1500w Inverter Won't Start Dremel Tool

[capngeo]

So for the elucidation of a non-electrical engineer type, am I to understand that an older "normal" induction load motor is not picky about a square or modified sine wave?

jig saw, circular saw, large 240V drill, Admiral's depillator, various sex toys (best not go there) etc etc.
All without a problem.

Electronically controlled motors using some sort of circuitry to run NEED a pure sine wave?

For YEARS I ran an apartment type refrigerator, fans, TV, DVD player, and resistive loads from an old (new at the time) Heart inverter aboard my boat. I was full-time live aboard, so I had a lot of the typical house type conveniences. When away from the dock, I only had to run the genny 2x a day for 4 hours as long as I didn't run the air cond or heat. I never had any indication from my electrical stuff that it cared where it's AC was coming from.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by capngeo

So for the elucidation of a non-electrical engineer type, am I to understand that an older "normal" induction load motor is not picky about a square or modified sine wave?


Electronically controlled motors using some sort of circuitry to run NEED a pure sine wave?

For YEARS I ran an apartment type refrigerator, fans, TV, DVD player, and resistive loads from an old (new at the time) Heart inverter aboard my boat. I was full-time live aboard, so I had a lot of the typical house type conveniences. When away from the dock, I only had to run the genny 2x a day for 4 hours as long as I didn't run the air cond or heat. I never had any indication from my electrical stuff that it cared where it's AC was coming from.

i'm probaly not the best person to explain why and how but will give it a go.

first i think the heart inverter is a high quality pure sine wave inverter,

thus providing a proper ac current ie in a sine vave form,as will a generator.

where as square or modified sine inverters rectify and step up dc power but dont give a smooth flow when alternating,but as they have less components are cheaper to make.

the latter,pure sine are much more expensive but produce a smooth transition ac flow

ac being alternating current at 50 or 60 hertz,that is going from plus 240 volts to negative 240 volts 50 or 60 times a second .

thats why electronics dont like em but induction motors dont mind!!!!

sure one of the boffins will add to this post!!!!!!!

[SoonerSailor]

The xantrex dr512 is a modified sine wave inverter. The square waves making up a modified sine wave signal are composed of an underlying sine wave plus all of its odd harmonics. The third harmonic, which is a large proportion of the modified sine wave signal, actually opposes the desired rotation of an AC motor. Some will just run hotter. Maybe the Dremel motor and electronics won't take it at all. Try running it off someone else's modified sine wave inverter.

Just as a point of interest, my Dremel type 395, which has variable speed but nothing fancy, runs just fine on a cheap 125 watt modified sine wave inverter.

Chip

[downunder]

Interesting thread waiting for final solution as I also recently purchased the same Dremmel 400 for future use on a vessel.

I will most likely go for Vitron Quattro inverter charger and hope it will do the job.

Good luck with a solution - strider.

[bazzer]

My Xantex manual states that some variable speed tools may not run on the inverter as well as some electric clocks

[Rick]

Try turning on a resistive load first, like an incandescent bulb more than 20 Watts. The Dremel might work then. If you use a "cheap" 100 W plug-in inverter the Dremel might work as well. With high power modified-sine inverters the output pulses are too narrow at no-load for some variable speed controls to trigger.

[svstrider]

PROBLEM SOLVED. Thanks all for the advice. I bought a small pure sine wave inverter and the Dremel now works

I am also now wondering that trouble with my new laptop (hard disc failure quickly followed by CPU failure) was caused by running it off the modified sine wave Xantrex.

[Aussiesuede]

THANX for closing the loop? Glad you figured it out, and the solution should answer questions for many!

[downunder]

I don't know for sure but i am seeing good reasons for not going with Zantrex inverters when I fit out my vessel.

glad you sorted it out

cheers

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by atoll

comment from owner of yacht i delivered recently,
" going shopping with you is worse than going shopping with my wife"

HA!! That strikes a chord....I dropped my "owner" off to shop and hurried over to the grocery store to look after his wife. "WHAT???" she said, "You left him at the HARDWARE Store???@@@***!!!" tony