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Power & Energy
Forum DC inverter doesn't power on Playstation4 when car is running. Why?
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Related

DC inverter doesn't power on Playstation4 when car is running. Why?

iizeroxii
iizeroxii over 6 years ago

I have a dc inverter more than capable enough of powering the PlayStation 4. it works fine when the car is not running. When I start the car so the battery doesn't go flat the PS4 can't power on.

The vehicle is a Chrysler 300c 2013

the inverter is an Energizer 500W: https://www.energizerpower.com/product/en548/

Any idea as to why?

Would a capacitor/stiffening cap help?

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  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 6 years ago +5 suggested
    Hi Gavin, When the car is off the battery is a solid 12.6 volts and has a very low internal resistance so hooking up the inverter does not cause the voltage to drop much. When the car is running the alternator…
  • Gough Lui
    Gough Lui over 6 years ago +5 suggested
    As a rule of thumb, you should not have anything attached to the lighter socket during cranking. It's a bad idea since the transient from the starter motor can result in much lower and higher voltages…
  • iizeroxii
    iizeroxii over 6 years ago +4 suggested
    Ok so I found the problem. While the inverter was fine for the job. I agree that it should not be used while turning the engine. That was not the problem. The problem was that it doesn't work when the…
Parents
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 6 years ago

    Hi Gavin,

    When the car is off the battery is a solid 12.6 volts and has a very low internal resistance so hooking up the inverter does not cause the voltage to drop much. When the car is running the alternator brings the voltage up to 13.6 volts or more for the newer batteries. When you hookup or turn on the inverter it demands a solid voltage but because of the current demand and the higher internal resistance of the alternator the voltage spikes low probably from 13.6V to 12.6V over the period of a few milliseconds. Since the inverter senses that it does not have a solid source of current it goes into protection mode and doesn't turn on. I had the same situation the other night when I was trying to test a UPC with my bench power supply. Even though my supply can deliver more than 250 Watts at 12 volts I could not get the inverter to start until I put a 12 volt battery across it. I can not be 100% certain of this diagnosis but it matches well with my bench experiences with the UPCs.

    John

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  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 6 years ago

    Hi Gavin,

    When the car is off the battery is a solid 12.6 volts and has a very low internal resistance so hooking up the inverter does not cause the voltage to drop much. When the car is running the alternator brings the voltage up to 13.6 volts or more for the newer batteries. When you hookup or turn on the inverter it demands a solid voltage but because of the current demand and the higher internal resistance of the alternator the voltage spikes low probably from 13.6V to 12.6V over the period of a few milliseconds. Since the inverter senses that it does not have a solid source of current it goes into protection mode and doesn't turn on. I had the same situation the other night when I was trying to test a UPC with my bench power supply. Even though my supply can deliver more than 250 Watts at 12 volts I could not get the inverter to start until I put a 12 volt battery across it. I can not be 100% certain of this diagnosis but it matches well with my bench experiences with the UPCs.

    John

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