Hello, has anyone any ideas on what is the best (or good for price) 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter please? There are so many that look like they have the same specs - its very confusing for the novice. We are about to embark on our first trip in our 24ft van. We will want to use it run a 21 inch TV, various power tools and to charge laptops, phones etc, toothbrushes and shaver. We also have a microwave in the van that I can set to a lower power (if I do want to use the microwave). Thanks, Colleen
We run a 600wat pure sighnwave from Jaycar, handles every thing that we need, two laps at once plus modem. also tv with dvd , or hard drive with a sound system, phone, washing machine,etc.
The micro wave even on a 1000watt is a tall ask, even with a lower powered unit it's the start up point that stops a lot of small jennys & inverta's.
JC.
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We also have a microwave in the van that I can set to a lower power (if I do want to use the microwave). Thanks, Colleen
Microwave ovens run at a constant power - full power. The heat settings just control the on and off periods. So called full power runs the magnetron (the device that supplies the power) continuously. For quarter power it switches the magnetron on for a short period and off for a period of 3 times as long, the timer keeps repeating this cycle. Same sort of thing happpens for each power setting, it's just the duty cycle that varies.
Allow twice the rated power to drive it. Then divide the required power by 10 to get the approximate the current draw from your battery . If you have on battery of around 100 to 115 Ah I would suggest an inverter no larger than 300 W.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Thanks for asking this question. We are gearing / stocking up also and learning prior to setting out. Are the 600 watt inverters clip-ons - so they clip on the battery terminals? Or can it be used in a DC outlet in the van. We are getting a sthn Cross 5th wheeler and the dc outlets are hard wired.
Any more info appreciated.
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What peter says about microwaves is true of the units you are likely to find fitted as standard in vans, however there are newer units that employ inverter technology, and they no longer consume nearly as much power, they also throttle back their power use when set on lower power.
Plendo, No radio valve is more than 60% efficient, that includes magnetrons. It does not matter whether you pulse them or drive them with a lower average power, they all take the same average power to drive them for a given output. The difference is the pulsing circuits use more peak power when the valve is working. Peukerts constant will result in a little more battery capacity being drawn by the pulsing circuit than the constantly driven one but the capacity draw down from the battery will not be much different between the two types of microwave ovens.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
