September 1, 2005 One of the great ironies about inverters is that they are mainly used by people who want to get away from it all, and they use inverters specifically so they can take it all with them. Inverters convert 12volt DC power to AC mains power of the voltage of your choice – just choose the right one. The advantage of having such an energy appliance is that they offer a mains power source in car, caravan, boat … anywhere there’s a 12 volt battery. Using an inverter with standard household appliances provides a much cheaper option than purchasing specialised 12 volt appliances too – 12 volt appliances are generally far more expensive, and you probably already own such an appliance in your home that runs on mains power. The unit which really got us excited about the area of inverters was the new Projecta 2,000 watt inverter which is compact, light weight and incorporates some very special safety features such as allowing appliances to be run with high start-up loads, noise-free filtering, protection against overload, low battery warning, cooling fans and it has two power outlet sockets. On top of all that, there are some appliances they just don’t make in 12 volts – like if you really do need a freshly frothed Cappuccino in the morning, you could take your home coffee machine.

Now the Projecta 2,000 watt inverter is in fact an Australian-only appliance but similar inverters are available the world over, though specifications vary. As this is a state-of-the-art product, the following specifications are what you should be seeking .

Protection features on the Projecta 2,000 watt inverter include sophisticated circuitry to monitor the operation and turn off the inverter whenever a problem is detected, such as an accessory overload. If this happens, a fault light illuminates and an audible alarm is activated.

Low battery is identified with a continuous alarm indicating that the inverter should be turned off and the battery recharged. If unattended, the unit will automatically turn itself off when the voltage reaches 10 volts to avoid damage to the unit or the battery.

The inverters’ important outlet sockets meet Australian Standard (AS/NZS3112:2000) and the appliance construction and insulation requirements comply with AS/NZ3350.

Included in the Projecta range are five top selling units starting at 150 watts, 300, 600, 1,000 and 2,000 watts. Selecting the most suitable inverter for the load and appliance has been simplified by Projecta with the clever use of a colour coded chart illustrating appliances from shavers to laptops to power saws and electric chainsaws with colour bar graphs.

All packs include connectors and fittings, an instruction booklet covering applications, connection and control guidelines. Advice on choosing a suitable power source, temporary and hard wire connections, trouble shooting, operational guidelines plus answers to frequently asked questions are also provided.

Complementing this high quality range, the three smaller inverters are presented in attractive retail friendly clamshells. Larger models are packed in full colour graphic boxes, ideal for both wholesalers and retailers shelves.

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