable for high currents. Therefore, the rated power of such inverters usually does not exceed 1500 W. On the other hand, such a connection is more convenient for quickly connecting and disconnecting the inverter.

— Cable (to the battery). Connection di...rectly to the battery using cables with flat terminals, which are clamped into the battery terminals when connected. This design provides a tighter contact than the "crocodiles" described above, but is less convenient when connecting and disconnecting the inverter. It is typical for high power inverters.

— In the cigarette lighter / crocodiles. Universal models that allow connection both through the cigarette lighter socket and directly to the battery using crocodile clips. The technical features of both connection options are described above. Here we note that the rated output power of such inverters can exceed 300 W; in such cases, when operating from the cigarette lighter, care must be taken not to connect a load of more than 300 W to the device.

The total power supplied by the autoinverter in normal operation. In other words, this parameter can be described as the highest rated power of the connected load, at which the device is able to work without failures and overloads for a long time (comparable to the discharge time of the battery used for power).

Accordingly, when choosing according to the rated output power, it is worth proceeding from the energy consumption of the intended load. At the same time, it is worth choosing an inverter with a margin of 15-20% — for example, for a laptop with a consumption of 150 W, a device with at least 175 W is recommended. This is due not only to overload protection, but also to the fact that many inverters are able to deliver the claimed power only when the battery is fully charged, and as this charge is exhausted, it decreases.

It is also worth considering that some devices, such as car refrigerators or household vacuum cleaners, consume significantly more energy when starting up than during normal operation. Therefore, when choosing an inverter for such devices, it is worth focus not only on the rated, but also on the peak power — the power that the auto-inverter is capable of delivering without consequences within a few seconds.

The highest total power supply (peak) that the autoinverter can deliver to the load for a relatively short time is 2-3 s. Usually, this power is higher than the nominal one (see above) by 30-50%. At the same time, if you choose an inverter for maximum power, the same rules apply as for the nominal one — the device performance should be 15-20% higher than the total power of the connected load. And to work with devices that consume a large amount of energy at startup (vacuum cleaners, power tools, etc.), it is also worth specifying the peak power of the inverter — it should not be lower than the "starting" load power.

Efficiency of the autoinverter.

Efficiency is the ratio (in percent) between the amount of energy that the device delivers to the load and the amount that it consumes from the vehicle's on-board network. Accordingly, the higher this indicator, the more efficient the work and the less loss during conversion. In fact, this means that, other things being equal, a device with a higher efficiency will allow the load to run longer on battery power; this is especially important at high power consumption.

In modern auto inverters, efficiency values of 80 – 85% are considered average, 90% or more are good.

The number of standard sockets for 230 V provided in the design of the auto-inverter.

The more outlets, the more electrical appliances can be connected to the inverter at the same time. At the same time, the specifics of using automotive converters is such that they rarely have to be used for several devices at once. In addition, simultaneous connection requires appropriate power (see "Rated output power"), and the sockets themselves also significantly affect the dimensions. Therefore, most often in modern models one outlet is used — this, usually, is enough. However, high-end powerful inverters can have two outlets.

USB type C ports are smaller in size compared to classic USB A, and they also have a convenient double-sided design that allows you to connect the plug to either side. The interface is designed in such a way that it can implement various advanced features: increased power supply, fast charging technologies, etc. As a rule, the total number of USB type C on board auto-inverters is limited to one port.

The presence in the auto inverter of the low battery alert function to which the device is connected.

This function significantly reduces the risk of “landing” the car battery through the use of an inverter and at the same time eliminates the need to manually monitor the battery status. The alarm, usually, reacts to the voltage at the input: with a significant decrease, indicating a deep discharge, the device gives a warning signal. Many models also have the function of automatic shutdown some time after the alert is triggered (by timer or when the voltage drops to the maximum allowable). The sensitivity threshold is usually adjusted in such a way that after the alarm is triggered and the inverter is turned off, the battery is still able to start the car engine.

Protection systems provided in the design of the autoinverter.

— Against short circuit. A short circuit occurs due to a sharp drop in load resistance to very small values (for example, due to insulation breakdown or circuit contamination in a device connected to an autoinverter). As a result, the current increases critically, which can lead to damage to both the load and the inverter itself, and even fire and injury. This protection prevents such consequences by turning off the power in the event of a short circuit.

— From overheating. Protection against critical temperature increase of the autoinverter: when heated, the system turns off the device, preventing damage and other undesirable consequences. Note that overheating is not necessarily a sign of a problem — it can also occur during prolonged operation in normal mode (which does not negate the need to turn it off to avoid trouble).

— From overload. Overloads occur when the power consumption of the connected device(s) exceeds the output power of the auto inverter (see above). Such situations lead to work in emergency modes, which is fraught with breakdowns and even fires. Some of the consequences of such situations can be handled by other protection systems (for example, the overheating protection described above), but in this case it is easier to prevent the cause than to deal with th...e consequences.

— From incorrect connection. A system that protects the auto-inverter from connecting with the wrong polarity: detecting a mismatch between “plus” and “minus”, the protection turns off the device, preventing breakdowns and other troubles. This function is found only in models connected directly to the battery (see above) — it is impossible to reverse the polarity when plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

The presence of its own display in the design of the auto-inverter.

The display allows you to display various additional information: input and output voltage, load power consumption, battery status, malfunction messages, etc. In modern auto-inverters, usually, the simplest monochrome LCD screens are used — they are inexpensive, and their capabilities are quite enough for the information described.