RV FEATURE
At the most basic level , an inverter has two wire coils opposing one another . Passing electricity through one coil creates a magnetic field . This induces an electric current in the opposing coil . The size of the coils , the number of turns in each coil and the thickness of the wires determines the conversion rate of the transformer .
In addition to this , the inverter needs to convert the DC power source from the 12V end into the AC power needed for our 240V devices . Explaining that in plain English is difficult but for the purpose of this article , consider this additional circuitry to consist of a number of transistors connected in a very specific way .
An inverter ’ s ability to seemingly make electricity out of ‘ thin air ’ sounds awesome and you may be asking yourself how it is possible . The first thing to understand is that this additional voltage comes with a cost .
Inverters are best mounted as close to the batteries as possible too minimise voltage drop from the battery
AGM batteries are great but must not be discharged to below 50 state or charge
Remember Watt ’ s law ? To refresh your memory , Watts = Volts x Amps . What this tells us is that there is a direct relationship between volts , amps and watts , and if you want to increase one , you have to increase the other . So in order to convert 12V into 240V , we are going to need more amps from the 12V side . We will look at this in a little more detail later .
WHAT IS A TRUE SINEWAVE INVERTER ?
In a 12V circuit , you have a positive end and a negative end and the power travels in one direction between the two , hence we call it direct current ( DC ). DC electricity is fine for caravans or camping , but where long distances are concerned , such as getting power from a power station to your home , it ’ s not much good at all . For that we need 240V alternating current ( AC ). When it is produced at the power station , that alternating between positive and earth happens smoothly at a set frequency . It is ‘ clean ’ electricity and it can power everything including the sensitive electronics in devices like computers and battery chargers .
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