http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93096
I saw this in the local HF store and thought it looked like a pretty fun toy. I've seen these combination inverter/chargers designed to run your whole house, marketed to the off-the-grid folks for major bucks, but never one this small or cheap. On the side you can't see in the picture, it has both a 120 VAC input and screw terminals for a 12V battery. So, hook up a couple of old car batteries in parallel, and you have a UPS that will last a lot longer when the power goes out than your typical OfficeMax model, correct? I wonder what would happen if you combined this with the little solar panels and matching charge controller that HF also sells. In other words, hook both the inverter/charger and the solar charge controller directly to the battery's terminals. It'd be great if the sun would charge the batteries and the inverter so the latter runs off DC power most of the time, but when the sun goes down, the charger side takes over and starts pulling AC to recharge the batteries and directly power whatever you have connected to the AC outlets. Wonder if the control circuitry is that smart or if I'd just be asking to blow up the batteries and burn the house down? Alex _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
