I've been trying to run an Xbox360 in a 2007 Town and Country van and had to connect my 400W inverter to the battery in order for it to power up. Connecting to the cigarette lighter was a no go as the xbox kept switching off during the boot phase. My question is how can I run the jumper cables from the inverter (which is inside the cabin) to the battery
under the hood. Is there anyway the cables can be run through under the dashboard from inside the car to the battery ?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Does it really require a 400 watt inverter? Have used 150 watt inverters for laptops though they have batteries.

Which outlet are you using in the van.. have you tried different outlets? Are you having the problem when the van is running or off?

 

Found this on another site.. which might be your problem using a 400w model

"Used near the 400W output, an inverter will draw 35 to 40 Amps from
the battery. This requires mounting very close to the battery and with
large-gauge cabling. Anything less, and the input voltage will drop to
the point where excessive heating is likely, causing the fan to run
continuously or the inverter to turn off. Lower-powered inverters
without a fan will simply turn off at a higher input voltage, but can
be run at their lower output from a 12V socket."

 

Thanks for the info. I managed to connect a 400w inverter to the power source
under the dash which has a picture of a battery on it, and it powers the xbox 360. I am using another small 10 inch LCD screen which uses a little power off another cigarette lighter source.