24v - 12 v????

[DERF]

I have a 24 volt system on both the boat and my '89 Landcruiser... Now I presume the output from the cigarette lighter on the boat is 12v, as it appears to have an inverter on board.... but the one in the Landcruiser is 24V..

Question then

1) Can I run a 12 v appliance plugged into the 24v LC lighter?
2) If the appliace says 12v - 18v will it go pop if I plug it in
3) Is there a plug in inverter I can buy that has a Cigar lighter female end?

Or am I worrying about nothing.

BTW the appliance is a H/H GPS that says input voltage 9.8v - 18v?

 

[enterprise]

Yes it will go pop!!!
There are 24-12v converters on ebay for around £10 not sure of the connections though but you would probably be able to fit a cigar lighter plug to it.

Once had one of those small 12v illuminated christmas trees, the sort you see in every truck at christmas.

Tried to plug it into truck 24v cigar socket, all I can say that it was very spectacullar for about 1min.
Then it got even more spectacular before eventualy giving in & blowing a fuse in the truck, the poor tree never stood a chance & was consigned to the dump. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[pappaecho]

Please put a meter on the output so you can confirm the voltage, before you go further!

 

[William_H]

English is a variable language however to my mind an inverter is generally used as the name of the device to turn 12 volt or 24 v DC into 240 volt AC. The device you need is a converter. Yes it is likely there is a converter 24 volt to 12 v DC on board if not you willprobably need one at some stage for all the 12V devices available for boats and cars.
I doubt you will find one with a cigarette lighter plug on the input and a socket cigarette lighter on the output. As boat owner I would strongly suggest you get some wire tools connectors soldering iron and a book on boat electrics and plunge in to learn about the mysteries iof your boat electrics. There are so many electric devices on boats and the environment is so destructive to electric devices I can't imagine you could survive by relying on professionals in the long run. In other words check the existing socket for voltage (buy a mukltimeter as well) and if it i8s 24 volt output then buy a converter to 12 volt and wire it up. If you are interested and capable of DIY PM me for how to make your own low power converter. regards will

 

[Benbow]

Most boats with 24V systems have 'droppers' to supply 12V to some of the electronics (eg VHF, sailing instruments, GPS) whereas higher power systems (eg radar, windlass) are almost certain to be 24V versions.

Whether or not your 'cigarete lighter' sockets are wired into the 12 or 24V system is easy enough to determine. But as has been said you really need to find out how your system is set-up, if only to avoid overloading your 12V supply.

Good droppers are here

 

[TrueBlue]

Good advice, I didn't post 'cos I thought the cost would put you off. About 30 quid, cheaper to use a soldering iron.

I've got a couple of the Alfatronix unit which have been in use for 4 years. Fit and forget, don't even get hot. They also fail safe, a good idea if your equipment is valuable to you.

You can buy cheaper non-isolated units, but if they fail you could get 24Volts....

Just to be pedantic, they are invertors, 'cos they convert the 24V DC to AC and then rectify it. The terminology is inexact.

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Just to be pedantic, they are invertors, 'cos they convert the 24V DC to AC and then rectify it. The terminology is inexact.

[/ QUOTE ]It was probably just a typo, I think you meant to say that an 'invertor' changes dc into ac and a 'convertor' changes dc at one voltage into dc at another voltage. I don't know how the terminology evolved but it was around well before I was an electrical engineering student in the early 1970s.