12V to 120V Inverter

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Have you ever wanted to run a TV, stereo or other appliance while on the road or camping? Well, this inverter should solve that problem. It takes 12 VDC and steps it up to 120 VAC. The wattage depends on which tansistors you use for Q1 and Q2, as well as how "big" a transformer you use for T1. The inverter can be constructed to supply anywhere from 1 to 1000 (1 KW) watts.

Important: If you have any questions or problems with the circuit, see the forum topic linked to in the Notes section. It will answer all your questions and provide links to many other (and better) inverter circuits.

Schematic

Parts
Part Total Qty. Description Substitutions
C1, C2 2 68 uf, 25 V Tantalum Capacitor
R1, R2 2 10 Ohm, 5 Watt Resistor
R3, R4 2 180 Ohm, 1 Watt Resistor
D1, D2 2 HEP 154 Silicon Diode
Q1, Q2 2 2N3055 NPN Transistor (see "Notes")
T1 1 24V, Center Tapped Transformer (see "Notes")
MISC 1 Wire, Case, Receptical (For Output)

Q1 and Q2, as well as T1, determine how much wattage the inverter can supply. With Q1,Q2=2N3055 and T1= 15 A, the inverter can supply about 300 watts. Larger transformers and more powerful transistors can be substituted for T1, Q1 and Q2 for more power.

The easiest and least expensive way to get a large T1 is to rewind an old microwave transformer. These transformers are rated at about 1KW and are perfect. Go to a local TV repair shop and dig through the dumpster until you get the largest microwave you can find. The bigger the microwave the bigger transformer. Remove the transformer, being careful not to touch the large high voltage capacitor that might still be charged. If you want, you can test the transformer, but they are usually still good. Now, remove the old 2000 V secondary, being careful not to damage the primary. Leave the primary in tact. Now, wind on 12 turns of wire, twist a loop (center tap), and wind on 12 more turns. The guage of the wire will depend on how much current you plan to have the transformer supply. Enamel covered magnet wire works great for this. Now secure the windings with tape. Thats all there is to it. Remember to use high current transistors for Q1 and Q2. The 2N3055's in the parts list can only handle 15 amps each.

Remember, when operating at high wattages, this circuit draws huge amounts of current. Don't let your battery go dead :).

Since this project produces 120 VAC, you must include a fuse and build the project in a case.

You must use tantalum capacitors for C1 and C2. Regular electrolytics will overheat and explode. And yes, 68uF is the correct value. There are no substitutions.

This circuit can be tricky to get going. Differences in transformers, transistors, parts substitutions or anything else not on this page may cause it to not function.

If you want to make 220/240 VAC instead of 120 VAC, you need a transformer with a 220/240 primary (used as the secondary in this circuit as the transformer is backwards) instead of the 120V unit specified here. The rest of the circuit stays the same. But it takes twice the current at 12V to produce 240V as it does 120V.

Check out this forum topic to answer many of the most commonly asked questions about this circuit: 12 120V Inverter Again. It covers the most common problems encountered and has some helpful suggestions.
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Comments

andrew 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Monday, January 21, 2008 9:51:31 PM
what is the tantalum capacitor?
remi 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Monday, January 21, 2008 8:45:55 AM
how do i get a circuit diagram of a larger inverter?
Ephraim sackey 12VDC To 240VAC Inverter Thursday, January 17, 2008 8:18:31 AM
what value of capacitor can be used in place of the tantalum since there is none on the market
anonymous 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Thursday, January 17, 2008 5:25:21 AM
hello fellow engineers.My is not actually a comment, but a kind of request.I have learnt alote from the idea given by the 12v120v(dcac) inverter given in this site though i have improved a little on it.But i have a litle proble i do encounter with components types,substitutes and even datas generally on components.I dont know if you can send me this componentsdata sheets via my box.this is my email:harrymondo@yahoo.com.I will be very greatful if this request will be granted. Thanks.
balakumar 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Wednesday, January 16, 2008 11:32:23 PM
what is cost of the (12VDC To 120VAC Inverter ) project what is advantages and disadvantages?
timothy transistors Tuesday, January 15, 2008 8:39:13 AM
how do i know or rather calculate the watts of a transistor so that i can get a large load transistor like 700 1200 watts
caesar 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Monday, January 14, 2008 9:15:36 PM
sir i.m interested with your work but,how effecient it is? can we produce an 120ac output out of 9vdc?
christ 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Monday, January 14, 2008 7:17:21 AM
sir i want to know what are the other subtitute to the 68microfarad tatalum capacitor because the 68microfarad is not available and can i parallel the transisitor???
Bijay Manandhar 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Saturday, January 12, 2008 12:42:19 PM
can i get the circuit diagram for 12v 220v ac inverter?
anonymous SAM 12VDC To 120VAC Inverter Friday, January 11, 2008 4:02:25 PM
Please , im very interisted with the project..but may i ask if is there any replacement for diode D1 and D2, and i want high power inverter up to 600 watts..I hope you reply soon.. thanks.. How many hours will this project run without interruption?
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Use a 12 volt dc ac power inverter to power AC devices from your renewable power source, truck, car, RV, or boat by attaching the power inverter to your battery, DC power source, or cigarette lighter. Generally, cars can handle up to a 300W dc power inverter without trouble. You can power such things as TVs, computers, cell phones, camcorders, games, tools, etc. DC/AC Power inverters allow you to use AC powered devices just like you were at home, as long as you do not exceed the wattage rating of the power inverter.

At this time, we only have access to 12V Power Inverters. We sell Xantrex power inverters, Whistler, Cobra, Sima, and Vector power inverters. We stock our products.

The best type of battery to use with a power inverter over 300 watts is a deepcycle lead acid battery, these are typically found on an RV, boat, or golf cart. An alternative term for these are RV battery, marine battery, or golf cart battery. A typical car battery will not be able to handle more than a 300W power inverter, therefore, inverters over 300W do not usually come with a cigarette lighter adapter. Also, many car cigarette lighter circuits are fused at 20 Amps, meaning you won't get more than 200 Watts out of it.

Deepcycle batteries are usually rated by reserve capacity, or amperehours. We include both measurements on the chart below which will give you a rough idea as to how long a given battery could last with a power inverter. Keep in mind batteries can always be used in parallel (+ to +, and to ) giving twice the capacity. Do not wire batteries in series as this will increase voltage making it too high, but not capacity. If you have any questions on your product selection, please contact us so we can help you pick the right power inverter for your needs.

Battery Run Time Chart (In Hours)

Load Watts

Sample Load BCI Group Size
Resv Capacity
AMPHrs 22NF
90 min
50 24
140 min
75 27
180 min
100 8D
400 min
200 Dual 8D
900 min
400
50 Stereo System Time in hrs 9.0 14.0 20.0 40.0 80.0
100 19" color TV Time in hrs 4.0 6.0 10.0 20.0 40.0
200 Computer System Time in hrs 2.0 3.0 4.5 10.0 20.0
300 Blender Time in hrs 1.3 2.2 3.0 6.0 12.0
400 Power Drill Time in hrs 1.0 1.5 2.0 4.5 10.0
600 Sm Coffee Maker Time in hrs 1.0 2.5 6.0
800 Sm Microwave Time in hrs 1.5 4.0
1000 Toaster Time in hrs 1.0 3.0
1500 Microwave Time in hrs 0.5 2.0
2500 Washing Machine Time in hrs 0.2 0.8

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