I explained what a 12v inverter does in the last article.  Now it’s time to explain how they work.  I won’t get into the gory details here but I will explain what is happening  while you are using one.

We already know that a standard household electrical device requires 120 volts of AC (alternating current) power and that our vehicles only supply 12 volts of DC (direct current) power .   In order to be able to use household devices in our vehicles, we need some way to change 12 volts DC into 120 volts AC.  This is what the 12v inverter does.

Here it is in simple very terms.  The positive side of the  battery is connected to the positive terminal on the power inverter and the negative side of the battery is connected to the negative terminal on the power inverter.  Inside the inverter are complex electrical components that sort of store the 12 volt power up until it reaches 120 volts.  More electrical components change the direct current into alternating current.  When you plug a standard 120VAC device into the inverter,  the power is released from the inverter as 120VAC and it flows into the device.

I have no doubt that the electrical engineers who are reading this right now are going nuts due to my vast over simplification of the process.  The important thing to know here is that it’s not necessary to understand exactly how a 12v inverter changes power from 12VDC to 120VAC.  The only thing you need to know is that it works.

These devices are really foolproof.  When installed correctly (we’ll discuss that in another article), they really are “plug and play devices.

Thanks so much for reading my 12v inverter blog!