Visit our Popular Forums

irwin37 · 24-08-2014, 06:50

Back to fight again.

"I agree with this recommendation. In the ProWatt SW1000 manual on Xantrex web site I cannot find this text. What manual is this from?"

From the Xantrex ProWatt SW1000/SW1800 User Manual

Same manual for both 1000 watt and 1800 watt.

irwin37 · 24-08-2014, 07:05

"All inverters regardless of topology need DC current plus some "ripple" current which is slang for AC. "

Inverters do not need "ripple current", It is a by product of how they operate. The manufactures go to great length to minimize if not eliminate ripple current. This includes large capacitors and inductors on the input.of the inverter.

If you could switch on and off a 1000 watt light with a light switch 60 times per second would it not create the same type of ripple on the battery leads ( agreed it would be dirty and more of a square wave ) Would you still call that AC ?

transmitterdan · 24-08-2014, 07:15

I am not fighting with you.

[edit] Inverters cannot function without ripple current. The "ripple" current isn't a byproduct. It is the actual AC current output by the inverter. I don't know of any small inverters that have huge filters to eliminate this current. The filter required would be bigger than the inverter itself. If you know of one I would be glad to find out about it.

irwin37 · 24-08-2014, 07:23

OK I give up, I guess all the time I spent with Xantrex engineers, the ones that designed inverters, was a waste. Maybe we are saying the same thing and I dont understand you and maybe not but its time to stop as I have a boat to go sail.

Thanks, happy sailing

transmitterdan · 24-08-2014, 07:23

Me too. Have a safe and enjoyable day.

sparrowhawk1 · 24-08-2014, 09:37

Funny I think I'm the one that started this snowball. By stating that some inverters split the sine wave between the hot and the neutral so if you hook up it to a house that has the neutral and ground connected you'll get ac at the battery terminals I'm talking about true AC at 60+volts. I wish the electrical engineers would comment because I think this is a very dangerous situation. I even started a new thread which no one has commented on. Edit. I just realized its only half of the sine wave so I know who's going to say its ac and who's going to say it's dc. But the point is it's 60 volts that can hurt you.

rwidman · 24-08-2014, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

......... An inverter does not draw pure DC from the battery is my point. .........

It cannot draw anything else from the battery. The battery can supply nothing but "pure DC".

mitiempo · 24-08-2014, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by irwin37

Back to fight again.

"I agree with this recommendation. In the ProWatt SW1000 manual on Xantrex web site I cannot find this text. What manual is this from?"

From the Xantrex ProWatt SW1000/SW1800 User Manual

Same manual for both 1000 watt and 1800 watt.

Xantrex Prowatt SW inverters are available in 600, 1000, and 2000 watt outputs. They are sine wave inverters.

Xantrex Pro Series inverters are 1000 and 1800 watt output. They are modified sine wave inverters.

mitiempo · 24-08-2014, 10:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Funny I think I'm the one that started this snowball. By stating that some inverters split the sine wave between the hot and the neutral so if you hook up it to a house that has the neutral and ground connected you'll get ac at the battery terminals I'm talking about true AC at 60+volts. I wish the electrical engineers would comment because I think this is a very dangerous situation. I even started a new thread which no one has commented on. Edit. I just realized its only half of the sine wave so I know who's going to say its ac and who's going to say it's dc. But the point is it's 60 volts that can hurt you.

I think you are a bit confused. AC neutral and ground should never be connected on the boat. They are only connected at the source - shorepower transformer and inside generators and inverters.

Any AC at the battery is a byproduct of the inverter function if it is there at all.

rwidman · 24-08-2014, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitiempo

I think you are a bit confused. AC neutral and ground should never be connected on the boat. They are only connected at the source - shorepower transformer and inside generators and inverters.

If the "source" (genset or inverter) is on the boat, the neutral and ground are connected together on the boat. At the inverter or genset as stated.

mitiempo · 24-08-2014, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwidman

If the "source" (genset or inverter) is on the boat, the neutral and ground are connected together on the boat. At the inverter or genset as stated.

True, but that is not what sparrowhawk posted.

"...if you hook it up to a house that has the neutral and ground connected...."

rwidman · 24-08-2014, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Funny I think I'm the one that started this snowball. By stating that some inverters split the sine wave between the hot and the neutral so if you hook up it to a house that has the neutral and ground connected you'll get ac at the battery terminals I'm talking about true AC at 60+volts. I wish the electrical engineers would comment because I think this is a very dangerous situation. I even started a new thread which no one has commented on. Edit. I just realized its only half of the sine wave so I know who's going to say its ac and who's going to say it's dc. But the point is it's 60 volts that can hurt you.

I'm having a hard time following your post but again, there's no alternating current on the battery terminals. If you were somehow able to get 120 volts AC or even 60 volts AC on the battery terminals the battery would short it out.

The 120 volt AC output of an inverter is 120 volts AC from one conductor to the other but unless the manufacturer or installer connects one side to ground, the voltage has no relation to ground and any measurement from one conductor to ground (or anything else except the other conductor) will be meaningless.

sparrowhawk1 · 24-08-2014, 11:37

My main breaker is actually three breakers that connect the neutral and the ground. There are three separate bus bars. The ground from shore goes to the ground bus bar. a wire goes from that bus bar to the top of the first circuit breaker. The bottom of the circuit breaker is connected to the top of the neutral circuit breaker by a short jumper and the third breaker's for the hot

sparrowhawk1 · 24-08-2014, 11:39

Yes I understand it's not actually AC it's only half of the wave from the inverter. I wish people would watch the videos I recommended so that you could understand what I'm saying. And yes the people in the videos are incorrectly calling it ac. And I think your meter might have to be on AC to read it