I need to make a robust inverter cable with simple inverter reverse polarity protection. I need help using diodes, fuse application. Note, please, that I am a decent software engineer but flunked my first (basic) electronics class in college in 1972. Either the help you can give is really simple or really thoroughly explained. I have an electronics brown thumb having fried or "popped" more 555 TTL chips than I can remember.
Here are the calculations that I made, probably with a lot of mistakes. Please feel free to correct or even scold me! The inverter is 1000 watts, 2000 peak, so 2000/120v AC is 16 amps, times 12v is 200 watts 12 volts DC. So a 200 watt in-line fuse is important. If I want to make a cable that prevents reverse polarity hookup then I was thinking that I can get put several 3 or 5 amp diodes in parallel then put that (maybe better wording would say "those") in series with the cable. If someone connects reverse polarity I figure that the diodes would create enough resistance to blow the fuse without damaging the inverter. Then only replacing the fuse would allow it all to work again.
The other idea I found would be to use several self healing resettable fuses (PTC) in parallel to add up to 200 amps. I'm unfamiliar with these fuses, never heard of them before this week. I also saw a YouTube of a circuit using a transister circuit but it was over my head. I need something simple that I can build myself!
Do you have any advice to give me on this idea? Do you think this will work? Any better plans that I can implement?
Thank you!
Ed
Here are the calculations that I made, probably with a lot of mistakes. Please feel free to correct or even scold me! The inverter is 1000 watts, 2000 peak, so 2000/120v AC is 16 amps, times 12v is 200 watts 12 volts DC. So a 200 watt in-line fuse is important. If I want to make a cable that prevents reverse polarity hookup then I was thinking that I can get put several 3 or 5 amp diodes in parallel then put that (maybe better wording would say "those") in series with the cable. If someone connects reverse polarity I figure that the diodes would create enough resistance to blow the fuse without damaging the inverter. Then only replacing the fuse would allow it all to work again.
The other idea I found would be to use several self healing resettable fuses (PTC) in parallel to add up to 200 amps. I'm unfamiliar with these fuses, never heard of them before this week. I also saw a YouTube of a circuit using a transister circuit but it was over my head. I need something simple that I can build myself!
Do you have any advice to give me on this idea? Do you think this will work? Any better plans that I can implement?
Thank you!
Ed