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Old 02-17-10, 01:50 AM   #1
kbhale
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Default Inverter Modified sine wave

If I plug something into a Modified sine wave inverter and it works should I worry about it. Or should I think, it works and no worries.
I plugged a TV and Microwave in tonight and both worked.

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Old 03-30-10, 07:21 AM   #2
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I read a book, "The People's Guide to Basic Solar Power" that talks about home-brewed small solar power setups. In it the author discusses the cheap inverters and the slightly more expensive (modified sine wave) inverters and he saw no problem with using them. Some products that use electric motors won't run as quietly as with a pure sine wave inverter, but he claimed that he'd not had any trouble with these cheaper inverters and had been using them for years. That said, I have a cheap inverter and I use it (only occasionally) for whatever I need to power.
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Old 03-31-18, 02:50 PM   #3
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I have just started looking for one of the newer 99% efficient inverters now available. I have this older 600w/ 1200 peak modified sine wave inverter but its peak efficiency is just 80%.
I refuse to live with a 20% loss over a few hundred bucks so am searching for one of the new 96 - 99% inverters being offered.

With luck they make these in the smaller watt sizes


100% efficient inverter: 175,000 kWh, $31,489 value (7000 kWh X $0.13 X 2.6% X 25 years)

98% efficient: 171,500 kWh, $30,859 value loss of $630 compared to imaginary 100% efficient inverter)

96% efficient: 168,000 kWh, $30,229 value (loss of $1,260)

80% efficient: 140,000 kWh, $25,191 value loss of $6,298

Notice the the reduced KWh between a 98% model and the 80% version
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Old 04-01-18, 12:07 AM   #4
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Motors generally don't mind square waves - even the Prius drives the motors with square waves at high speed, where road noise completely drowns out any motor noise that would be produced.

The longer answer has to do with the inductive time constant of the motor. The inductance will tend to round off the current to be more like a sine wave. If that's not enough, the sharp edges make vibration and noise. High end 3D printers are now starting to use sine wave drive, since they often operate at low enough frequencies that no motor would be inductive enough to smooth it out.
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Old 04-01-18, 11:05 AM   #5
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Currently the old Xantrex portawattz 600 I have manual says it will power TV's power tools up to 5A and a host of other other devices , the conversions losses make it a poor choice for Solar not so bad for intermittent automotive use not so good for 24-7 use.
12v will not work in my case I need a 48v inverter

I found the 93% versions to be too pricey so far but did find a cheap 1000w 90% version for $166 ca. same brand 1500w / 2000w versions for $217 & $254 via Amazon.ca

Xijia




48V DC Input to 120V AC Output Conversion efficiency: 90%
1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Peak power 2000w ; True Pure Sine Wave
Display Input voltage and Output Voltage
Over voltage, under voltage and overload protections
1 year warranty


Going to keep scouring the web with luck find a higher quality model I can afford.

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