Vector VEC043B 750 Watt D/C To A/C Power Inverter With Power Level Meter

by Vector

Product Features

• Maxis Soft Start Technology
• Dual AC outlets provides 120 volt AC household power
• Includes heavy-duty clamps that connect directly to vehicle's battery
• Turbo cooling fan
• Wattage output power level meter

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.8 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009W3ZE
• Item model number: VEC 043
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,946 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Vector VEC043B 750 Watt (1500 Peak Watt) Power Inverter turns your vehicle's 12 volt DC battery into 110 volts of AC power simply by plugging the unit into your vehicle¿s power outlet. The Vector VEC043B boasts the following features: short circuit protection and fault interrupter shock protection; automatic reset; turbo cooling fan; noise filter reduction; LED indicators show power & fault conditions; dual AC outlets; and includes heavy-duty clamps that connect directly to vehicle's battery.

Product Description

Converts vehicles 12 Volt DC to 110/120 Volt AC. Feature state-of-the-art circuitry to handle temporary high surge loads. Low power consumption ensures longer battery life. 90% efficient, solid state design means you get the most from your vehicle battery. Restarts automatically if the inverter shuts down from: over-voltage, under-voltage, overload or over-temperature, after the problem is solved. Completely silent operation. Gradually and safely ramps up the output voltage to start difficult motorized loads and protects sensitive appliance circuits. Turbo Cooling- Extends life of the product by keeping components cooler. Do not exceed maximum wattage rating for inverter. Power Supply: 12v, Continuous Watts: 750, Surge Watts: 1,500, AC Outlets (qty.): 2, LED Indicators: Yes, Modified Sine Wave: Yes, Soft Start Technology (SST): Yes, Low Battery Protection: Yes, High Temperature Protection: Yes, Overload Protection: Yes, Low Voltage Protection: Yes, Over Voltage Protection: Yes, Needs to be Hardwired: Yes, Dimensions L x W x H (in.): 11 x 6 x 2

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The important facts in a nutshell, November 18, 2005

By 

AB (San Angelo, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vector VEC043B 750 Watt D/C To A/C Power Inverter With Power Level Meter (Lawn & Patio)

It took me days and days of searching the web to become informed enough to make a decision as to which power converter to buy. Let me share with you a summary of the important things to know.

TYPES OF OUTPUT

Your AC equipment is designed for a sine wave, but only the very expensive power converters produce a true sine wave output. The cheapest AC power converters produce a square wave output. A mid price AC power converter (like the VEC043) produces a modified wave. Besides the price impact, there are trade-offs of what type of equipment you can use for square wave or modified wave.

Power tools have an AC/DC motor that works with all 3-types of outputs. If you only want to use power tools get the very cheap square wave power converter.

AC motors such as refrigerators need a modified wave. AC motors under heavy load can not start to spin using a square wave and even if it does "spin up," it will probably shorten the life of the AC motor to use a square wave.

The most sensitive AC equipment must use the true sine wave power converters. The worse case equipment is a cheap stereo or TV and their performance with a square wave power converter is completely unacceptable. A modified wave will work with all stereos and TV's, but some of the cheaper units will have a 60 cycle buzz in the sound and snow in the picture.

The VEC043 power converter performs well with most stereos and TV's, but not all of them, especially the cheapest units. It works with your power tools, AC motors, and computers. I personally felt it was the overall best choice, but if you want a true sine wave output, then be prepared to pay the big bucks!

LINKS TO PICTURES OF THE TYPES OF OUTPUT

Sine wave: http://www.energyusernews.com/EUN/FILES/IMAGES/82710.jpg

Square wave: http://users.uma.maine.edu/faculty/rsm/slides/chap4/f4-3b.gif

Modified wave: http://www.baintech.com.au/assets/images/square_wave.jpg

NOISE

All of the manufactures write about the electrical noise of their power converters, but it is the audio noise that is important to me personally. I have a friend who uses a power converter in his car on a daily basis. He just bought a new Black and Decker power converter, and he says it is much quieter than his first power converter was. His Black and Decker power converter makes a whining sound that reminds me of a dentist drill, and I don't like it!

There is a small fan in the VEC043 and it makes a little more noise than my laptop, and about the same noise as my desktop computer or the kitchen refrigerator. Best of all, there is no whining sound.

CAR BATTERY

Everything electrical on your car is specified to work down to a minimum of 10.5 volts. Less than 10.5 and your car may not start. The VEC043 has an audio alarm that sounds at 10.6 volts. Nice feature!!!

Running the battery down below 10 volts is very stressful to the battery and may even damage the battery. The VEC043 shuts off at 10 volts which is another nice feature.

SPECIFICATIONS FROM THE VEC043 MANUAL

Output: 2 AC outlets (110VAC RMS 60 Hz @ 6.8 amps)

Output protection: self-resetting breaker

Output power: 750 watts continuous (1500 watts peak)

Input: 10.5 to 15.5 Volts DC

Input protection: internal fuses

Reverse input polarity protection: none

Connection: battery clips only

Low voltage alarm: sounds at 10.6 volts

Low voltage cut off: occurs at 10.0 volts

Weight: 3 lbs (1.35 kg)

Length: 10.7 in. (27.2 cm)

Width: 6.25 in. (15.9 cm)

Height: 1.75 in. (4.5 cm)

Warranty: 2 year limited

Operating temperature: 30 to 105 degrees F (-1 to 40 degrees C)

4.0 out of 5 stars Inverter for fish house, February 14, 2012

By 

Timothy Boehlke (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vector VEC043B 750 Watt D/C To A/C Power Inverter With Power Level Meter (Lawn & Patio)

I have used in my fish house seems to work fine unforthunately the battery life does not last as long as I would like. I might of been better off getting the 400W unit vs the 750W, not sure if I needed this larger unit or not as I'm mostly using it to power a few lights and maybe a small fan. The unit does work, and the alarm feature of the battery getting low is a nice feature or a nuisance as it makes a noise that is un-pleasant to listen to. I tried to send in the warranty information to the address given and it was returned, not sure if the company changed addresses or what, I may go on line and see if I can locate the company and register my purchase that way

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Inverter, January 30, 2012

By 

Palmetto Tech "Palmetto Tech" (Rock Hill, SC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vector VEC043B 750 Watt D/C To A/C Power Inverter With Power Level Meter (Lawn & Patio)

Works as described on most products. I bought it to charge cordless drill batteries on jobsites. 4 stars because it drains the vehicle battery dry in several minutes unless the vehicle is running. . Had to get the van jumped off the first time I used it after only 5 minutes of using it for battery charging.