Appendix C - Power Consumption & Output Waveforms; Appliances And Run Time; Figure C-1, Ac Waveforms; Table C-1, Typical Appliance Power Consumption - Sensata Magnum Energy MS Series Owner's Manual

Appendix C – Power Consumption & Output Waveforms
Appendix C – Power Consumption & Output Waveforms
C-1

Appliances and Run Time

The MS Series inverter/charger can power a wide range of household appliances including small
motors, hair dryers, clocks, and other electrical devices. As with any appliance using batteries for
power, there is a certain length of time that it can run—this is called "run time." Actual run time
depends on several variables including the size and the type of appliance, the type of batteries
installed in your application, as well as the battery's capacity and age. Other factors such as the
battery's state of charge and temperature can also aff ect the length of time your appliances can run.
Appliances (TVs, VCRs, stereos, computers, coff ee pots, incandescent lights, and toasters) can all
be successfully powered by your inverter. Larger electrical appliances, however, such as stoves,
water heaters, etc., can quickly drain your batteries and are not recommended for this application.
All electrical appliances are rated by the amount of power they consume (see Table C-1). The
rating is printed on the product's nameplate label, usually located on its chassis near the AC
power cord. Even though it is diffi cult to calculate exactly how long an inverter will run a particular
appliance, the best advice is trial and error. Your MS Series inverter has a built-in safeguard that
automatically protects your batteries from over-discharge.
Info: For optimum performance, a minimum battery bank of 200 AH is recommended
for moderate loads (<1000W) and greater than 400 AH for heavy loads (≥1000W).

Table C-1, Typical Appliance Power Consumption

Device Load
Blender 400W
Computer 300W
Drill 500W
Hot Plate 1800W
C-2 Output Waveform
The inverter's output waveform is the shape of the wave that alternating current makes as its
voltage rises and falls with time (see Figure C-1 below). The three basic output waveforms are:
• Modifi ed Sine Wave – Also referred to as
a "quasi sine wave" or a "modifi ed square
wave". This output looks like a one-step
staircase and the waveform changes its
width to continually provide the correct
RMS output voltage regardless of the
battery voltage. Most loads that run from a
sine wave will also run from a modifi ed sine
wave. However, things such as clocks and
furnace controllers may have trouble.
• Sine Wave – An AC waveform that looks
like rolling waves on water. It rises and falls
smoothly with time. The grid puts out a sine
waveform. Any plug-in AC equipment will
operate from a sine wave output inverter.
• Square Wave – The simplest AC waveform.
Some types of equipment behave strangely
when powered from a square wave inverter.
© 2016 Sensata Technologies
Device Load
Coff ee Maker 1200W
Color TV 150W
Hair Dryer 1000W
Iron 1000W
200
160
120
80
40
0
40
80
120
160
200
Device
Light (Flo)
Light (Inc)
Microwave
Refrigerator
TIME

Figure C-1, AC Waveforms

Load
10W
100W
1000W
500W
Square Wave
Sine Wave
Modified
Sine Wave
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