Help Needed Chaps !!

[Pete R]

OK I dont pretend to know anything about ICE at all .. Because I dont , so bear with me please..

If I wanted to run a set of decks and a mixer + 2 speakers out of the back of my car boot how would I go about it? What would I need , could I use my own non-car amp and would I need some sort of power converter ? Like I say Im not clued up in this field at all .... Help please !

[Pete R]

Anyone?? can this be done ??

[Scott G]

it can be done i know that, there is a guy that has it already, he is in the back in the cruise sections of max poo and fast car sometimes,

quite how you would do it and what you would need idont know.

but to give you a boost YES it can be done.

[Pete R]

Cheers Scott, Ive seen it done in a metro as well at cruises but I need to know the ins and outs .. cheers anyway

[stranger]

Right, yeah, it is possible.

You need to convert your 12v DC with a stepper or something to get the 240 volts to run 'house' equipment. Then you could wire in a 4-way plug adapter and use amps, decks, kettles, hair dryers..........

Are you gonna put a new meaning to mobile DJ then???? I guess it wouldn't take long to set up eh? Open you boot and away you go.

Have a look in maplin or RS catalogues - there are websites but can't remember addressess. Don't know how much the stepper-upper will cost though.

Good luck!
m

[cavvysri]

its called an inverter, and youll get one a www.maplin.co.uk i think theyre on offer just now

[mtrayer]

yeah an it's called an inverter alright but the problem is that the power required to run the equipment might be a bit too much for the inverter. You could try a small suitcase type petrol generator may be a second hand one.

[Pete R]

Ok I think it could be done as Ive seen those guys with them in a metro . If I needed a generator thingy where would I be looking to get one of those then ?

[cavvysri]

youll get a generator from the adtrader, but its petrol driven, and noisy. an inverter will power up to a decent sized setup, cos the only thing that uses much power is the amp. the decks and mixer use nowt. or you could use a car amp to power your speakers.

[cavvysri]

when we used to go caravanning last summer my m8 brought his decks along with his monitor speakers and our inverter powered up his stuff and the tv and playstation at the same time no bother. it was ace, like an outdoor rave, only with a big fire!

[ChrisB]

Inverter's are inefficient beasts and fairly expensive. The more money you pay the more current it can handle. As the amp would be the most power hungry thing i would use a car one. But you would have to check the specifications to run normal home speakers on a car amp (home speakers are typically 8 Ohms and car ones 4 ohms).

The decks and mixer won't actually be using 240V. They will convert this to whatever they need internally (maybe 8-20V?). So you could make up a circuit or buy one to power them at that voltage. A well made circuit would be loads of times better than an inverter and proberbly a lot cheaper.

I'm making a circuit to run a PC from a car (They need +/- 12 V and +/- 5 V). The bits for this only cost about £30, and an inverter to do this would cost £100+

[Pete R]

Hmm looking a bit expensive ... Cavvy SRI can you find out exactly what it was your mate used as Ill give that a try ... Im fancying this set up for a few ' outdoor activities ' soon .......

[Vectra Dave]

on the maplin homepage there is an inverter on special offer for £30.
It runs off the fag lighter and will power appliances up to 150 watts.
Look at the back of your amp there should ba a label or plate with the voltage and stuff and power consumption in watts. If its under 150 then bingo. if not, you will need a more powerfull inverter. have a hunt through their catalogue for prices and wattage outputs. Id expect a much more powerfull one to be around £100-£150

I dont see what stops you from running 2 small inverters from your car though. 1 for the amp and the other for the decks, lights etc.
You would need to keep the engine running if useing it for any length of time to stop your battery going flat.

ChrsB is onto a winner there though. Pretty much every mains appliance that has electronics in it has a transformer inside it to reduce the voltage from 240v down to 12v or whatever is required. You could bypass the mains side of the unit and power it from your car so long as the current was correct and it wasnt likely to give power surges.

[Pete R]

Cheers , I saw that one at Maplin , just have to check the amp now - its a 200 watt techinics one but its in Preston at the mo so I cant get all the spec.

[gaz1210]

John Coupe Turbo is a sparky aint he, he might know whats required.

I got a mighty beefy sound system if its needed Pete.

[Pete R]

Think myself and Mr haynzee have got it sussed now!!