The purpose of an inverter is to convert DC power into AC power, usually from a battery that is being charged. Inverters supply power to critical loads without losing power, even for short periods of time. The most important function of an inverter is to provide clean, uninterrupted, low-distortion sine wave power.
Ferromagnetic resonant and pulse width modulated (PWM) inverters
PWM controls a synthesized 60 Hz sine wave at a very high switching frequency. Our PWM inverters have a switching frequency of 8 kHz, allowing the output to be adjusted at any point in the sine wave.
Ferromagnetic resonant inverters use a modified square wave switched at line frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz). It is then fed into a special ferromagnetic resonant transformer that passively shapes and modulates the sine wave. Although very reliable, ferromagnetic resonant systems do not have the tighter regulation characteristics of more modern PWM systems.
Five advantages of inverters
Stabilized frequency
Grid fault protection
Grid power limit protection
Allows the user to shut down connected loads, such as servers, in a controlled manner
Provides isolation between input and output
How does an inverter work?
An inverter takes a DC power source, such as a battery, and switches the DC to produce an AC power source. There are two main technologies that accomplish this. pwm inverter bridges and square wave or modified square wave systems that feed a ferromagnetic resonant constant voltage transformer. Power transistors (IGBT's) convert DC to AC. Batteries provide a stable, constant power supply that is unaffected by fluctuations in grid power.
What do I need to know when operating the inverter?
Follow all OEM instructions. Power inverters are complex pieces of equipment and should always be serviced by a trained technician, preferably an OEM-trained field service engineer.
What kind of maintenance does the power inverter require?
Always follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule to ensure reliability. We recommend annual maintenance around cleaning and inspection. The main components in the inverter that need to be replaced are the fan, which should be replaced every 5 years, and the DC electrolytic capacitors and printed circuit boards, which should be replaced every 10 years. Through our testing, field experience and vendor recommendations, we have been able to determine the average aging process of these components and have developed our maintenance program to reflect this.
Basic Inverter Troubleshooting
A user panel on the front of the cabinet captures events and logs them. We offer a proprietary software that allows you to download events. If you have any questions, we provide a basic troubleshooting guide and user manual with every newly purchased machine.