วีดีโอ

I'm surprised by your comment, considering the fact that one of the only videos on your channel shows you performing a fairly complex diagnostic of a failed, high frequency inverter. High frequency inverters are absolutely NOT easy to repair. High frequency inverters all use the same complex, high voltage design that employs more than twice the number of components that low frequency inverters use. We repair inverters, have done so for the past 24 years, so we're quite familiar with how complicated these high frequency inverters are. Typically when they do fail, it's not as simple as replacing a few MOSFETs or caps. Because of the high voltages involved in these circuits, when they do fail, they typically take out far more components and can even burn the PCB. Not only are they difficult to repair, they can also be dangerous (lethal) for a layman to attempt to repair because of their use of very high voltage components.

You're behind the times. Low frequency inverters have been available for years at prices that are comparable to the cheap high frequency inverters, and they come in all-in-one configurations just like the high frequency units, only they last far, far longer and they offer a much higher surge capacity, so you don't have to stack several of them, like you have to do with the cheap high frequency inverters.

Connecting high frequency inverters to an auto transformer will only shorten the life of the FETs in the high frequency inverter.

The Schneider Electric XW6848. The Sigineer M6048DUL, the Growatt SPF 6000T DVM or the SUNGOLD-6000W,.

@@kickgas7171 thank you

We've been in the inverter repair business for over 24 years and we're "up to date" with the latest inverter tech. We have to be in order to repair these devices. More than 80% 80+ inverters per month) of the inverters that we get repair quote requests for are high frequency types. So no, I disagree with your assertion that there are also good and well designed high frequency inverters on the market. They all have shorter life expectancies and poorer surge capacities than low frequency transformer based designs. And as far as efficiency is concerned, with the cost of batteries and PV at historically low levels, inverter efficiency is no longer the concern that it used to be.

Running what? Resistive loads?

@@Madsci-zy8wm fridge, submersible pump,TV, CCTV and lights

Weanwell company not from chinese, these made in taiwan., power supply specialist ❤ i like it tho

@@evrenforest2578 What is your solar array and batteries rated at?

6*250w PV array with 48v200 amp gel batteries

Low frequency inverters are now priced at levels that are very close to high frequency inverters. Only 10% to 20% more.

Think so? Search for the EG4 6500EX (which was only released a year ago) on TH-cam or Google. Search for the term "EG4 6500EX problem" and you'll find many complaints about how EG4 is slaughtering their customers with problems.

There's plenty wrong with high frequency inverters. They don't last as long, they've got a crappy surge capacity. And because they don't have an isolation transformer, when they fail, they can take out your appliances in a heartbeat. Why do you thing they're so cheap? They're basically a poor man's inverter. And you don't have to buy an expensive Victron inverter anymore if you want a high performance, low frequency inverter, There are plenty of Chinese made low frequency inverters available that sell for nearly the same price as these junk high frequency inverters. The only people that are promoting these cheap inverters are youtube salesmen that earn a commission when you click on their affiliate links.

Idle current used to be a concern when solar module and battery prices were so much higher, but since pricing has dropped to historically low levels, idle current consumption can be made up for by simply adding a single additional solar module to a system that uses a higher performance low frequency inverter. Besides, modern low frequency inverters allow you to place the inverter in power saver mode, which pretty much eliminates idle current. In any case, the much short life of a high frequency inverter and its far poorer surge rating makes it a poor investment when it comes to inverters. I would never install a high frequency inverter, no matter how much it's price has been discounted.

@@Madsci-zy8wm There are HF inverters now with 10 year warranties. Your argument that adding solar panels can make up for inefficiency does not make sense. What about at night or on battery power? Look, the one of the most common components to fail in electronics is the power supply. In the old days these were almost always transformer based designs and they still failed regularly.

@@robertgrant5895 10 year warranties are meaningless when the manufacturer won't be around to honor them. I've seen dozens of RE equipment manufacturers go out of business and walk away from their warranties over the last 24 years that I've been in this business, And why doesn't supplementing the small increase in efficiency loss with a single, low cost extra solar module make sense to you? You produce extra power during daylight hours, with that extra solar module, store it in a battery and when use up that energy to make up for the difference in efficiency. Simple. And the most common components to fail in electronics is NOT the power supply. That's a ridiculous claim to make. Show me the source of the data for that claim. Bet you can't because the data doesn't exist.

@@Madsci-zy8wm Sorry my friend, my source about power supplies is myself. I am a retired electrical engineer and designed and repaired solid state systems since the 80s. Usually the cheap chinese capacitors were to blame. So buy more panels, buy bigger batteries, etc.. Just spend more money and buy more. Do you have the space for all the panels? And what if there is a long storm or I live in a northern (southern climate)? And what about the weight of the darn inverter? Look, a low frequency inverter is not the right answer for everyone.

@@robertgrant5895 In the vast majority of cases you'll only have to install a high quality, low frequency once in 10 to 15 years, whereas you'd be lucky to get even 3 years of use out of a low cost, Chinese made high frequency inverter, meaning that you'd have to lift and re-install that cheap high frequency inverter 3 to as many as 5 times over the lifetime of a high quality low frequency inverter. And with all due respect, your education and experience in the design and repair of switching power supplies explains your misguided support for high frequency power devices. Switching power supplies typically use higher quality components in their construction due to their mission critical intended use and they're not typically used to power high inductance loads which would stress their components. High frequency inverters from China, typically use low quality components, especially FETs and Caps that yield a short life expectancy, especially when powering high inductance loads. And I'm not talking about a buying a "bunch" of solar modules and batteries, A single additional solar module and a few amp hours more of capacity in a battery will easily make up for the difference in efficiency between a low frequency and high frequency inverter. You may know a lot about switching power supply tech but you obviously know little about the real world design, repair and capabilities of modern power inverter tech. My 24 years of experience in the inverter repair industry (not even close to retirement) gives me the edge in this subject.

Transformers are not destroyed by high heat. There are millions of power transformers used by utility companies around the world that operate at high temperatures that last decades without any problems. And the battery capacity losses are not high when a low frequency inverter is placed in power saver mode. And you would not have had to fix your inverter 2 times in 10 years if it was a low frequency inverter.

@@Madsci-zy8wm Heat might not cause the transformer to fail, but it sure as heck will shorten the life of the FETs and capacitors, which is the primary failure case for both LF and HF inverters. The heat is the same or similar for both designs (its a function of efficiency which is a more complex topic not necessarily tied to LF vs HF), and both designs also recover and reinject reactive power (so no real difference there). The only way to deal with the heat is to run the inverter (LF or HF) at lower load levels. One can make an argument that the additional capacitors in the HF design are more vulnerable to the heat, but that is primarily just a component quality issue, not really something inherent with "HF" vs "LF" beyond the addtional parts. One problem with LF designs, in fact, is that they are more difficult to cool due to the mass and bulk of the transformer and the need to damp the vibration. Heat is still the enemy for both designs.

@@junkerzn7312 The heat is far lower in low frequency inverters because they operate at much lower switching speeds. That's why high frequency inverter use larger heatsinks and higher CHM (louder) cooling fans. And a properly impedance matched transformer should generate much heat. At least the low frequency inverters that I've built don't.

@@Madsci-zy8wm Lol, no.. that isn't how heat losses work in an inverter. Heat is entirely a function of the efficiency (this should be obvious if you think about it), so you can just look at the efficiencies of the various inverters. Higher efficiency, lower heat. Lower efficiency, higher heat. Very simple. Most of the heat comes from the magnetic components and the (Ron) of the FETs, which more or less scales with power and size. The reactive recovery circuit diodes also dissipate heat. Switching losses from a FET are certainly very real, but also miniscule because the switch time of a FET is typically less than 1 microsecond. It adds up, but not in the way you think. And FET performance is basically a function of cost. If you need lower FET losses you buy a higher quality FET. Generally speaking, other trade-offs tend to trump FET switching losses so the only time it really matters is in the absolute highest-quality (95%+ efficient) designs. -Matt

The topology that's used in modern high frequency inverters is no different than it was when they were first introduced 30 years ago. The only difference today is that the Chinese are building these high frequency inverters in larger boxes. They are still using the same design in their high voltage DC boost stage that uses high voltage stressed capacitors, silicon and tiny transformers which are subjected to high heat environments which explains its need for larger heatsinks and far more noisy cooling fans. The only thing that makes these high frequency inverters more cost effective is that they have removed the iron core, copper wound isolation transformer, which make these inverters far less safe for powering your home's appliances, And what good is efficiency if your inverter offers a much shorter life expectancy? You will have to replace a high frequency inverter at least 2 to 3 times over the course of the life of a well built low frequency inverter.

Post your evidence that modern high frequency inverters perform much better now. I bet you can't, because there is no credible evidence that they perform any better today.

We never showed China how to make these unreliableble high frequency inverters. These junk inverters were always their creation.

Not quite. Chinese built high frequency inverters were never designed to be affordable. They are designed to be cheap, unsafe and shorter lasting imitations of real US designed low frequency inverters. So much so that you would have to buy at least two to three of these high frequency inverters to match the life expectancy and performance of a single low frequency inverter.

@@kickgas7171 I can't argue with you, or promote china's sales pitch on the usa. ATM I'm looking at the eg4 xp6000 wich is getting great reviews, does what it claims and is affordable without a bank loan. China has high end, and very very low end electronics. the tech is great , but do your research. buyer beware.

We've repaired several Exeltech inverters over the years. Unlike Chinese made high frequency inverters, they're well-built and they use high quality US and European manufactured components, especially the MOSFETs. They're primarily designed for backup power applications in data centers (computers, routers etc.) They're not designed for powering high inductance loads, long term.

High frequency, transformerless inverters are relatively safe for low power non-inductive loads like computers. As long as the inverter's MOSFETS don't short to ground and pass DC current to its output, you should be ok.

@@kickgas7171 Thanks, that's quite reassuring

@@kickgas7171 thanks for the reassurance, in going to go ahead and get one then.

We sell inverters. We don't sell anything. We only repair inverters. I suggest that you contact the manufacturer of the inverter that you're interested in.

@@kickgas7171 What is the link to your site? So I can see what you offer. Thanks

Sure you've had it for five years but how often are you using it and what kinds of loads are you powering. That's the difference.

I don't want to seem like I'm discrediting your reality but if you are running 3 A/Cs, 2 refrigerators, lights, electronics, microwave, dish washer, washer/dryer combo, 3 space heaters, 5 fish tanks, pellet grill, 2 fans, hot water heater, wielder, jetted bathtub, coffee maker and other countertop appliances in any 1.5 rated output configuration for six years 24/7 I will consider you statement valid. Also I have had a Xnatrex HF PS inverter that let go and cost me thousands in repairs and replacing appliances.

Xantrex high frequency inverters are the worst.

@@quickquote1568 I have been running an aims 4k 48v/240v inverter, a set of KIDs on two SW-facing arrays, about 31Kwh of repurposed batteries, and a pulsar 7.5k inverter generator.

@@Tiersmoke92555 We don't run our inverter repair shop on off grid solar, but many of our customers do pretty much what you've described with their off grid systems using low frequency, transformer based inverters.

Sigineer uses high quality International Rectifier MOSFET's in their inverters, so I would recommend Sigineer.

There is nothing theoretical about high frequency, transformerless inverters setting appliances on fire. It is already happening. May I suggest that you watch "catastrophic inverter failure' by Red Hill Labs to learn more about this issue. And insofar as an inverter transformer shorting out and catching fire, that scenario is pretty much an impossibility be cause the inverter's DC circuit breaker would trip long before the transformer would get hot enough to burn. Which would not be the case where a transformerless inverter passes DC current to an AC appliance and sets the appliance on fire.

Awesome analogy! You hit it right on the nail head!

Primarily, it's the lightweight inverters without transformers that are high frequency. Most if not all American made inverters are low frequency with transformers, while most Chinese made inverters are high frequency. Most Chinese inverter manufacturers use inferior high frequency technology to save on shipping costs into the US and Europe.

I would suggest the Sigineer Power Model #: M12048DUL for a 12kW All-In-One inverter charger or the HP15048D for a 15kW inverter charger.

One way you can easily tell is by the weight. A typical 5 Kw all in one high frequency inverter charger will weigh 52.9 lbs. While a 5kW all in one low frequency inverter charger will weigh 99 lbs. Another way you can tell is by the surge capacity. A high frequency inverter will offer a maximum of a 200% surge capacity while a low frequency inverter will off at least a 300% surge capacity.

@@kickgas7171 Hahahaha. Yeah I was going to say, if you can pick it up with one hand, it's not low frequency. :)

Sigineer Power makes reliable low frequency, transformer based 120VAC input inverter chargers.

This is what I want to know, I see on the site they have AC Input voltage MINUMUM 150Volt. Are there any for US AC Current, 120Volt AC input Split Phase 120/240 AC? I want to tie it to the US Grid for charging batteries at night.

@@Scat.original That's strange, This is what I see on their website. "Ac Input Voltage For Charger: Nominal 120Vac (90-135Vac+/-4%)" Unfortunately, if you want a split phase 120/240 Volt output, there are no inverters on the market that will take a 120 VAC input and output split phase 120/240 output. If you want a 120/240 Volt output, you will have to use an inverter with a 240 VAC input.

@@Madsci-zy8wm Please provide a link to your statement, Thanks

@@Scat.original I don't think that youtube will allow me to post a link here,

Sigineer Power makes 120 VAC Input/120 VAC output 60Hz. Inverter chargers with AC transfer switch from 1.5kW to 4kW that are reasonably priced.

It's not just one inverter. Most top name brand US inverter manufacturers only build low frequency transformer based inverter. Brands like Schneider Electric, Outback Power, Sigineer Power (a Chinese brand), Magnum Energy, Victron Energy, just to name a few.

Buy from a country that doesn't sponsor genocide

It will be many years if not decades before existing pumps and HVAC systems are completely replaced by newer inverter based systems. Besides, the upgrade to inverter based pumps and HVAC systems does nothing to address the absence of galvanic isolation between the DC boost stage and AC output in these low-cost high-frequency, transformerless inverters, which has the potential to damage and even start fires in these inverter based appliances.

@@kickgas7171 37 2017 HEAT PUMP IS INVERTER BASED....SO ITS NOT NEW TECH.

​@@kickgas7171 But in modern times a lot of those people are not installing old power-hungry HVAC systems, they are installing mini-splits that use DC compressors and slow-start. The intersection of people installing old HVAC systems to be powered by an inverter is really quite low, and people who intend to run such systems from an inverter are far more cognizant of the issues involved. This has nothing to do with the billions of people with HVAC systems powered by the grid. It is a much smaller crowd.

Thank you!

Sorry to hear that.

It's not an infomercial. We're not selling anything. Only providing the truth.

You sure about that bud? Their screen suspiciously looks just like a voltronic unit. Worst fking inverter company in the world.

Idle consumption of 120 watts. It’s a joke. The XP is 30 watts🤣. You need a whole extra battery to power this paper weight

@@dswaggins2464 Low frequency inverters don't draw 120 Watts when in "power saver mode" Just like high frequency inverters, they draw nearly zero Watts. The XP's lack of an isolation transformer makes it potentially far too dangerous of a product to use in my home.

@@dswaggins2464 Sure, high frequency, transformerless inverters from Voltronic are the worst, Voltronic is the company that built the EG4 6500EX inverter. Voltronic does not manufacture Sigineer inverters.

I disagree. Search Google for "lux inverters fail" and you'll find many sites concerning Lux Power inverter failures and errors.

Do you have a link you could share of the Lux inverters catching fire? I can only seem to find anything related to error codes and battery charging issues. I’m in the market for one of these right now and if these are as much of a fire hazard as your video stated, I’m going to look at a LF.

@@kickgas7171 purely anecdotal evidence. You will get similar results if you search victron inverter failures. Does this really mean anything? No. It just means that some units of every brand have defects.

@@theguitarscout9802 Here's a link to a video that explains why any high frequency, transformerless inverter can catch fire and set your appliances on fire.th-cam.com/video/tp5oDbu6kRQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fpvFizCZ301196Fi

@@kickgas7171 Search anything for failures and you will find sites with failures. Doesn't mean much. Look if these things were so bad they would not be so popular. Price alone does not explain it. Plus, I would thing UL and insurance companies would not cover a home with these inverters if they were so bad.

Sure they're inverter based. That's because the inverters that are used in these devices have been impedence and load matched to their loads. Off the shelf Chinese manufactured off grid inverters are NOT universally matched to inductive loads found in a typical home. They cannot be because high-frequency inverters don't use an isolation, output transformer to its MOSFETs or IGBTs.

@@kickgas7171 You are confusing what he said. He's talking about the appliance, not the inverter. The APPLIANCE has an inverter... well, really its a DC regulator. For example, a modern mini-split has a DC compressor. A microwave does something similar to regulate the microwave output (continuous regulation rather than turning the emitter on and off every few seconds). The DC side has a power factor of 1. The AC side (the input to the appliance) will see a power factor of 0.95 if the DC regulator in the appliance is PFC corrected, and a relatively fixed PF of around 0.5 if it doesn't. NO LOAD OR IMPEDANCE MATCHING ON THE AC SIDE IS NECESSARY. An inverter driving such an appliance is going to have a far easier time... there won't be any significant surges and the reactive component, if any, will be constant. -Matt