Frequency FAQ of power inverter

Q2: How is an inverter different than a UPS?

A: A UPS typically includes the inverter, battery and battery charger in one stand-alone unit.However, there are some UPS that use external batteries.

UPS also can have communication with the equipment that it is powering, which lets the equipment know that it is operating on standby, giving it shutdown warning, or communicating with the human in the loop. Inverters typically don’t have this communication.

Q3: What is the difference between sine wave and modified sine wave?

A: Alternating current (AC) has a continuously varying voltage that swings from positive to negative.
This has great advantages in power transmission over long distances.
Power fr om your power company is carefully regulated to be a perfect sine wave, because that is what naturally comes out of a generator, and also because sine waves radiate the least amount of radio power during long distance transmission.
On the other hand, a sine wave is expensive to make in an inverter, and many sine wave techniques use heavy, inefficient transformers. The most inexpensive way to make AC is to switch the DC on and off–a square wave.
A modified sine wave is scientifically designed to simulate a sine wave in the most important respects so that it will work for most appliances.
It consists of a flat plateau of positive voltage, dropping abruptly to zero for a while, then dropping again to a flat plateau of negative voltage, back to zero for a while, then returning to the positive voltage.

This pause at zero volts puts more power into the 60HZ fundamental than a simple square wave does, so it is called “modified sine wave” instead of “square wave.”
Because the MOSFETs only have to turn completely on and completely off the dissipate he least amount of heat for the power generated, and so smaller semiconductors and heat sinks are needed than if you were trying to generate a real sine wave.

Q4: Can I use a modified sine wave inverter for my medical equipment?

A: For Medical equipment, oxygen generators, etc. talk to the manufacturer of the equipment. Our engineers suggest you choose BRIDNA pure sine wave inverter,However,BRIDNA inverters are never tested or rated with medical equipment,and we don’t guarantee that they will work to save your life. For such applications please find inverters that are rated and tested for such applications.

Q5: How do I know if I need a pure sine wave inverter, or if I can live with a modified sine wave?

A: The following gadgets work well with a modified sine wave: electric blankets, computers, motor-driven appliances, toasters, coffee makers, most stereos, ink jet printers, refrigerators, TVs, VCRs, many microwave ovens, etc.
Appliances that are known to have problems with the modified sine wave are some digital clocks, some battery chargers, most light dimmers, some battery operated gadgets that recharge in an AC receptacle, some chargers for hand tools ;
In the case of hand tools, the problem chargers usually have a warning label stating that dangerous voltages are present at the battery terminals when charging.

Q6: How should I select the right size inverter?

A: First add up the power ratings of all the appliances, then buy the next larger inverter!
Note that some appliances, such as table saws, refrigerators, and microwaves have a surge requirement.
BRIDNA inverters are designed to supply such surges, but since every appliance has its own requirements sometimes you will need to get a bigger inverter than you would otherwise think.
Note that the inverter isn’t the only consideration when you are pondering the mysteries of start-up surges.
The battery must also be able to supply the surge power, and the cables must be able to supply the increased current without dropping the voltage too much.

Q7: How is a microwave rated for wattage?

A: When you buy a microwave oven you want to know how intense the microwave field is, not how much the oven draws from the wall.
So a microwave oven that boasts 600 watts on the box, it will have an input requirement of 1200 watts on the boilerplate in the back. So please must use it with high efficiency conversion pure sine wave inverter.BRIDNA pure sine wave inverter could load the microwave oven without any problems.

Q: Why do I need such humongous cables to the battery when a small cord takes the AC output fine?

A: Power is volts times amps (Watts = V x A).
So if you have a lot of voltage you don’t need many amps to get a watt. Roughly you need 12 times as much current fr om the 12 volt battery as you need fr om the 110 volt AC outlet.
Current is what causes cables to heat up, not voltage. That is why they use thousands of volts in long distance power transmission grids. The thing to do when you have lots of current is to lower the resistance of the cable.The larger the wire the lower the resistance. Think of the cable as a water pipe. A big pipe (wire) can carry more water (current or amperage) with less pressure (voltage), and will present less pressure (voltage) drop fr om one end of the pipe to the other.Another consideration is how far the cable has to run from the battery to the inverter. Long cable runs are expensive, either in copper or efficiency, or both.

Q8: Should I use aluminum wire, or must I use copper?

A: Aluminum is cheaper and lighter, but it also has higher resistance for a given gauge, and is more difficult to connect to. If you are an expert in such things, or know one, and need the advantages that aluminum gives, go ahead. If not, why not use the best conductor, copper? (Silver is slightly better, but it is cheaper to use a larger diameter copper).All BRIDNA pure sine wave inverters including two copper wire battery cables.
Make sure to use good insulation, 90°C rated or better. Also, running two sets of parallel wires instead of one large one can cut down on the wire heating due to more surface area.

Q9: Should I use a laser printer with an inverter?

A: Only if you must. Laser printers use up a surprising amount of power (due to the heated fusing rollers), and will discharge your battery faster than you expect, even on standby.
If you do, make sure the inverter is rated for the power of the printer plus computer plus monitor.
It doesn’t do any good to have your computer brown out as soon as the the printer starts to print. Ink jet printers, on the other hand, use a surprisingly low amount of power.