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Cobra CPI 1575 1500 Watt 12 Volt DC to 120 Volt AC Power Inverter | 
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| Brand: Cobra
Category: Automotive Parts and Accessories
Department: Car Audio & Video
List Price: $189.95
Buy New: $95.00
as of 9/10/2010 12:11:52 EDT details
You Save: $94.95 (50%)
New (28) Used (1) from $93.99
Rating:  55 reviews
Media: Automotive
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Battery: None
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.9
Dimensions (in): 3.3 x 8.8 x 9.4
MPN: CPI 1575
Model: CPI 1575
UPC: 028377312694
EAN: 0028377312694
ASIN: B00126IDDC
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 1500 Watts Continuous Power, 3000 Watts Peak Power | | • | Three grounded AC receptacles and 5-Volt USB output | | • | LED function/status meter | | • | Remote on/off capable for easy control when installed out of reach | | • | Two-year limited warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
This inverter provides household power on the go. It converts battery power to 120 V AC household power, allowing you to power up office equipment and household appliances from your vehicle. This unit is ideal for such appliances as microwave ovens (1000 watts or less), coffeemakers, laptops, TVs, video game consoles, CD and DVD players, cell phone chargers, and more.  Power equipment and appliances from your vehicle. Click to enlarge. |  Great for automobiles, RVs, boats, tractors, trucks, and more. Click to enlarge. |  Includes three grounded AC receptacles and 5-volt USB output. Click to enlarge. | How The Cobra Power Inverter Works
The Cobra power inverter is an electronic product that has been designed and built to take low-voltage DC (Direct Current) power from your automobile or other low-voltage power supplies and convert it to standard 115 volt AC (Alternating Current) power like the current you have in your home. This conversion process thereby allows you to use many of your household appliances and electronic products in automobiles, RVs, boats, tractors, trucks, and virtually anywhere else. Cobra 1500 Watt Output Waveform
Some very sensitive electronic equipment might not operate satisfactorily on "square wave" or "modified sine wave" power. The output waveform of the Cobra Inverter is a "square wave" or "modified sine wave." It is a stepped waveform designed to have characteristics similar to the sine wave shape of utility power. A waveform of this nature is suitable for most AC loads, including linear and switching power suppliers used in electronic equipment, transformers, and motors. AC receptacles
With three ground AC receptacles, you can connect and power multiple devices at once. USB Output
The 5-Volt USB output allows charging and operation of modern portable devices, such as iPods, BlackBerrys, and cell phones. Remote On/Off Switch Capable
An optional Remote On/Off Switch can be connected to the Remote Jack, allowing you to turn the Cobra power inverter on or off from a convenient location when the inverter is installed out of reach. Safety Features
The CPI 1575 will notify you with a flashing meter and alarm sound when there is a power problem, and will shut down for protection in the following situations: - Current Overload Protection--If the inverter is overloaded, it will shut down to protect itself.
- Short Circuit Protection--If the AC output of the inverter is short-circuited for one second or more, it will shut down to protect itself.
- Low Voltage Protection--If the input voltage drops to 10.0V or less, the inverter will shut down to protect itself.
- High Voltage Protection--If the DC input voltage rises above 15.0V, the inverter will shut down to protect itself.
- Over Temperature Protection--If the internal temperature rises to 40 degrees C (104 degrees F), the inverter will shut down to protect itself.
What's in the Box
CPI 1575 DC to AC Power Inverter, instruction manual
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
 Works Great March 22, 2009
D. Jean (Orem, UT)
57 out of 58 found this review helpful
This product works great, I have a microwave, flatscreen tv, and a toaster i hook up to it and there is no problems. One thing I wish would have been mentioned somewhere is that you need to purchase a 150 amp inline fuse to put in the power wire from the battery to the inverter. So plan on getting one of those and have it ready so you can install it. I didnt know about it and spent some time in North Dakota trying to find one. Enjoy.
12VDC Wire size and fuse considerations October 4, 2009
D. Warwick (NC USA)
58 out of 62 found this review helpful
This review is in response to some comments regarding wire and fuse size selections for this inverter and others like it.
In response to other review quoting a table from the National Electric Code (NEC). While the table that was posted is correct for 115VAC (household voltage) is does not translate directly to 12VDC (automotive voltage). When dealing with a 12 volt system there is less concern with wires overheating, at least in the way that the NEC considers it, and far more concern with voltage drop. When running wiring a reasonable distance (a couple hundred feet or so) there is little concern with voltage drop with AC power. But when dealing with DC, simply increasing your wiring distance 5-10' can have a drastic effect on voltage drop. That is why this inverter should be wired with, at the very least, #4 wire and really should be installed with #2 or thicker, especially if you need to run wire 15 or 20 feet or more.
The purpose of a fuse in a DC system is to protect the rest of your electrical system in the event of a short. That is why you always want to install your fuse as close to the battery as possible (no more then 3' if you can help it). As far as the amperage goes, there is a really good quick reference chart for automotive wire size that can be found at Tessco's web site here:[Turns out I can't link to an outside page so I'll paste the contents of the table at the bottom]. But to boil it down, you can safely fuse a 12VDC circuit at 150, or 200 amps, or more on #4, #2 or #0 wire.
Now this unit at full load is something like 85% efficient. So if you do the math -- 1500 Watts / 12 Volts / .85 efficiency = ~147 amps, A 150 AMP FUSE IS REQUIRED. If you take peak power into account you would need to double that to a 300 amp fuse, but because the inverter cannot run at peak power for more then a moment, a slow-blow 150amp fuse may work just fine, or perhaps you could step up a 200amp. I wouldn't go all the way to a 300 amp fuse unless you really found that you needed it and had the inverted is wired in such a way that it could handle that level current (read: installed using very heavy gauge wire). Now if your vehicle is running while your inverter is working the amperage will be a little lower because your dealing with 14.4 VDC rather then 12 volts (watts = volts x amps -or- amps = watts / volts). But at the very least, a 150 amp ANL fuse is very good idea and not at all over sized.
Just a FYI on fuses, most car stereos are installed with AGU style fuses, but they only go up to 100 amps.
You will need an ANL style fuse to get one rated at 150 amps or more. See these links for examples:
Kicker 09ANL150 150 Amp ROHS Compliant ANL Fuse - Package of 2
Scosche EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holder
Wire Gauge Selection Table 12 Volt Circuit
Wire Distance
AMPS 3' 5' 7' 10' 15' 20' 25'
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<5 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
6 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
7 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
8 18 18 18 18 18 16 16
10 18 18 18 18 16 16 16
11 18 18 18 18 16 16 14
12 18 18 18 18 16 16 14
15 18 18 18 18 14 14 12
18 18 18 16 16 14 14 12
20 18 18 16 16 14 12 10
22 18 18 16 16 12 12 10
24 18 18 16 16 12 12 10
30 18 16 16 14 10 10 10
40 18 16 14 12 10 10 8
50 16 14 12 12 10 10 8
100 12 12 10 10 6 6 4
150 10 10 8 8 4 4 2
200 10 8 8 6 4 4 2
Excellent May 24, 2009
T. Serra
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
The inverter is working for me exactly as described and as I hoped. I drive a truck and have it installed to replace an older, smaller model. I run a number of things including my laptop, external speakers, printer, TV and a coffee pot. The low input warning works great, and will shut down the inverter if necessary. I will be adding things soon, such as a microwave.
The meter is a great feature which lets me see how much power is being drawn by each device attached as well as the input voltage.
I highly recommend this inverter.
it works lol November 30, 2008
le0527 (Clarks Summit, Pa.)
32 out of 35 found this review helpful
I bought this unit to create a back up system for my home hot water steam heat radiator system. We are experiencing more and more power outages during our harsh winter months, and although we have natural gas and the pilot stays on during an electrical outage, there is a small gas valve that needs 25 volts of power to open to allow the gas to be lite by the pilot. There is a standard 120 line going to a small transformer that reduces the voltage on the furnance and without power no heat. BRRRRRRR lol, anyway talked with our plumber when he serviced the unit this year and we came up with the idea of an inverter to do the job. Amazon delivered the unit in 3 days, came well packed, and didn't take long to read the directions and figure out how to operate it. I have 3 vechicles and 2 extra batterys so I decided this was a better way to go than a generator, didnt want the smell, gasoline, or fumes. Have small trickle charger for the battery and when we hear a storm is on the way we will charge up the battery to be sure we have full charge, have operated the furnance unit for 30 minutes and IT WORKS OFF THE INVERTER MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, and the draw was so low the battery didnt lose any power during the 30 minute test. Also tested a house lamp with a 100 watt bulb and it ran for 30 minutes also with almost no lost of battery power. The unit looks good, is relatively silent, and does what it promises to do. I LOVE IT. My only comment is you need to be aware that it does not come with any cables to hook up to the battery, I split a pair of heavy duty jumper cables that I had laying around and use them. Short of that it is well worth the money, and I look forward to using the unit on remote job sites to power my electrical tools during the spring and summer. Again an excellent product.
I have 25 of these, each one running a laser printer July 10, 2009
J. Powlus (Reading, PA USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have purchased 25 of these for one purpose: running laser printers in our sales team's vans. As you may or may not know, laser printers draw quite a few watts when they are warming up, so I wasn't even sure if these would do the trick. They always say you should have a power inverter with quite a few more watts available than you intend to use, so that's what I did.
This thing powers those laser printers without even breaking a sweat. I've had other inverters that are of much lower quality, and even a moderate draw on them causes the fans to kick into high gear, making it sound like a vacuum cleaner is running.
When it comes to electronics like this, my first impression is how heavy they are. Heavier (generally) = better quality... and these weigh a few pounds, nice and sturdy.
UPDATE: I had problems with 2 of the 25 units and Cobra sent out replacements ASAP, no questions asked. Excellent support.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
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