Inverter:
What is an Inverter?
An inverter is a device which converts Direct Current (DC- Current flowing in one direction) into Alternating Current (AC- Current that reverses its direction many times in one second).
Types of inverters:
- Sine Wave Inverters
- Modified Sine Wave Inverters
- Square Wave Inverters
Solar Inverter is also there but practically people will not go for it.
Let’s compare the inverters:
| Characteristics of Inverter | Square Wave | Modified Sine Wave | Pure Sine Wave |
| Inverter |
 |
 |
 |
| Cost | Less | Moderate | High |
| Safety | Less | Moderate | High |
| Life | Less | Moderate | High |
| Battery Life | Less | Moderate | High |
| Noise Level | High | Moderate | Normal |
| Heat generation | High | Low | Normal |
| Suitability for sophisticated appliances | No | Not recommended for prolonged use | Highly efficient |
| Output | Square Wave | Semi sine and square wave | Sine Wave |
How the output of an inverter affect the overall performance:
Our commercial power supply is 50 Hz pure sine wave. However most of the inverters output is not pure sine wave. Old inverters generate 50Hz square wave or 50Hz modified Sine wave (Quasi Sine wave, Trapezoidal wave or Stepped Sine Wave). Then the question comes, this wave shape really matters? Yes it does.
All commercial instruments are designed to run on pure sine wave. Characteristics of such devices greatly depend upon the input wave shape. A change in wave shape will affect the performance of the appliances. Appliances like Motors, refrigerators, Ovens etc will generate full power on pure sine wave input only. Distortion in the sine wave creates humming noise in transformers, and audio devices. Some instruments like light dimmer, few battery chargers, toasters etc require pure sine wave to work. Prolonged operation of appliances in Square or stepped waves will considerably affect the life of such equipment due to the generation of heat.
