12v power inverter

[Anonymous user]

hello folks i hope all is well.

  here is my dilemma.

i wanted to use this upc (BX1300G) in my semi so i can play my ps4 while i am on the road. i have a 12v power inverter that supplies me with 100 watts @ 110v, but the unit will not go into charging mode.  my thinking is that i could charge upc while playing ps4 as it would maintain constant voltage ps4 needs. such as a in a "brown out". i guess my question would be why will this combination work? and how will i get "something" to work as i need it? 

my inverter does not power up ps4 by itself unless my truck is idling, and since weather has gotten colder it will not idle, conserve fuel settings by company.

12vdc battery >12v inverter (100w@110v) > upc (BX1300g) > ps4

thanks, michael

[Anonymous user]

nothing?

[voidstar_apc]

The wikipedia page on the PS4 seems to indicate the PS4 is rated at 250W max, although uses 80-140W in practice. The upper end of that range exceeds the limits of your inverter which I assume is based on the current rating of the circuit its on. While the UPS could provide this power while on battery, runtime would be limited and the service life of the battery shortened by repeated discharges. Yes, boost and trim can adjust the voltage but that is sort of like a transmission trading off torque and RPMs -- it doesn't give you more horsepower / wattage.

[Terry_Kennedy_apc]

Taking the PS4 out of the equation, most small inverters / generators are not stable enough to convince a UPS to go online and stay there. Either the UPS will refuse to accept the supplied power or it will accept it and start using it, at which point the input voltage / frequency / waveform drops out of range and the UPS goes back on battery.

I think you would be better served by a separate deep cycle 12V battery (like an Optima BlueTop) and an inverter large enough to power the PS4 directly. If it is your rig, you could wire that battery up to charge in parallel when the truck is running and have a disconnect to isolate it when using it to run your PS4. If you're just the operator, you'd need to charge the battery before leaving.

For what it sounds like you're doing, having a UPS in the middle just makes things more complicated.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for reply

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Yeah after I considered it more it seems logical. I just thought inverter would be able to run and charge apc. 

Thanks for suggestion on battery