Since getting a caravan, I’ve been looking at various ways of running equipment and devices, in the event that I don’t have access to electric hookup (EHU). It is actually rare that I am likely to camp without EHU, but I found the idea interesting nonetheless. As a follower of the BTCC, it is likely I will stay at UK race circuits with the caravan in coming years, and many of their basic facilities are likely to not provide EHU. I do enjoy tent camping also, so one day I may still camp with a tent, and require power. There is also the likelihood of the occasional power-outage at home, and being able to run the cordless phone, a light or two, and the TV and Freesat box would be useful, as well as the broadband router and some phone chargers !

I’ve recently bought a  cheap Chinese 2-Stroke generator for little over £30 on ebay which can play a part in this project, but the problem with generators, and this “el-cheapo” generator in particular, is that they can be noisy, and often provide “dirty” power. I could run a lawnmower, or a drill etc, and maybe devices with mains transformers, like laptops etc., but I wouldn’t really risk a TV or other sensitive electronic devices on the genny directly, at least not unless the power adapter is cheap to replace.  Likewise plugging a cheap genny into the caravan directly could damage the Zig charger, or other parts of the 240v system, or appliances connected to it. I would rather run 240v devices via a  portable power system (in the case of my “project”, this is most likely a deep cycle battery, such as a leisure battery, and a 240v inverter) as this ought to provide a cleaner power  supply, there are other advantages:

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