Whistler PRO-200w 200 Watt Power Inverter

by Whistler Radar

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 3.5 x 10.5 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000621XAI
• Item model number: PI-200W
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Whistler PI-200 200 Watt power inverter allows you to run some AC appliances right from your car, boat or RV. Perfect for weekend use and life on the road. They're also great for power outages.

200 Watts continuous power to run AC appliances right from your car, boat or RV. Click to enlarge.

Two separate outlets. Click to enlarge.

Connects directly to your vehicle's battery. Click to enlarge.

Whistler Power Inverters
For many of us, a vehicle is more than just transportation. It can be a mobile office, communications or entertainment center, or simply an expression of our personality. Whistler products are designed to make the time you spend in your vehicle more productive, more fulfilling, safer, or just simply more fun. Whistler's mission is to provide products that improve your driving experience.

Whistler offers a complete line of DC to AC inverters ranging in capacity from 100 Watts to 3000 Watts. These inverters offer advanced technology, dependable operation and will provide years of reliable service when used in accordance with their operating instructions.

PI-200 Features

• Full Output Power--Other inverters have reduced output over time.
• High Surge
• Cooling fan
• Ground Fault Sensing
• 20 Amp Power Requirement--at rated output

Electronic Circuit Protection

• Overload Protection
  Inverter will automatically shut down if load exceeds inverter rating.
  
  
• Smart Surge Control
  Inverter will attempt to start loads above the continuous rating for up to 10 seconds.
  
  
• Voltage Protection
  Whenever the input exceeds 15 volts DC or is less than 10 volts, the inverter will automatically shutdown.
  
  
• Short Circuit Protection
  Automatically shuts down until short circuit is removed.
  
  
• Thermal Cutoff
  Automatically shuts down if internal temperature exceeds safe design parameters.

What's in the Box
Whistler PI-200 200 Watt power inverter, User's Manual

Product Description

200 Watt Mobile Power Inverter Converts 12V DC to 110V AC provides 400 Watt peak power. Provides various kinds of Protection like Voltage protection, Short-circuit protection, Overload protection to Devices.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars May not work with all appliances, April 4, 2007

By 

R. Kreis "livedeadcat" (LA CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whistler PRO-200w 200 Watt Power Inverter (Tools & Hardware)

Like all other DC inverters in this price range, this unit produces a square wave output. Sensitive electronic devices may not be happy using this power source, and the instructions that come with the inverter were written by a lawyer: The liability for incompatibility is all yours and none of theirs.

True sine wave inverters of this capacity are priced in multiple hundreds of dollars, just so you know.

I got this device to recharge my laptop, a Sony Vaio with a power brick in the line cord. I measured the no-load output of the brick using both power from the mains and when attached to the inverter, and output was identical. There was an insignificant AC voltage component when first measured, and it quickly went to zero. Like I said, it was the same for both power sources. The Sony brick is rated for 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz input, a broad range, so I figure it should be able to accomodate the non-sine input. (But, what do I know?)

My laptop pulls just over 50 watts at the mains when operating and charging at the same time, and about 18 watts when charging only. It takes around 4 hours to recharge the battery, but when it is finished, the current draw drops off to nothing. Isn't 20W about what the parking lights on my car draw? Would my car start after leaving the parking lights on for four hours?

When running the laptop at full load, the inverter immediately starts buzzing alarmingly when drawing from the tiny battery of my Miata, when the engine is off. With the bigger battery of my Camry, It complains much less, but it still whimpers a bit. Engine-on solves the problem on both cars. I believe the inverter has a feature to turn itself off (instead of just buzzing) after a certain voltage drop, theoretically leaving enough juice in the battery to start the engine. This is a feature I would rather not have to test. I would feel a lot better using this inverter attached to a hybrid car with its robust battery capacity.

I think it will be ok for me to use this inverter to power my Sony Laptop from the car, but only when the engine is running. I will update this review if I have further experience to report.

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT, March 23, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Whistler PRO-200w 200 Watt Power Inverter (Tools & Hardware)

I'm 13. last year, we had to dive to Maine from Virginia. I had an idea. we had this old TV that was small, and you could plug a Play Station in it. it plugged into the car. I was happy when i realized that you needed something to power the Playstation, too. I looked on amazon and got this four days before the trip. I prayed it would get here on time. It came in three days and worked fine the hole trip.

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what we needed, January 9, 2007

By 

R. Hughes (scottsdale, az) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whistler PRO-200w 200 Watt Power Inverter (Tools & Hardware)

I love the small size. It works well and doesn't drop out during startup of car.