12v vacuum cleaner

Frank you would be better off running a mains powered small vac powered through an inverter. First of all there are many more of them made so the price is lower per unit. When you need a replacement there is more choice and retail outlets.

You do not need a huge battery. Run your vehicle engine to charge ther battery while the inverter is powering the vac.

This is one place where its best to buy a consumer product that really sucks. The 12V devices don’t hack it. )))

300 – 600 watt inverter is what I had in mind. There are a few cordless models available that also work well. They are better than the 12V models. I had both kinds so a personal comparison was possible. Best of all the cordless models can be recharged from mains or inverter. Good luck!

Hey I purchased a cobra 800 one on amazon for $47 with free shipping. it has two sockets and one usb which is a gift. It is quiet and small too. I ran wire from the battery and it works like a charm.

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Cobra-CPI-880-Inverter-output/dp/B001TE0IMG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344613037&sr=8-1&keywords=cobra+inverter

For the record USB power is 5V not 12V locally I have found adaptors that stick into a cigarette lighter socket and has a USB socket on the front. New retail price is $15. Last week I picked up a travel mug at the second hand store which contained a heater. Closer examination revealed the cigarette plug was actually an adaptor with a USB socket in the end.

For those who like to do their own thing. Do not connect LED lighting directly to your 12V battery. The normal charge / discharge cycling result in voltage swings that will shorten the life of the LED lights considerably. You need a regulated power supply. Every desk top computer has a bolt in box you can adapt as a great power supply. Most of these desk top power supplys are around 250 – 300 watts, so a 500 – 600 watt inverter will drive them.

The benefit being a computer supply will provide a rock steady ripple free source of both 5V and 12V at better than 10 Amps

I just cannibalized one supply that listed the 12V at 14A and the 5V at 22 amps. Just perfect for many projects.

Incidentally the bargain stores have many versions of low cost battery powered LED lights all of which use 3 batteries. 3X 1.5V = 4.5 volts so these lights will run on the 5V supply used in a desktop computer.

Considering how many computers are being junked and replaced with laptops there must be a whole lot of perfectly good power supplies you can salvage from the dumpster. Sounds like an opportunity for a DIY person to relight their place with low cost bargain store LED lights powered by a repurposed computer power supply giving stable regulated voltage.

After blowing the fuse in a friends car by plugging in my laptop I discovered that the normal automotive standard for cigarette lighter outlets was 8 Amps max I took a look at the whole issue. As a marine electrician I must have installed dozen and dozens of such lighter outlets in boats but always wired them with fuses and wire gauge to handle 15 amps. The damn things are an anachronism dating back to WW2 when it was considered cool to light up while cruising down the road in your Studz Bearcat convertible looking like some Hollywood jerk in the movies.

BTW crocodile clips are not really suited for lots of amps, they are just convenient. There is insufficient contact area for a solid connection to carry all that current. When I worked for Xantrex we included a note in our product manual to cut off the cig plug and hard wire even our 300 watt product. the reason being at 300 watts @12V the DC current is 30 amps. The only reason we made small inverters with a cigarette plug was because a major retailer demanded these be included as a condition of them buying the small inverters by the truck load.

If you need plug-in convenience look for something called Anderson connectors. They make plugs rated as much as 200 amps DC and I have used them on 2000 watt inverters.

For an over view of what is available in small dimension connectors look at companies like MOLEX industrial catalog then find an electronics resale outlet who can order in small quantities. In North America Digikey is an excellent source but I am not familiar with UK retailers.

Sometimes you can improvise by cannibalizing old computers most of the connectors and pins used are good for 10A at 12V

Now that even older models of computers found in the rubbish bin have USB ports you can often find wire assemblies with A suitable USB socket suitable for other projects. Look for desk top computes having USB sockets in front panels. these invariably plug into the mother board with a wire harness. If you intend to carry a full 10A best upgrade the wire size. A normal USB current rating is under 1 amps. Wires used in computers may be as small as #22 or the metric equivalent. The wires coming out of most power supplies are #18 and can carry 10A.