<VV> Christmas Lights

[JVHRoberts at aol.com]

There's yet another problem with the transformeroffthealternator approach.  
Frequency. Automotive alternators are WAY higher than 60Hz, and most standard  
transformers have way too much impedance at those frequencies. 
There are some decent cheap inverters with close to sine wave output these  
days...
 
 
In a message dated 11/30/2006 1:07:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
vairologist at verizon.net writes:

Beginning Saturday and continuing for cruise nights up until Christmas  we 
have a set of manic chaser christmas lights. There is a spare battery in  the 
trunk and humongously powerful inverter I built years ago when power  
transistors were the size of quarters. Those items will be in the trunk,  powering the 
chaser lights which will be strung all the way 'round the  beltline of the car. 
a fullsize, stuffed, santa claus will be in the driver's  seat. We figure it 
should annoy most everyone within 100 feet and there will  be joy all about.
Arjay Morgan
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Smitty  Says:  Arjay, for several years our club took part in the Parade of  
lights in Norfolk.  (before the greenies decided they didn't like  cars).  
Anyway we were required to light our cars which we attempted to  do using 
commercial inverters.  Two problems with that.  One was  that it didn't take many 
lights to pop the Circuit breakers on even the larger  inverters and they would 
rapidly drag the battery down unless you could  maintain a pretty high rpm.  
Another problem was that the square wave  from the inverter doesn't allow the 
chase lights to work.  One of our  members hit on the idea of using the 12 volts 
from one phase of the alternator  before it is rectified and boosting it 
backwards through a 110/12 volt  transformer to get the required 110 volts AC.  
The cars regulator keeps  the voltage stable and the chase lights work fine.  
One time Walter  Carter from our club tapped into all three phases of the 
alternator and using  three transformers, put over a thousand lights on
his car.  A couple  of notes of caution here.  This voltage developed is like 
house  current.  Treat it with respect.  Another thing.  It takes a  pretty 
hairy transformer to do the job.  Door bell  transformers  aren't even close to 
meeting requirements.