Interior power supply/cigarette lighter and using a power inverter

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bonelessbeef

New member
Joined
Aug 9, 2017
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I just picked up a 2017 Leaf S and tried two types of power inverters, the last one being this,

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpower-160w-power-inverter-black/9037029.p?skuId=9037029

Neither would provide any power. However I also noticed that any cig lighter USB charger I tried would not work either. None also worked in my 2015 Leaf SL either when tested, but a dashcam did work on the SL car prior. Is there a way I could have blown a fuse on the SL and could the power supply not worked at all on my new Leaf S? Or is there something going on with the power supply on all Leafs?
 
The rated current of the power socket is only 10 amperes (120 watts at 12 volts). The Best Buy inverter is rated 100 watts continuous and 160 watts maximum. Therefore, the maximum rating exceeds the socket rating. This means there is a good chance that the inverter blew a fuse or damaged the socket. Wiring diagrams that I have for both 2011 and 2015 Leafs show a 20 ampere supply fuse for the circuit feeding the power socket and what appears to be a non-removable internal fuse in the ground side of the power socket. There is no information about the power socket except that it is rated at 10 amperes so it is not clear whether or not there is an internal fuse or fuse link, but the wiring diagrams both show something that looks like a fuse inside the symbol for the socket. Many of the USB power supplies presently on the market are not fused so an internal failure will blow the supply fuse for the power socket or damage the vehicle wiring. This means the USB power supply you tried could also have been what caused the failures.
 
GerryAZ said:
The rated current of the power socket is only 10 amperes (120 watts at 12 volts). The Best Buy inverter is rated 100 watts continuous and 160 watts maximum. Therefore, the maximum rating exceeds the socket rating. This means there is a good chance that the inverter blew a fuse or damaged the socket. Wiring diagrams that I have for both 2011 and 2015 Leafs show a 20 ampere supply fuse for the circuit feeding the power socket and what appears to be a non-removable internal fuse in the ground side of the power socket. There is no information about the power socket except that it is rated at 10 amperes so it is not clear whether or not there is an internal fuse or fuse link, but the wiring diagrams both show something that looks like a fuse inside the symbol for the socket. Many of the USB power supplies presently on the market are not fused so an internal failure will blow the supply fuse for the power socket or damage the vehicle wiring. This means the USB power supply you tried could also have been what caused the failures.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Is this something that I would have to take to a dealer to fix then?

Would something like this be more correct?

https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Power-Inverter-110V-Ports/dp/B003Q54V88/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1502478301&sr=8-9&keywords=car+inverter

I'm not trying to power anything ridiculous, maybe my laptop or quickcharge my phone with it's AC adapter instead of USB. And a dashcam.
 
In my experience, anything less than 250W continuous isn't very useful. Also, I would spring for a pure sine wave inverter if you intend to use it with electronics.

A multi tester or volt meter would quickly confirm if the cigarette lighter outlet still works. Should get 12V between the central terminal and ground. Check the fuse if you're getting zero volts.

For more powerful inverters, don't use the cigarette lighter outlet, you need to connect to the 12V battery using the included cables.
 
That 75 W inverter would be OK for charging small electronics. Check the power supply rating of your laptop. Some are only 75 W, but most are higher than that. Although sine wave inverters are better (and more expensive), I have never had an issue using "modified sine wave" (actually stair-stepped square wave) inverters with electronics or other loads provided they are used within equipment ratings. You could use the 100 W Best Buy inverter as long as you are careful to never plug in anything that exceeds 100 W. That being said, I will probably never buy a new inverter that does not provide a sine wave output. The prices of quality sine wave inverters are much lower now than they were a few years ago.

After seeing a coworker's defective cellular phone charger cause failure of power sockets in two office vehicles, I will not plug anything in that does not have its own fuse sized lower than the vehicle manufacturer's rating of the socket. Unfortunately, most of the readily available USB power supplies are not protected by their own internal fuses so a failure of the electronics will blow the vehicle fuse, destroy the socket, or burn wiring. If I must use a device that is not protected by its own fuse, I use a 12-volt extension cable that has a fuse in its plug (and make sure the fuse is rated lower than the socket rating). As Alozzy noted, more powerful inverters need to be connected directly to the battery (with proper overload and short circuit protection).

As Alozzy said, you can check the socket with a meter. I suspect you will find that the 20-ampere fuses are OK and the sockets have failed on both Leafs.
 
Regarding sine vs square wave inverters: if the device plugs directly into 120 volts with a standard AC power cord, it may be better to use a sine wave inverter. If it uses a "wall wart" transformer, then it likely won't be affected by the square waves in the cheaper inverters, because what actually powers the device is usually low voltage DC from the transformer.
 
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