After the decision to buy the Samlex 450w inverter, it was a matter of ordering on-line. I received the SAM-450-12 Modified Sine Wave Inverter this morning and by all means, it’s a fairly small and lightweight device, but that’s to be expected when we’re dealing with these small loads.

No remote start is included, but it has a built-in 2.1A 5V USB outlet, dual 110V outlets, a set of cables with a cigarette lighter plug, a set of cables with battery clips and a readable manual.

No remote start is included, but it has a built-in 2.1A 5V USB outlet, dual 110V outlets, a set of cables with a cigarette lighter plug, a set of cables with battery clips and a readable manual.

This inverter will help me keep my small electronic gadgets charged, while making making short, overnight trips during the first part of the van conversion, basically for phone, camera, tablet and laptop.
I could just plug it in the dashboard 12V outlet, but those are 10A fused, which limits their output to less than 120 watts.

I will use a better solution and connect it to the Customer Connection Point (CCP) on the side and bottom of the driver’s seat of my 2016 Ford Transit cargo van. My van came with one connection point that supports a maximum of 60 Amps (480w), but two more can easily be added to a maximum of 180 Amps (2160w). For now, the one point is sufficient to support the max. output of this inverter.

The negative wire must be grounded to the van. The closest grounding point (GP23) is situated between both front seats, close to where the cargo area starts.

I’ll construct a temporary box that will hold the inverter and place it immediately behind the driver’s seat.

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Pure Sine Wave vs Modified Sine Wave
You can simply ‘Google’ for a detailed technical description of the difference between them, but it all comes down to that a ‘Pure Sine Wave’ signal is very similar to what powers your appliances in your home. ‘Modified Sine Wave’ is just a dirty signal, however one that will power most appliances in your RV at a fraction of the cost of what a ‘Pure Sine’ inverter will set you back.

Some devices just refuse to work on ‘Modified Sine’, like the induction cooktop that I plan to install. When I ultimately create my RV electrical system, it will be based on ‘Pure Sine Wave’ inverter(s).