12v to 220v inverter

[pons_sport]

Hi, I would like to intall 12v dc to 220v ac inverter using the leisure battery and the oem outlet installed in the kitchen. Anyone have done this modification?

 

[alain001]

Same idea here. Any suggestions?

 

[Carol]

Sounds very interesting .l like tis idea

 

[alain001]

Yeah, that's a great feature of the California. That one does have two leisure batteries though

 

[Method7]

Inverters are pretty inefficient, I have experience of a flattened battery on several vehicles just by charging camera batteries overnight. Maybe high quality inverters are better but I would check the stats before taking the plunge.

 

[ianwoolner]

this is a great topic, i bought a 200w solar panel system but still cant get 240v from the 240v socket - all advice welcome, thanks folks, and hopefully we can get to enjoy our amazing MP's in 2021

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Here is an interesting video describing inverters and the myriad different types...seems like a fair bit of investigation required before leaping in.

 

[ianwoolner]

Here is an interesting video describing inverters and the myriad different types...seems like a fair bit of investigation required before leaping in.

thanks GT!

 

[Apojapo]

this is a great topic, i bought a 200w solar panel system but still cant get 240v from the 240v socket - all advice welcome, thanks folks, and hopefully we can get to enjoy our amazing MP's in 2021

Hey Ian, did you already manage to find a solution for this? Would be great to hear your experience, I'm currently looking at a solution myself.

 

[Method7]

I may be wrong since I have a horizon and I’m no electrician but I understood that the OEM 240v supply only works when plugged in. When you think about it 12 x 20 = 240 so to get 240 volts your going to need 20 batteries or at best, if the inverter is 100% efficient your battery is going to offer about 5% of its potential. I think your going to have to tow a entire solar farm to make that work.

 

[Epigram]

Method7 is right the 230v internal power socket only works when connected to an external mains supply. It will trip at 13amps and 30mA earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB)..

Connection to external mains will also charge both batteries via the ELCB. A common pitfall (been there done that!) is to knock the self test button on the ELCB which will result in the batteries not being topped up when the.even though the vehicle is hooked up.

(Refer to the online guide under Marco Polo Electrical Supply)

Without getting too hung up on the detail the video is relating to convering from scratch whereas you have to take account of what is already installed in the MP. and changing its wiring. Changing the existing wiring will be a minefield. Mercedes issues apart, you will be altering a 230 volts circuit. IMO the installation would need to comply with Wiring Regulations and be certified by a qualified electrician.

Running high consumption 230v mains items such as kettles and coffee machines via an inverter connected to the 12 volt the auxiliary battery when off grid will drain it very quickly. The 12 volt sockets are rated at 15 amps so the auxilliary battery is probably not going to be happy putting out more than say 10 amps.(120 watts) which is enough for a small portable inverter to charge a laptop supply but not much else.

There are some good freestanding lithium 230v power packs that people on this forum have recommended but they are not cheap.

With the fridge on 3 and sensible use of lights you are generally good for three possibly four days off grid.

If you want longer and are not moving and/or you don’t have access to 230 volt mains to top up the auxiliary battery Solar Camper Conversions do a very good solar panel kit that requires minimal changes to the vehicle.

As an aside has anyone on this forum come across the electrical wiring/circuit diagram for the Marco Polo?

 

[ianwoolner]

Hey Ian, did you already manage to find a solution for this? Would be great to hear your experience, I'm currently looking at a solution myself.

Hi @Apojapo, Hi folks, so sorry for the delay, been a bit manic at work. So I fitted two solar panels from https://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk - really helpful chap, panels are working really well. My need for 240v is really only laptops. I am now looking at taking a fused connection from the aux battery but nothing heavy at all. If the community are interested. Also there is a great route for running the cable from the Solar Panel into the MP via the back light. Then! bought a Gibe Bus Tent, I have two say, its brilliant! it takes 5 mins to inflate with the manual pump. I hope everyone is able to start getting away and enjoying our lovely MPs! - We went to West Wittering today, parking for weekdays is only £2.00 but you need to do it via Just Park - do not pay anymore for weekday, weekends is £7.00 or £8.00. - Oh! last one, we added a CampLux Hot shower by removing the shower head from the Westfalia shower hose, so we now have a hot shower or just hot water. Sorry for the download but we cherish the MP and its been great to add tho water, solar, inflatable drive away awning etc.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Great Update!! Have fun in the sun

 

[Method7]

Most new laptops will charge via USB’c it’s probably worth considering getting a decent quality 12v adapter rather than using the 240v mains adapter.

 

[ianwoolner]

thats a good shout!

 

[Ronn]

Hi there. I'm a new member. I bought a MP (2015) a few months ago. We love it!
I want to charge my laptop while not having external electricity and no solar panels.
It's just for working a day when on holiday.
I have a converter 12 - 220 V, but it should be connected in a cigarette lighter box. And they don't work with the engine off.
Anyone any ideas?

 

[Method7]

Hi there. I'm a new member. I bought a MP (2015) a few months ago. We love it!
I want to charge my laptop while not having external electricity and no solar panels.
It's just for working a day when on holiday.
I have a converter 12 - 220 V, but it should be connected in a cigarette lighter box. And they don't work with the engine off.
Anyone any ideas?

Inverters are terribly inefficient you could well flatten your battery using that without the engine running. I killed my battery charging 2 camera batteries on one of those. If your laptop uses a USBc type cable you should use a usb type adapter.. if your laptop is old it’s worth checking what the power supply is delivering some were 12v so you could just make up a cable.
I’m not sure what the 2015 mp comes with but later models had 12v outputs in the back that work with the ignition off. You could always fit one or get one fitted that is constant live.

 

[Ronn]

Inverters are terribly inefficient you could well flatten your battery using that without the engine running. I killed my battery charging 2 camera batteries on one of those. If your laptop uses a USBc type cable you should use a usb type adapter.. if your laptop is old it’s worth checking what the power supply is delivering some were 12v so you could just make up a cable.
I’m not sure what the 2015 mp comes with but later models had 12v outputs in the back that work with the ignition off. You could always fit one or get one fitted that is constant live.

Thanks!
My laptop has a USBc connector. When connecting it to the USB outlet next to the kitchen, the light on the laptop that indicates when it's charging, gives some short flashes, but that's all. It doesn't charge. I guess it's not enough Watt-Power.
The power supply of my laptop delivers 19,2 Watts. No solution there.
The output in the back is dead when the engine is off.
I think I could try a jump starter to power up my inverter. It will drain the jump starter battery, but that's no problem.
Or first better try to use a 12V cigarette lighter socket with power when the engine is off. (I should be able to fix that myself). Maybe my inverter is nicer to the battery, because it's a new one (?). It's worth a try.
Thanks again for your advice!

 

[enano]

Hi there. I'm a new member. I bought a MP (2015) a few months ago. We love it!
I want to charge my laptop while not having external electricity and no solar panels.
It's just for working a day when on holiday.
I have a converter 12 - 220 V, but it should be connected in a cigarette lighter box. And they don't work with the engine off.
Anyone any ideas?

Hi there,

New member too. I have a 2017 Marco Polo and installed a 230VAC inverter a couple of years ago:



I installed the inverter between the driver seat (notice, it's an LHD van) and the sink because

• Routing really thick wires to the leisure battery is a mess if the inverter is placed far away. Also, it's better to keep these cables as short as possible.
• It can be easily removed if needed. The inverter is supported by two screws to an aluminum plate, and it can be removed without leaving visible holes.
• We carry a small bin right in front of the inverter, so that corner was wasted space anyway.

I used a forklift battery connector and routed the cables as directly as possible:




After removing a bit of plastic from the side cover to make room for the cables, these are not visible from outside except for a 1cm slit at the rear of the seat (see bottom right of the picture):





Quite happy so far. We disconnect the inverter when not in use, but often leave it on overnight charging laptop, cameras and drone batteries.

 

[enano]

Most new laptops will charge via USB’c it’s probably worth considering getting a decent quality 12v adapter rather than using the 240v mains adapter.

USB-C is a complex beast. Many laptops do charge over USB-C, but they often use 9V, 15V and 20V as well as 5V. A normal 5V smartphone USB-C charger won't work with them.