Scott Brady
Founder
All fixed
Super easy job
Thanks for all of the help and advice
Super easy job
Thanks for all of the help and advice
Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed
- Thread starter Scott Brady
- Start date
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Hank
Guest
I was looking for a smaller inverter to company my larger inverter to use with sensitive electronics, I.E. a laptop. But the inverter you mentioned to run your laptop is a modified sinewave type inverter. Are you sure you want to go that route?
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Considering the laptop powerblock rectifies it right back to DC, does it really matter?
sinuhexavier
Explorer
I know calling names is against the rules, but at the risk of being edited...
NERDS!
NERDS!
Scott Brady
Founder
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Hank
Guest
Dirty power is dirty power.
Although it may be NERDY, a more detailed explanation of why one should be concerned with "modified sinewave" "dirty power" and what that really means, in lay terms, would be very helpful to those of us trying to follow along.
Thanks
Brian
H
Hank
Guest
Explaining "clean power" is super geeky and would take hours to explain in detail. Here is a snip-it from another site.
a) Output voltage wave form is pure sine wave with very low harmonic distortion and clean power like utility-supplied electricity.
b) Inductive loads like microwave ovens and motors run faster, quieter and cooler.
c) Reduces audible and electrical noise in fans, fluorescent lights, audio amplifiers, TV, Game consoles, Fax, and answering machines.
d) Prevents crashes in computers, weird print out, and glitches and noise in monitors.
e) Reliably powers the following devices that will normally not work with modified sine wave inverters:
* Laser printers, photocopiers, magneto-optical hard drives
* Certain laptop computers (you should check with your manufacturer)
* Some fluorescent lights with electronic ballasts
* Power tools employing "solid state" power or variable speed control
* Some battery chargers for cordless tools
* Some new furnaces and pellet stoves with microprocessor control
* Digital clocks with radios
* Sewing machines with speed/microprocessor control
* X-10 home automation system
* Medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators
We carry a full line of Pure Sine Wave Inverters here at DonRowe.com, though most of the inverters we carry are Modified Sine Wave inverters. Modified Sine Wave works well for most uses, and is the most common type of inverter on the market, as well as the most economical. Pure Sine Wave inverters (also called True Sine Wave) are more suited for sensitive electrical or electronic items such as laptop computers, stereos, laser printers, certain specialized applications such as medical equipment, a pellet stove with an internal computer, digital clocks, bread makers with multi-stage timers, and variable speed or rechargeable tools (see "Appliance Cautions" below). If you wish to use those items with an inverter, then choose a Pure Sine Wave inverter. If you mostly want to run lights, TV, microwave oven, tools, etc, a Modified Sine Wave inverter is fine for your needs.
We often are asked if computers will work with Modified Sine Wave. It's been our experience that most (with the exception of some laptops) will work (though some monitors will have interference such as lines or a hum). However, if you have any doubt about any appliance, tool or device, particularly laptop computers and medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, we recommend that you check with its manufacturer to be sure it is compatible with a Modified Sine Wave inverter. If it is not, choose one of our Pure Sine Inverters instead.
The difference between them is the Pure Sine Wave inverter produces a better and cleaner current. They are also considerably more expensive. You might find it practical to get a small Pure Sine Wave inverter for any "special need" you may have, and also a larger Modified Sine Wave inverter for the rest of your applications.
a) Output voltage wave form is pure sine wave with very low harmonic distortion and clean power like utility-supplied electricity.
b) Inductive loads like microwave ovens and motors run faster, quieter and cooler.
c) Reduces audible and electrical noise in fans, fluorescent lights, audio amplifiers, TV, Game consoles, Fax, and answering machines.
d) Prevents crashes in computers, weird print out, and glitches and noise in monitors.
e) Reliably powers the following devices that will normally not work with modified sine wave inverters:
* Laser printers, photocopiers, magneto-optical hard drives
* Certain laptop computers (you should check with your manufacturer)
* Some fluorescent lights with electronic ballasts
* Power tools employing "solid state" power or variable speed control
* Some battery chargers for cordless tools
* Some new furnaces and pellet stoves with microprocessor control
* Digital clocks with radios
* Sewing machines with speed/microprocessor control
* X-10 home automation system
* Medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators
We carry a full line of Pure Sine Wave Inverters here at DonRowe.com, though most of the inverters we carry are Modified Sine Wave inverters. Modified Sine Wave works well for most uses, and is the most common type of inverter on the market, as well as the most economical. Pure Sine Wave inverters (also called True Sine Wave) are more suited for sensitive electrical or electronic items such as laptop computers, stereos, laser printers, certain specialized applications such as medical equipment, a pellet stove with an internal computer, digital clocks, bread makers with multi-stage timers, and variable speed or rechargeable tools (see "Appliance Cautions" below). If you wish to use those items with an inverter, then choose a Pure Sine Wave inverter. If you mostly want to run lights, TV, microwave oven, tools, etc, a Modified Sine Wave inverter is fine for your needs.
We often are asked if computers will work with Modified Sine Wave. It's been our experience that most (with the exception of some laptops) will work (though some monitors will have interference such as lines or a hum). However, if you have any doubt about any appliance, tool or device, particularly laptop computers and medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, we recommend that you check with its manufacturer to be sure it is compatible with a Modified Sine Wave inverter. If it is not, choose one of our Pure Sine Inverters instead.
The difference between them is the Pure Sine Wave inverter produces a better and cleaner current. They are also considerably more expensive. You might find it practical to get a small Pure Sine Wave inverter for any "special need" you may have, and also a larger Modified Sine Wave inverter for the rest of your applications.
sinuhexavier
Explorer
Oh ********... Looks like I modified your sine wave on accident...
Thanks Hank,
Although a broad explanation, as you mentioned, it helped to make sense of it all.
Now, I'm going to renovate my living room with some of this wood paneling!
Believe it or not, we had this stuff in our basement when I was a kid, wait, my mom has never renovated so it's actually still down there!
Brian
Although a broad explanation, as you mentioned, it helped to make sense of it all.
Now, I'm going to renovate my living room with some of this wood paneling!
Believe it or not, we had this stuff in our basement when I was a kid, wait, my mom has never renovated so it's actually still down there!
Brian
Antichrist
Expedition Leader
If it's just for your laptop, I've been using one of these for about 8 years. It works well, and also works with airplane power sockets.
http://www.targus.com/US/product_details.asp?sku=APD10US
http://www.targus.com/US/product_details.asp?sku=APD10US
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Yeah, that's a great sales pitch. Does it come from Monster Cables? :sombrero: Sounds like we're on opposite sides from our usual position on this one.
Let me ask you this: If somebody trying to sell you an expensive inverter hadn't told you that your sound was bad, or you had lines in your picture, would you really have known? If you wouldn't have known about all the problems you never noticed before you were told, why should you care about them? If dirty power really causes computer crashing, and other problems, why do most people use cheap inverters?
The big one: what is inside most UPS systems? A cheap inverter. If there was a real problem, wouldn't the legions of computer geeks be buying fancy pants 'clean power' UPS systems?
I can see how "dirty power" could affect analog devices like a cathode ray tube television, or a stereo. In fact, I *have* witnessed the effects first hand such as when I plug a big digital battery charger onto the same circuit as my shop radio, which messes up the downstream power. But, DC power blocks rectify the AC power, at which point it just doesn't matter much what the source was anymore.
H
Hank
Guest
I have no doubt you disagree, Rob. Canadians have a very different way of thinking compared to the rest of the world.
Will a modified wave inverter work? Sure it will work. It may work for the rest of the computers life and the user may never have any problems.
Or, it may damage the Li battery in the computer within a month. He may have a "hmmm" in his MP3's. The LCD screen may be dim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMsgJm6RRUA
Will a modified wave inverter work? Sure it will work. It may work for the rest of the computers life and the user may never have any problems.
Or, it may damage the Li battery in the computer within a month. He may have a "hmmm" in his MP3's. The LCD screen may be dim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMsgJm6RRUA
I crashed and destroyed the mother board on my IBM think pad. It was under warranty so I sent it in. The service center came back and told me that they would cover the problem but that it showed signs of use with a poor power source. They asked me if I had been using it as a mobile device. The funny thing (not at the time) was that it crashed 1 day into a trip and I had it plugged into a old vector inverter. Following the recommendation of that tech I bought a 100watt laptop power inverter and I have not had a issue with my lap top since.
Was it really the "dirty power" that did it? I have no idea but that lap top had never missed a beat till it took that ride in the truck plugged into that old inverter so I have to admit it may have been the issue? The fact that lots of companies seem to all talk about this I would have to think it does matter.
Hank, correct me if I'm wrong, but a laptop doesn't run on AC. I can understand how devices that run on AC would be affected by a bad AC wave, but a laptop runs on DC. Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but DC is DC. There's no wave.
It's not really elegant, but in a car / laptop application the 13-14V DC is converted to ~120V AC through the inverter. Then the AC is converted back to about 19V DC with the laptop's adapter.
It's not really elegant, but in a car / laptop application the 13-14V DC is converted to ~120V AC through the inverter. Then the AC is converted back to about 19V DC with the laptop's adapter.