Before I bought a EHU(not off ebay, Thanks GT I didn't die) I used my 150w inverter to charge my laptop, mobile phone & spare camera battries(whilst driving around) no problems with flat car battries. It worked out cheaper than buying one of those multi connectors from Maplin. Someone can have mine for a 10 quid donation to The British Heart Foundation. It would cost about 3 quid to post, I'll pay.
I wouldn't even think of using it for a
Playstation
Computer
Slow Cooker
Microwave
Mains kettle
Unless I had.... a wild battery bank 10 X 110 Ah YOU had me going there for a minute!
I have a 300 w inverter which we've used to run a dvd player, charge mobile phones & shavers. (Our small b&w telly has a cigarette lighter plug anyway.)
Also used it a couple of times for the slow cooker (115w), the 85 aph battery lasted just long enough to do the curry. Only did that on a Sunday as I knew I could recharge it when we got home, bit of an experiment really.
I'd say now it was an expensive toy I could do without, bought it mainly so I could charge the phone when away more than a couple of days without EHU. It would probably have been better just to get a charger for the phone with a cigarette lighter plug.
Post last edited on 21/06/2005 23:26:39
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
Well I am happy with the 150w inverter and can see some use for it when on sites without EHU using a 100Ah battery. As a few of you know I am looking to get a camper van conversion underway, so just got a 650w inverter, now the question is how much will it take out of the battery runing at different loads upto the max 650w and do I need to build in more battery capacity like George, well not that many but a few extra?
If it were consuming 60W at 240v it would be showing 1/4 amp consumption at 240V
If you were measuring the 12v Supply to an invertor it would be showing aprox 5.5 Amps, Thats 60 divided by 12v then addd 10% for invertor inefficiencies.
I know that 12v is not actually spot on 12volts and 240v could be anything from 220 to 255 depending on where and when you measure it.
Hi Caz
Phone chargers cost £20 and only useful for a particular phone, would be no good at all for dvd or any other appliance, But a 150w Invertor (which would cover all the stuff you named costs £15, a 300 watt usually under £30) and covers all the mains articles you mention and far more besides.
Quote: Originally posted by jockthescot on 21/06/2005
Before I bought a EHU(not off ebay, Thanks GT I didn't die) I used my 150w inverter to charge my laptop, mobile phone & spare camera battries(whilst driving around) no problems with flat car battries. It worked out cheaper than buying one of those multi connectors from Maplin. Someone can have mine for a 10 quid donation to The British Heart Foundation. It would cost about 3 quid to post, I'll pay. Jockthescot
I would be quite happy to pay the BHF a £10 donation for your inverter as this is a charity we support strongly. I have been looking to get an inverter from Ebay just to charge up our phones and camera batteries (LI 12B) while away without EHU.
Why can the Modified sine wave inverters damage rechargeable batteries ?
I got the information from a disclaimer in the packaging, with a reasonable quality inverter.
Maybe they were covering all eventualities
MODIFIED SINE WAVE is a sales term used for a modified square wave type of AC power which is not quite the same as power company electricity. Modified wave inverters are lowest cost, slightly more efficient, and almost all appliances work fine with them, though some may hum louder. But a few sewing machine speed controls have difficulty on modified sine wave. It can also damage photocopy machines, laser printers, and some cordless tool rechargers. Recently we found the first TV that would not run on any modified wave inverter. Battery chargers in some modified waveform inverters may require the highest quality generator (about $3000 and up) to charge effectively, or addition of a 10% voltage boost transformer.
POWER QUALITY -- SINE WAVE vs. "MODIFIED SINE WAVE" Some inverters produce "cleaner" power than others. Simply stated, "sine wave" is clean; anything else is dirty. A sine wave has a naturally smooth geometry, like the track of a swinging pendulum. It is the ideal form of AC power. The utility grid produces sine wave power in its generators and (normally) delivers it to the customer relatively free of distortion. A sine wave inverter can deliver cleaner, more stable power than most grid connections. How clean is a "sine wave"? The manufacturer may use the terms "pure" or "true" to imply a low degree of distortion. The facts are included in the inverter's specifications. Total harmonic distortion (THD) lower than 6 percent should satisfy normal home requirements. Look for less than 3 percent if you have unusually critical electronics, as in a recording studio for example. Other specs are important too. RMS voltage regulation keeps your lights steady. It should be plus or minus 5 percent or less. Peak voltage (Vp) regulation needs to be plus or minus 10 percent or less. A "modified sine wave" inverter is less expensive, but it produces a distorted square waveform that resembles the track of a pendulum being slammed back and forth by hammers. In truth, it isn't a sine wave at all. The misleading term "modified sine wave" was invented by advertising people. Engineers prefer to call it "modified square wave." The "modified sine wave" has detrimental effects on many electrical loads. It reduces the energy efficiency of motors and transformers by 10 to 20 percent. The wasted energy causes abnormal heat which reduces the reliability and longevity of motors and transformers and other devices, including some appliances and computers. The choppy waveform confuses some digital timing devices. About 5 percent of household appliances simply won't work on modified sine wave power at all. A buzz will be heard from the speakers of nearly every audio device. An annoying buzz will also be emitted by some fluorescent lights, ceiling fans, and transformers. Some microwave ovens buzz or produce less heat. TVs and computers often show rolling lines on the screen. Surge protectors may overheat and should not be used. Modified sine wave inverters were tolerated in the 1980s, but since then, true sine wave inverters have become more efficient and more affordable. Some people compromise by using a modified wave inverter to run their larger power tools or other occasional heavy loads, and a small sine wave inverter to run their smaller, more frequent, and more sensitive loads. Modified wave inverters in renewable energy systems have started fading into history.
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Topic: Inverters, do you use one?
