Car charging with a power inverter question.

Question

So i have this power inverter that says 200w continuous/ 400w peak power.
its from QuantumFX PWR80
input voltage 12V DC
output voltage 110+/- 10V AC
USB output 5V DC (max 1000mA)
Continus output 200W
peak output 400w
output freq. 60+/- hz
low volt. protection 9.2-9.8V DC
over volt. protection15-16.5V DC
overload Protection >240W
I have the newest macbook pro 15" 2.2 ghz qua core i7
will this work fine with my mac? or is eit too much power or too little idk haha please help a fellow mac user.

Answer 1

I use inverters extensively and have found that getting a good inverter is not that easy; here are some issues to think about:
1. you need to have an inverter that supplies enough continuous power (not just peaking power) to your device.  So if you have a 17" MacBook Pro, like I have, you need an inverter that continuously supplies at least 85 watts of power.  One that only supplies more than 85 watts peak power is not good enough.
2. you need to have an inverter that is large enough in size to dissipate energy efficiently.  Some inverters that theoretically supply enough continuous power still heat up, and then go into an off/on cycle to keep the temperature down.  Trouble is, every time the inverter cycles off, the computer screen dims; which is really annoying.
3. many of the smaller inverters use a fan to keep them cool.  Trouble is, most of the fans are noisy- which is also annoying.  Also, when the fan turns on, they draw more current, which causes the power to vary, which may affect your screen brightness.
4. inverters should have a cord- otherwise, they are sometimes difficult to stick into a cigarette lighter plug.
I have not found a really good inverter yet- if someone does, please let me know.  A good inverter would have the following characteristics:
1. provides enough continuous power to keep the computer charged and running.
2. dissipates energy efficiently with metal fins so that it doesn't need to go into an on/off cycle to keep the temperature low enough.  If the inverter must go into an on/off cycle, your computer screen will dim every time the inverter is off- which is distracting.
3. doesn't have a noisy fan that also draws power and cycles on/off, and therefore is also distracting.
4. has a high efficiency (you should buy one with at least 85% efficiency; most of them do).
5. has a cord, as opposed to a rigid plug that is pushed into your cigarette lighter.
6. is as small in size as possible, and as inexpensive as possible- but without compromising the basic need to supply continuous, steady power without having the screen dim or building up too much heat.
There are two basic types of inverters: ones that supply pure sine wave power, and ones that supply modified sine wave power.  The pure sine wave inverters supply "smoother" power (more steady voltage)- but are much more expensive, and, I understand, not needed for powering computers.