Sine v.s. Mod square wave inverter

[PaulM2]

A modified squarewave inverter To run a tv,vcr,sat.reciver,dvd player,a couple lights and home PC,(possibly an oscillating fan) does anyone have any problem with buzz or overheating? I'm thinking of getting a sinewave inverter because I know everything will act normally. I already have a free 600w cheap mod sq.wave inverter. It isn't hooked up as a permantent system as I will later. But if I want to run my freezer also, would you say get a sine wave inverter?

[BT Humble]

A modified squarewave inverter To run a tv,vcr,sat.reciver,dvd player,a couple lights and home PC,(possibly an oscillating fan) does anyone have any problem with buzz or overheating? I'm thinking of getting a sinewave inverter because I know everything will act normally. I already have a free 600w cheap mod sq.wave inverter. It isn't hooked up as a permantent system as I will later. But if I want to run my freezer also, would you say get a sine wave inverter?

I use a couple of mod square wave inverters.  The fridge runs just fine, and when I was running a freezer it was also OK.  I have a small fan but for some reason it runs very slowly.  Most of my power tools work perfectly well, the only exceptions being those that need more power than the inverter can deliver.  The TV makes a bit of audio buzzing, but I can live with it.  some CFL lights also buzz a little bit, but perhaps I'm only noticing it because I'm in a caravan with the lights 2" above my head?

The only item that absolutely refuses to work is my electric razor, because it's an auto-voltage-sensing type that theoretically can be used anywhere in the world (110-120-220-230VAC).  This is particularly saddening to me, because I really hate shaving with a blade. ;-)

BTH

[ghurd]

BTH

The razor seems very strange to me.  Any info or keywords about the razor?

(get a rechargable?)

Paul,

Almost everything works on a modified sine wave, if the surge is enough.

G-

[quest01]

I find that I get a lot of static in my phone line with a square mod wave inverter, which is bad for my computer dial up connection.

[halfcrazy]

the rule on items that have transformers i was told is if the transformer plugs into the outlet its ok if it has a regular cord like a dewalt charger dont plug it in. i can attest to the dewalt charger i let the smoke out of mine on a modified sine wave.

[srnoth]

Hi there,

I don't know about some of those cordless tools chargers. Never tried one. Anyway, these are the things that I have run on a MSW inverter (AIMS 800W cont 2000W peak MSW):

*Florescent Lights - I have never noticed a flicker with these, but they do run a bit dimmer than when on Grid power.

*CFLs - Work great.

*Desktop Computers - No problems. No lines on the monitor or anything like that. Make sure the inverter is big enough though, because those bigger monitors (17" and up) seem to use quite a lot of power to start up.

*Laptop computers - No problems.

*DSL Modems/Routers etc - These use those 'wall-wart' plug in adapters, and most work fine. The only problem I had was that the adapter my DSL modem came with would not work with the MSW. As soon as I switched from grid to inverter, it would turn off. I checked the voltage, and instead of 12v I was getting less than 8. Strange. Anyway, I replaced it with one of those really cheap adjustable ones from the local electronics store, and it works fine on the inverter now.

*27" TV - works fine. No lines or buzz or anything under normal use. However, when I started to heavily load the inverter, to almost full, and the input voltage dropped to around 11v, black lines started running down the screen. Turned it off after that. Anyway, found that the cables I was using to connect the inverter to the battery were too small, so the voltage was only about 10.5v at the terminals on the inverter! So, replaced the cables with bigger ones and it works fine now.

*Household Fans - Worked fine. Made a bit more noise and ran a bit slower, but didn't overheat or anything.

*Handheld drill - No problems at all.

*Stereo equipment - Hardly any buzz. Not noticeable once any music was playing.

*Fax machine - I have a relatively old (10 years) Canon fax machine, and when plugged into the inverter, it makes a buzzing sound, which was not coming from the speakers. It worked ok, but I felt uneasy about the buzz, so I decided I could do without it when the grid went down.

*Cordless phone - no problems.

I am hoping to be able to run my fridge of the inverter, but I haven't tried it yet. From what people say here though, it should work.

Hope that helps,

Cheers,

Stephen.

[BT Humble]

BTH

The razor seems very strange to me.  Any info or keywords about the razor?

It's an older (~1988) Phillips Philishave.  I think the problem is that because of the non-sinusoidal waveform it can't detect what voltage the supply is running at, and so it just "fails to proceed".

(get a rechargable?)

Grow a beard! ;-)

BTH

[Tom in NH]

My inverter runs a modified sine wave, which is the same as a modified square wave, I presume. It powers the blowers and ignition on my propane heaters and tankless hot water heater, and the ignition on my propane kitchen range. The blower motors are noisier when I run them from the inverter compared to grid power. I once had one of those flourescent twist bulbs running off the inverter and it made a very slight buzz. The only other problem is the clock on my kitchen range runs fast on the inverter, real fast, like 4 minutes a day fast. That's a pain.  --Tom

[ghurd]

I hooked up dozens of Dewalts to Mod sin wave inverters with no problems, except most of them call for 246 watts.  (Makitas take 32w, and I have a 8w Black&Decker)

Most trouble is with Makitas, some are picky, but none ever smoked.

G-

[wiredwrong]

try plugging a lamp at the same time as the razor, I had a desk fan that would only run with something else pluged in with it.