Questions on Electricity for Parking Lot Racing
 

The only two things I currently need power for while racing at the LHS parking lot track are my charger and Smart Tray. I power the charger off my car battery. My thought was to get an inverter for the car lighter and plug the smart tray into there.

What other options might I consider for powering the smart tray?

What type of setup might I consider for future power needs?

You should look into getting a generator, u can check sears for then or ur local lawnmower shop

A generator might be impossible with the current vehicle I have.

Are most generators generally able to power AC and DC equipment? If not which one do they generally do and how do I go about providing the other?

If you get a generator be nice to your fellow racers and either put it far away from everyone or get a quiet one like below:

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/M...elName=eu2000i

I have that one and it works really well.

12v deep cycle marine battery....

A smart tray is designed to work with 12v input, just use the extra plug it came with and connect it to your car battery same as the charger.

:nod: :nod:

I used to bring a 12v deep-cycle marine gel-cell battery to my outdoor pit.
It was hooked up to my DC to AC inverter.
It was enough power to run two people all day at the race!
We ran 3 chargers, one 80 watt soldering iron, lap top, 2 cell phone chargers and tire warmers.
You just have to remember to charge your 12v deep cycle battery overnight the day before the race!

Prices:

1) A good 12v deep cycle will cost about $120 give or take.

2) A decent inverter will cost around $40. to $90 bucks

The portable quiet Honda generators are the best.
Although, most people cringe when they find out their price. :weird:

I currently use a Kipor Ti series generator which is an excellent alternative to the portabe quiet Hondas. The Kipor Ti series have the same power rating, decibel rating, size and shape, except they are yellow.

My Kipor is very reliable and costs a few hundred dollars less than the comparable Hondas! ;)

#1 I second rcracing kids response, the novak smart tray runs off 12 volts, just hook it up to your car battery too.

#2 just buy a Tekin battery doctor, its cheaper than the inverter, or a deep cycle battery and it dosen't require external power.

Most generators have both ac/dc out on them.

:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: the bigger generators only have ac

:nod: Put your cells in,forget about them get them down to 0.5v ready for their next charge. No need to worry about putting your cells in the wrong way and no need for external power either as said,job done :cool:

I've got to throw another vote in for the inverter. I've got a 350-watt unit that I clip right to the battery. It's got enough juice to power my iron and a box fan for those hot days racing offroad.

I keep one of those little yellow jump-starter batteries handy (charged the night before) in case I totally woof it and kill my truck's battery. Somtimes I've got to start the Jeep for a few minutes to top off the battery, but it's never more than a couple of minutes for a whole race-day.

I'm thinking a generator woud be quite a bit more expensive. On the other hand, so is everything else in this hobby!!! :p