- 200 Watts continuous power and 400 Watts peak surge power
- 5 Volts, 2.1 amps USB port; compatible with iPad & other tablets plus e-readers such as the kdindle.
- This has 2 grounded AC outlets
- Power or charge a laptop, cell phone, MP3 player, digital camera, portable game player, power tools, etc.
- Multiple safety features
This converter worked perfectly for me. My wife and I were making an 8-hour drive for the Thanksgiving holiday and wanted to have power for a 13" MacBook Pro and our iPhones. The inverter did exactly what you would expect it charged our devices! It's pretty handy that this device has two plugs AND the USB port, and that's one of the reasons I picked it over some of the other similar models. However, be sure that if you use both plugs, the combined power requirements of the devices do not exceed 200 watts.
And that brings me to the next point. I specifically bought a less expensive, smaller model because 200 watts was more than adequate for our needs, so it didn't make sense to spend more for a 400W+ model that would likely be larger, louder and hotter than this one. The 13" MacBook Pro we have only uses 60 watts when charging, so this 200W charger was way more than necessary to do the job. If you have a big, power-hungry laptop or other device that you intend to charge with this, verify that your device is within the range supported by this converter or you will have problems.
I have no regrets about this purchase and would definitely recommend it to other folks who are considering it.
Buy Wagan 2402-5 Smart AC 200W Inverter with 5V 2.1Amps. USB Power Port Now
I've had this inverter for a couple of weeks. The great thing about this model is that it does not make that annoying high-pitched alarm that most inverters make when they go into low battery condition. I use this inverter for non-automotive use and needed something that would simply shut down quietly when the battery gets down to 11 Volts or lower without giving off noisy alarms. In addition, this model has no moving parts: it does NOT have a fan and operates very whisper quiet. It still does not seem to get hot though this maybe because I operate it in a cooler climate outdoors. I have not used the USB port on it yet.
I have gone through several makes of inverters and been frustrated with erratic operations, noisy alarms and loud fans and I'm happy I finally found this one.
I would definitely recommend this model.
Update: Jan 15, 2012:
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I have to reduce my original 5-star rating to 3-stars. I got to test this under various conditions and no longer feel it meets my needs. As mentioned in my previous review, I don't use this inverter inside a Car with a starting type battery. Instead I use it with a non-car 12V 80 Amp-Hour deep cycle/marine battery. Deep-cycle batteries are designed to take more abuse by allowing the user to run the battery all the way down to 11 Volts (& sometimes as low as 10 Volts). However, this Wagan model goes into low-battery mode too soon at about 11.9 Volts. The specs on the actual packaging implies it can tolerate upto 8.5 Volts input. When I connected a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb to this inverter at a battery input voltage at 12.1 Volts, this inverter started cycling rapidly like "off-on-off-on-off-on..." every half second. My 100W bulb kept flickering rapidly and when I disconnected the 100W load, the battery recovered quickly to 12.1 Volts.
What's happening is, when smal loads like 40 to 75 Watts are connected to this inverter, it works fine (assuming battery is charged to 12.1+ volts). However, when connected to 100 W loads (less than 9Amp starting current), there is a voltage drop in the input side of the inverter. This is normal but the electronics in this inverter treats this momentary drop in volts as a low-battery condition and tries to shutdown. But within about a second, the battery quickly recovers back upto 12+ volts and the inverter tries to re-establish the connection to battery. But as soon as it re-connects to the battery, it again goes into low-battery mode and tries to shut down again. This cycles keeps repeating itself as off-on-off-on-off-on...Direct connection to battery terminals does not fix this.
The bottom line is: if you plan on using this inverter inside a vehicle with a 100W+ load (Laptops etc) AND are willing to turn on the ignition every half-hour or hour, create noise and gasoline pollution and engine wear and tear, this inverter should do the job. To be fair, this is a widespread design issue with most other brands as well and not just peculiar to Wagan.
What manufacturers should do is provide a selector switch to select between Deep CycleCar Starting batteries. Doing this will allow consumers to get more out of their batteries without artificially going into low-battery alarm/shutdown pre-maturely.
The search continues...
Update: May 17, 2012:
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The search may be ending. Ironically, the PREVIOUS version of this model (http://www.amazon.com/Wagan-EL2402-SmartAC-Power-Inverter/dp/B000YQT6RS/ref=cm_rdp_product) works much better and that's the one I decided to keep. The previous model is silent without a fan and tolerates low-battery condition much better. I had a 100W incandescent bulb connected to this inverter for several hours and the inverter got barely warm to the touch. It does NOT make that annoyingly loud alarm that is common in other inverters when battery volts drop below 11.5V. Due to these reasons, the older Wagan model EL2402 enables me to get more use out of a "non-car" deep-cycle battery (i.e., a battery not used for starting an engine). I have had the older model for the past 5 months. Recommended before this rare older inverter runs out of stock!
Read Best Reviews of Wagan 2402-5 Smart AC 200W Inverter with 5V 2.1Amps. USB Power Port Here
I bought this little thing to connect a Nintendo Wii to our car dvd player during a road trip, it worked like a charm, no problems whatsoever, however, I'd recommend putting it on a place with some kind of ventilation as it can get pretty warm fast. I like that you can turn it on/off without having to disconnect. Its small too.
Want Wagan 2402-5 Smart AC 200W Inverter with 5V 2.1Amps. USB Power Port Discount?
Not only do you get TWO power ports, but a USB port? WOW.
This is a great product for so many reasons. It works well, so more than one device can plug in at a time and work fine. It also can be hidden under the seat. Think about most of these type of power invertersthey normally stick out of the car like an ugly thing that never fits... This always fits in any car. It has the actual inverter seperate from the end of the cord that goes into the car... GREAT! Finally someone was smart!
DO NOT go and get something crappy at wal-mart that works so crappy you have to replace it because it is a crappy piece of plastic and the fan is super loud... Get this product and call it a day.
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Lots to like about this inverter at first glance.
PROs:
* 200 Watts plenty of juice for laptops, etc.
10 watt USB output enough to fast-charge tablets
Compact
Quiet no fan
Efficient circuits (claimed)
Good fit & finish
Clean, tasteful look
USB port + 2 outlets
OKs:
Warranty: 1 year
12-volt plug seats very solidly in the car's socket
USB charges Apple devices at full speed (see Note 1)
Pilot light
The USB port is a little crooked (works fine)
Owner manual is clear and complete
CONs:
* More expensive than many other models
Dimensions and Weight -
Weight: 12.6 oz. (Inverter and cord)
Dimensions 3.55 x 1.66 x 4.9 inches (Inverter only)
Cord (16 AWG): 31 inches (+ 2-1/4" plug)
(Dimensions and weight in amazon listing are not correct as of August 2012.)
The model I received is marked: 2402-5ECF Made in Taiwan
Pricing -
The amazon price seems to bounce around between 29 and 36. There's an "Online Price Alert" that will email you whenever this or any amazon product dips below your target price. Google it. It's nicely done. Or try camelcamelcamel.
Notes -
Note 1: Apple devices use their own rules to decide charging speed. A designed-for-Apple USB output may be slow to charge non-Apple devices, and vice versa, even if its Amp rating is high enough. This USB output charged my iPhone 4S at just over 1% per minute -the same fast-charging speed achieved with Apple's own wall charger. I have not tested the Wagan EL2402-5 with non-Apple devices.
~~~ Comments & questions welcome ~~~
I'm satisfied with this PWM PV charge controller. Compared to other charge controllers and even those of PWM or MPPT, this one has the best cost. Only around $30 compared to those that do the same and cost around in the $100's. With PWM techonlogy, the charger is neither on or off like some of the cheaper controllers. Instead it regulates the voltage so it is constantly chargeing and then float chargers when the batteries are full. Also, because the voltage is being regulated closer to the batteries voltage. The batteries do not gas as much. A second thing with PWM controller, the batteries receive pulses of a charge, similar to a battery desulfator. So the batteries plates will not sulfate as much either. I found the charger regualtes the voltage .5V higher than the batteries readings. And float regulate around 13.3V. Controller can handle up to 10Amps (150Watts of PV power) and can control discharge through the controler at 10Amps. Which makes it good for outdoor ligthing or ponds where if the batteries become too low, the controller will automatically shut them down until the batteries are fully recharged.
