Using Pro power in the bed for an electric blanket?

[Hammick]

So, the latest test with the blanket was to use the frunk outlets. It worked! I didn't need to plug other things in, didn't need a surge protector or anything else. It was standalone plugged in and worked. So, question now is, can I get it to work in the back or do I need to get a different blanket? I'm going to get a surge protector and see if that works.

I think you will need a different blanket. Of the three power conditioners I own only the biggest, heaviest and most expensive one worked for our oven. Some electronics just don't like that rear inverter.

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[Brandaman37]

@Brandaman37, did you have any success testing this more? I have exactly the same blanket with the same issue. Looking for a different blanket that just works.

So, final outcome... blanket works in the frunk if you plug it in. Blanket doesnt work in the bed of the truck, no matter what. Multiple sources of power, surge protector, extension cord, etc etc. Light works back there, blanket refuses to work lol. Tried 2 prong cords, 3 prong cords, nothing seemed to allow the blanket to work. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm willing to.give it a try or if I missed something, feel free to let me know. I'm quite perplexed with this whole situation lol like, I guess I could run an extra cord to the back of the truck, but is that really the only way to run this blanket? That's crazy! Appreciate all the responses and feed back! Ill be around all day and week to try other things if there's any other ideas

 

[vtbound]

So, final outcome... blanket works in the frunk if you plug it in. Blanket doesnt work in the bed of the truck, no matter what. Multiple sources of power, surge protector, extension cord, etc etc. Light works back there, blanket refuses to work lol. Tried 2 prong cords, 3 prong cords, nothing seemed to allow the blanket to work. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm willing to.give it a try or if I missed something, feel free to let me know. I'm quite perplexed with this whole situation lol like, I guess I could run an extra cord to the back of the truck, but is that really the only way to run this blanket? That's crazy! Appreciate all the responses and feed back! Ill be around all day and week to try other things if there's any other ideas

Do you know if anyone has found a brand that does work? I can easily return mine so not a big deal to swap to a different brand or style.

 

[Scorpio3d]

So, final outcome... blanket works in the frunk if you plug it in. Blanket doesnt work in the bed of the truck, no matter what. Multiple sources of power, surge protector, extension cord, etc etc. Light works back there, blanket refuses to work lol. Tried 2 prong cords, 3 prong cords, nothing seemed to allow the blanket to work. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm willing to.give it a try or if I missed something, feel free to let me know. I'm quite perplexed with this whole situation lol like, I guess I could run an extra cord to the back of the truck, but is that really the only way to run this blanket? That's crazy! Appreciate all the responses and feed back! Ill be around all day and week to try other things if there's any other ideas

Did you try to plug it in on the inside of the truck, front seat or backseat? If that works, you might be able to stretch it through the “beer can window” if you are trying to use it in the bed of the truck.

 

[vtbound]

That was a good idea, I just tested the outlet in the cabin and since it is the same inverter as the frunk it worked just fine. That's a totally adequate solution for me as running it through the back window is easy.

 

[Brandaman37]

Did you try to plug it in on the inside of the truck, front seat or backseat? If that works, you might be able to stretch it through the “beer can window” if you are trying to use it in the bed of the truck.

Worked like a charm!! Beer can window for the win lmao

 

[Scorpio3d]

Worked like a charm!! Beer can window for the win lmao

Awesome!!!

 

[DXD]

Is it too much power?

 

[Brandaman37]

Is it too much power?

It sounds like the inverters in the bed doesn't like certain things? The work around is use the lutlet inside the vehicle or the frunk. Not sure what the specifics are though.

 

[chl]

The rectifiers built into many modern, cheap electric blankets (and many motor controllers for tools like dremels) cannot operate properly on modified sine wave power. The Lightning's Pro Power inverters are apparently pure sine wave inverters (there's a thread on this site about it), so it's not likely to be that specific issue.

Yes, your first paragraph is exactly the problem I believe:

An electric blanket might not work on generator power [or the ProPower on-board DC-to-AC inverter power] because a pure sine wave inverter is typically needed to reliably power an electric blanket from a generator - "modified sine wave" electricity can disrupt the heating elements in the blanket, causing it to not function properly or even damage it.

Waveform issues:
Standard household power provides a smooth "sine wave" electricity, while many generators produce a "modified sine wave" which can cause fluctuations in power delivery, impacting sensitive appliances like electric blankets

Solutions:

• Use a pure sine wave inverter:
  Connect your generator to a pure sine wave inverter which will convert the modified sine wave to a standard household power, allowing your electric blanket to work properly.

There might be a plug in filter that could smooth out the wave form and make it work...

A "plug-in filter" for a modified sine wave output is typically called a "sine wave filter" which is designed to smooth out the jagged edges of a modified sine wave, making it more closely resemble a pure sine wave by filtering out the harmonic distortions, allowing sensitive electronics to operate properly when powered by a modified sine wave inverter.

They are essentially low-pass filters made with inductors. Haven't seen them around for years though, except built in to power strips as line conditioners: https://www.amazon.com/Furman-SS6B-Power-Conditioner/dp/B0002D017M

There have been other tools people said didn't work with the PPOB and my theory has always been it is because of the noise created by the DC-AC inverters in the Lightning.

 

[chl]

So, final outcome... blanket works in the frunk if you plug it in. Blanket doesnt work in the bed of the truck, no matter what. Multiple sources of power, surge protector, extension cord, etc etc. Light works back there, blanket refuses to work lol. Tried 2 prong cords, 3 prong cords, nothing seemed to allow the blanket to work. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm willing to.give it a try or if I missed something, feel free to let me know. I'm quite perplexed with this whole situation lol like, I guess I could run an extra cord to the back of the truck, but is that really the only way to run this blanket? That's crazy! Appreciate all the responses and feed back! Ill be around all day and week to try other things if there's any other ideas

I guess the DC-AC inverter in the bed is noisier than the one in the Frunk.
A line conditioner might solve that problem.

Anyone put an oscilloscope on the bed power?

 

[GoodSam]

oscilloscope on the bed power

This is it!
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...e-wave-inverter-and-the-power-is-clean.12705/

More details on the Pro Power system (sensitive GFCI?) that might apply to our situation of certain items not powering up:
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f4...iplus-incompatibility-252488.html#post2738359

 

[chl]

This is it!
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...e-wave-inverter-and-the-power-is-clean.12705/

More details on the Pro Power system (sensitive GFCI?) that might apply to our situation of certain items not powering up:
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f4...iplus-incompatibility-252488.html#post2738359

1) Well I think there are two possibilities:
a) maybe the OP has a bad inverter on the bed circuits - OP said the blanket worked on the front outlets but not the back.

OR

b) The first link said the bed outlets were pure sine wave on that truck and posted an oscilloscope image - however it was hard to really tell just how clean the output was from the image. I think to really see how sinusoidal the output is, the scale of the oscilloscope should be widened. Some modified sine waves can appear to be "clean" at one scale but on closer inspection the small steps can be seen. Some modified sine waves are cleaner than others.

[EDIT: or maybe the truck he has is not 9.6kW ProPower, but the 7.2Kw version with only one inverter? Does the 7.2Kw provide 120vac outlets in the bed?]

2) The second link is a long winded explanation of the problem when the neutrals are bonded (grounded) in two places, source and load, which causes a GFCI trip. But the OP here did not have a GFCI trip as far as we can tell from the posts. Other people HAVE had the GFCI trip when using tools, like a Dremmel which I believe is RF noise created by the tool causing a current to be induced in the hot/or neutral detected as a ground fault current.

So I still think the problem is a dirty sine wave from the bed inverter and it could be because the inverter that powers the bed circuits is bad and should be replaced under warranty. Or maybe the bed inverter by design does not produce as perfect a sine wave as the front circuit inverter - I am not convinced yet by the first link that the sine wave from the bed is "clean."

Since the blanket works fine with the Frunk circuits it has to be the rear circuit inverter is the problem.

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