What is the idle consumption on the sun gold. I think it said 1.6 amps but I don't know how to convert that to watts.. I need to learn how to do that because they all come in amps well they don't all say amps. The all-in-one inverter 2424 mPP uses 50 watts, which is the only drawback to those. well I don't know about the only but that's the biggest one. I wonder what the 1.6 amps on this means
I have some welding machines from SUNGOLD, inverter type machines. They are the beast in class. I have 4 different welding machines and SUNGOLD beats them all. I have had the machine for 2 years and has been a champ. I would not be surprised that these inverters are good quality and last for some years.
I've had this exact unit sitting on a pallet rack in my shop for about two years, unused. A friend of mine had some kind of issue where they sent this unit instead of the one he was supposed to receive and it was apparently cheaper to tell him to keep this one instead of shipping it back to them. So I got it for a song. Anyhow, it just sat there brand new in box until a couple of days ago, when I paired it with two Lifeline AGM 255ah batteries for our camping trip. It did a great job, powering everything overnight and through the morning. Then the batteries were charged partially by two 100w solar panels during the day and then topped off by a small 2000w suitcase generator in the evening. Works great, and I'm very pleased with the setup. It'll become a permanent feature on the travel trailer, but for this permanent setup I'm going to use LFP batteries instead of the super-heavy Lifelines. They're much better suited to marine or Class A RV weight capacities.
I have the same inverter but branded as Power Star. Ive been using my unit in an off-grid solar setup for a decade and only recently it statted to act up. Pulled it apart and diagnosed as a single faulty electrolytic capacitor in the control circuit. Replaced and is working flawlessly again. These are excellent reliable units.
That’s a super nice inverter. Thanks for showing it to us. I was hoping you had a gen-set hooked up and it was going to switch between the three modes of operation.
Technically speaking ... Your inverter, like all modern inverters, use MOSFETs and TRANSFORMERS ! A high frequency inverter uses high frequencies, MOSFETS diodes and small transformers to create high voltage (about 200V) DC. This then sent to a controller that makes it into 120VAC using more MOSFETs. The SunGoldPower inverter first creates low voltage (about 16V) AC. This is then feed, via MOSFETs, to a LARGE transformer which makes it into 120VAC. In theory, both designs work and the high frequency design is less expensive. The low frequency design seems to be more robust/durable.
Which kind has a higher idle consumption I've asked this question a couple times on here today. I figure somebody might see my comment and know the answer. I believe that red 1.6 amps. I'd like to convert that to watts
@@VinceBadovinatz88These inverters have power save mode though which I measured about 5 watts. The problem is only certain types of loads are suitable for power save mode. Well pumps and heaters are good for that. Small loads or computer driven loads (like furnace) will not kick it on.
This converter is something mywife and I sure could use it do to our temp R.V living and our solar charging system and our generator this would be a great gift step up thank you for listening Sincerely R.&L Gregor your channel has been great at helping some of our solutions
I'm happy you tested this inverter brand.im thinking to go off grid on my home.going with 48 DC inverter.going with gel batteries and going with solar and wind
20 hours ago That’s a super nice inverter. Thanks for showing it to us. I was hoping you had a gen-set hooked up and it was going to switch between the three modes of operation.
I really wanted to, but do not have one that is comparable currently. Also there is only one AC input so you can run on generator or grid. Need a transfer switch to do both.
I am down in Florida and have been collecting new takeoff or slightly used 48 volt battery kits from golf carts. Right now I kind of have a jerry-rig system where I have to have a separate charger and inverter I definitely think this would be cool to play around with thanks for showing it off!
Good place to start ! Lead acid batteries, especially cheap used ones are not a bad starting point. Keep them full of water and well ventilated. Make sure if you are buying a charger it can be adjusted to LiFePO4 batteries. Sooner or later you will get there. Watch the RUclips Channel DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse ruclips.net/user/errolprowse especially some of the one from last year and early this year.
the leading brand in off grid inverters is Victron.........multiple units can be configured for split phase,parallel units and even three phase power from 3 or 6 units. They are not made in China. Victron inverters and solar charge controllers have a lot of fine control options over battery charging configuration for all battery types ,inputs for fuel tank levels and genset start up. Multiple units can be networked for redundancy and multiple solar charge controllers can be networked to operate as a single charging unit. Victron units can also be hubbed to share data for remote monitoring..........endless features.
Good video mate! I live totally off grid on my farm and have for many years and have always wanted an auto generator back up; thank you. Lots to consider.
I use Victron inverters, they have low standby power at no load (2 watts) and very high efficiency (98%) They also have the ability to use the inverter to boost the mains input power if perhaps it is not enough for an application. Victron used to use low frequency heavy toroids 5 years ago, but now they all use high frequency. Still have a surge of 2x inverter capacity. A 500w Victron runs and starts my refrigerator fine- my 1600 watt runs 4 refrigerators simultaneously.
98% efficiency cus it's using switch mode topology. Those can't handle heavy current surge.. u should try running a non inverter ac on it and see how it does 😂. These low frequency bois can handle 3x 4x surge like seen with the air compressor. Refrigerators are not a huge load and they don't have a ton of starting current..
What is the idle consumption on the sun gold. I think it said 1.6 amps but I don't know how to convert that to watts.. I need to learn how to do that because they all come in amps well they don't all say amps. The all-in-one inverter 2424 mPP uses 50 that's the only drawback to those well I don't know about the only but that's the biggest one. I wonder what the 1.6 amps on this means
"Low Frequency" inverters have MOS-FETs. Just like a high frequency inverter. The difference is the voltage they are used at. In this LF inverter, the MOS-FETs are running directly off the battery voltage, and synthesize a low voltage mains frequency sine wave by switching the battery at high frequency using PWM . This makes about 18 VAC at 60 Hz in a 24 volt unit like the one you reviewed. The 60Hz 18 VAC sine wave is sent to a large step up transformer to raise it to 120/240 VAC In a high frequency inverter the voltage from the battery is sent to a DC-DC boost converter that makes ~350 VDC. Then MOS-FETs are used to directly synthesize a 60 Hz sine wave directly at the target line voltage using the same method as was used in the LF inverter, except for the fact the voltage was boosted in the DC realm instead of in the AC realm.
I like those as they have the same transformer that charges the batteries to also be the step-up transformer. In charge mode, the output is center tapped at 2 rails of 12 volts AC (24 total). In inverter mode, the mosfets "swing" the input voltage back and forth at 2 rails of 12 volts AC.
Great explanation. I hope the subscribers read your comments. I just stated briefly above that the unit MUST use a switching device such as a MOSFET. A transformer cannot provide switching. That is not up for argument.
Wow what an awesome machine! I like the fact that they've gone back to using mains frequency transformers. I have many scrap inverters in the UK where the high voltage MOSFETs have blown up horrendously and destroyed the control circuitry.
Watch out for those Made in China cables. They tend to send CCA crap instead of copper wires. The CCA works fine until you get to 50% capacity or a few years old and corrodes to crap (putting it nicely).
CONCUR ! Invest in some large (4 AWG ?) cable. You can find places on eBay that will make them to whatever length you want. If you are going to be doing a lot of solar/inverter/charge work, you might be better off buy cable in bulk and a crimper. Even the hammer crimpers are pretty good.
I have had some of those Chinese cables actually made from copper plated aluminum wire, which as a notably higher DC resistance. I also make my own cables. Sometimes it can be hard to find the exact terminal lug I need so, I have made several from copper tubing, which I then crimp using a hydraulic crimper. I need to go a step further and buy a solder pot to solder the terminals after being crimped to reduce resistance. With 100 amps flowing, the least little bit of resistance quickly starts heating.
@@jackpatteeuw9244 A 3000w should be more like 4/0 and short as possible. A 2000w should be more like 2/0. The included are never near large enough. Tons of RVers have figured out many of their problems running these larger units is small cables. Welders cable works well
Incredibly helpful, shopping for an inverter charger for my travel trailer. Thought this one must be junk since it's almost half the price of the well known brands. This will be my inverter, thanks a lot.
Nice product and excellent presentation. One thing I’m hoping to see demonstrated is the transfer switching cycle - from normal grid input at 1.5~3kW, to simulated outage state, to automatic auxiliary on mode. Wait a minute, then to grid returning, to automatic auxiliary off mode and back to normal grid input. As you know most of us operate manual interlock plate by the breaker panel. Wondering how this product automated that?
The generator start is nice... but where can I find an AUTOMATIC transfer switch to switch between generator and mains AC ? Lots of manual switches but I can't find an automatic one...
How was lunch? James this is very very impressive thanks for reviewing this inverter. It is too bad some American companies aren't doing this but that is another forum. Almost $800.00 and it does what it says it will do. Thanks again keep on keeping one James.
@2:07 Regarding Automatic Generator Start (AGS), have you tried that? I have had difficulty getting the SunGoldPower 3000W inverter AGS to start or stop my 2020 Onan 2500 LP generator using the inverter's AGS dry contacts. For those unfamiliar, dry contacts are a safe and standard interface for many worldwide generators that provide the automatic remote start function when the battery voltage gets low (10/10.5V). Can you kindly demonstrate the AGS on this inverter?
Hi James, I just stumbled upon your Inverter video and have been working on a similar system for long term home backup power so, wanted to share my findings. First off, all inverters use Mosfets, there are 2 basic types: (1) High frequency inverters use a 50 kHz (25 to 100 kHz) switching power supply to boost the battery input voltage to around 200 Vdc, then they use a second switching power supply to generate a 60 Hz sinewave at 120 volts from the 200 volts. (2) Low frequency inverters use a similar high frequency switching power supply to generate a 18 volt (in the case of a 24 volt inverter) 60 Hz sinewave, which is fed to a 60 Hz step-up transformer, which is what makes the unit so heavy. The use of the 60 Hz transformer makes the unit much more electrically rugged. I spent a year and a half testing 24 volt inverters for my application. Of the 6 Chinese ones I tested, they all failed within a few months. They also did not put out rated power, overheated easily, and had poor protection circuitry. So, if you need something you can depend upon, the only one I have found super reliable under all conditions so far is the MagnaSine Magnum Energy series inverters. Lead acid batteries have a high series resistance, I don't recommend pulling more than 1/10 C current from them as a continuous rating (Yes, they will supply several times this for surges). 1/10 C means one tenth the capacity rating. As an example, for a 12 volt marine that has a 100 amp/hour rating, don't try to pull more than 10 amps from the battery. I know this seems ridiculously low but, pulling more current than this causes the series resistance of the battery to start internal heating. This is bad for 2 reasons: you are throwing battery capacity and heating the battery, which can easily take you above the maximum operating temperature of 79F/26C for lead-acid batteries.
Your explanation of "Low power inverter" is a bit wide of the mark. Both types use Mosfets these days. My understanding FWIW is that the difference is:- cheaper inverters run at high frequency through one or multiple ferrite core transformers and then the underlying 50 or 60 Hz envelope is then filtered from that high frequency stuff. The LF type uses a square, C core or toroidal transformer and the high inverter frequency is filtered out before the transformer which essentially just sees the 50 or 60 HZ. Ferrite core transformers have just enough magnetic material (ferrite) to meet the specified output and little more than that. With the larger iron core transformer the power limit is mainly a function of winding heating and therefore short term overloads are no big deal.
I like the surge capability of the SunGold but I've been using high frequency inverters (active & spare) from Reliable Power (now WZRELB on Ebay) for 4 years in my "Wait until daylight" solar-charged backup power system. The 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter was chosen to handle the maximum normal load of 1350 watts (just under 70% of the inverter's rating) and it has no problem starting the essential things (fridge, freezer, furnace blower). After one trip outside to shovel 7" of snow in the dark at 30F to get a generator out of a shed, I decided there had to be a better way ;-) A gasoline generator is still the fallback if there isn't enough sun but, depending on the season, the solar backup system can provide 8 to 20 hours of limited power - 20 hours if only powering the fridge, less time if the freezer needs some cooling or we need the furnace. No "bells and whistles" on the inverters (charger, gen start, etc) but they have survived 4+ years so they are fine for my needs. The gasoline generator is actually a hierarchy of generators: 1600 watt inverter gen for limited power and recharging the battery bank if there is no sun (most efficient); 3000 watt 120 volt gen if I need corded hand tools; 5000 watt 120/240 volt gen if I need the 10" table saw or the air compressor. Longest outage we've used the solar backup for was 12 hours in December - with snow taking down power lines. It worked for my design time, so I was happy. No, I haven't tried to start any large, high-start-current tools with these inverters. I know that some 10" and larger chop saws can have a 40 amp or greater start surge which very few inverters smaller than 10KW can handle. My spreadsheet for "What things for how long?" on the solar backup has a page which includes average running power, maximum running power (defrost cycle on fridge or freezer takes more power than running the compressor) and starting power plus cells which go red if you exceed the inverter's ratings - nice to be able to say "You can use the garage door opener if I unplug the fridge and freezer for a few minutes" - all can be run at the same time but not all can be started at the same instant so you need to ensure controlled motor starting - timers work well to prevent simultaneous fridge and freezer starts: two hours on; two hours off and a 3-5 minute gap between those times or whatever works for your appliances. Inverter power is fed to selected circuits via a transfer switch, which is also where the gas generator connects through a 12/3 cable. The 5000 watt gen has a 4 prong plug connected to a double duplex outlet via adequate wiring - one outlet on each side of the 240 - so I can power multiple larger tools at the same time and still charge the battery bank, if needed.
I know I'm 2 years late, however, I would have liked to have seen the charging current. I have had "name brand" chargers before that listed a certain current, however, they were unable to produce it. The battery charger alone has me second guessing this product because I have yet to see actual amperage. Thanks for the video
Very interesting. Based on your video, this appears to be a modernized version of a device known as the "Heart Interface, which has been around since the 1980s and widely used in sailboats. I have two Hearts: one has been in use in my boat since 1991; the other supplies AC to a critical communications repeater and has been in use since about 1995. Both of my Heart's run on 12VDC: the boat one is connected to 400AH of East Penn gel cels, and the radio one to 200AH of same. One difference is the the Hearts are MSW, versus PSW. I suggest two questions that it would be nice to answer. The easy one is transfer time from shore power to inverter on loss of shore. This was important for the radio system because the radio (a Motorola Quantwr) is computer controlled, with a long boot up cycle on initial power up. We found that on interrupting shore power the Heart swtiched fast enough that the Quantar doesn't see loss and doesn't reboot. We later measured transfer time and got a result (from memory) of about 18 Ms. The second question is long term reliability, a question the answer to which requires some long term experience. Our Hearts were made in Washington state, though I believe current ones are made in Canada. The Sun Power is made in China. Anyhow, enjoyed your video. The potential applications for devices of this type are virtually unlimited.
The original Heart Interface inverters created a "modified sine wave". Not the best for heavy loads like microwave or that compressor. Some companies still make modified sine wave inverter, but I would not recommend them. Even though they charge a lot more for a pure sine wave inverter it is worth the money. Modern pure sine wave inverters, especially the high frequency one, really only cost a few dollars for to build compared to the modified sine wave inverters, but companies get away with it !
Inverters have been around from the late 19th century. Early ones tended to be mechanical - eg: a DC power source driving a generator, or such exotic devices such as amplidynes (I worked on a radar/radio telescope built out of a cold-war DEW radar station, and used to drive the "aiming" motors). In fact, as I understand it, this same unit was used in WWII battleship MIssouri-class main turrets). In 1957 thyristers (SCRs and Triacs) were invented, and they became fully solid state. After, they started using power FETS, vFETs, SOS FETS and lately the legendary igFET which allow you to convert your entire public power grid to DC except for local distribution lines. [Most FETs are Metal-oxide semi-conductor (MOS). So are most high density microcomputers of one form or another. That's further divided into many different categories, like nMOS, pMOS, SOS and igFETs] We replaced the 4'x8'x8' dish power unit, that weighed over a ton with two 500 pound amplidynes, and vacuum tubes the size of your head with a box about the size of a breadbox with igFET bridges. In essence, if you took one of Condon's gasoline generators, and replaced the motor with a DC motor, you'd have an old-fashioned rotary inverter with an effectively pure sine wave output. Every battery-based UPS is an inverter. The only real difference is how true the output AC is to a sine wave. Brushless battery power tools are *effectively* DC to AC inverters where you can change the output frequency and thus vary the speed of an AC induction/synchronous motor. [DC distribution in high voltage lines avoids the 10-15% loss in skin effect at 60hz long haul AC. And completely eliminates the need to synchronize power production generators when you need to share load.] The "Heart Interface" is just the name of one company who specialised, at the beginning, in small-medium marine applications. As for long term reliability, do remember where most chips come from these days. North American ones (Heart Interface was subsumed into Schneider Electric - a French megacorp multi-national) may be mechanically nicer and more solid, but the guts are really not that much different, and often exactly the same electronic components.
Heart Interface made the FDM 458 modified sine wave inverter/ chargers. That UL listed inverter/charger series is still sold today under the Xantrex brand. Xantrex is now an MCE company headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
This inverter is not made by SunGold Power. SunGold Power does not manufacture any its inverter offerings. SunGold Power is just a system reseller that rebrands the products that they offer. SunGold inverters are manufactured by Sigineer Power. Sigineer Power manufacturers inverters for several renewable energy companies.
You can directly attach this to your home power? Does it give you the items to do this? This will then use the homes ac when the batteries become to low? Could it sense that the homes power doesn't have enough Amps on the particular circuit(due to other things pulling from that circuit) and then pull from batteries?
It does not come with anything to connect to your house. It could be connected in such a way to power a couple circuits in your house. It will automatically charge you batteries and if the voltage drops low or utility power is lost, those circuits will keep running.
I have considered getting a full home generator for a long time for emergencies and ultimately decided on an inverter installed in my truck. my main issue with the generator was the noise and with the inverter in the truck it's much quieter and at a normal idle the truck can actually run for a really long time. It's only a chevy trailblazer so it's just regular fuel not diesel and in emergency situations it does awesome. I can easily run a full size fridge, lighting, and even TVs and computers with no problem not to mention making sure cell phones stay charged. I do get a little nervous leaving the truck running with no one inside it. but in those emergency situations it's typically pouring down rain and lightening so i doubt anyone would be outside thinking of stealing a car.
That is a good idea. Most cars can produce around 1000 watts at 120 volts and up to about 3,000 watts continuous. The car battery can easily absorb surges associated inductive loads.
Been there, done that. At idle, there is only about 30 amps available from an automotive electrical system, assuming nothing else on the car that consumes power is turned off. That translates to 300 to 360 watts of inverter output power. You can pull more current than this but, you will cook your alternator. I would leave the hood up while the engine is running and (of course) the car would need to have its exhaust routed to the outside at least 25 feet away from your house. Although this method works okay in emergencies, I would recommend using an inverter generator instead for something more permanent. They are fairly quiet and get better gas mileage than a simple open frame portable generator.
greetings sir; i am very pleased to have happened up on your channel as it is very informative, interesting and easily followed. also, it is narrated without the use of profanity that i am finding almost everywhere lately. i learned a long time ago to carry on a conversation without it and am enjoying life so much. i have some of the equipment you service and find your videos very helpful...............g
When using a generator with a built-in electric starter will this inverter/charger activate any generator with electric start or are there other devices required or do you need a particular type of auto-start generator?
It will not start any electric start generator. I think it is geared more toward home standby generators rather then the portable generators I normally work on.
It is driven by MOSFET, it cannot be driven by a transformer. It's either MOSFET or IGBT. I'm not sure IGBT's are being used as yet in solar inverters. The transformer is on the output end of the circuitry. A transformer cannot be "switched".
Sun Gold looks EXACTLY like the AIMS Corp unity out of Nevada. AIMS user manual is detailed, and their user support is difficult. Thanks for your nice review. Just compared the 2 manuals, and they are the same, with Suns having made a few minor changes. Aims unit for 3k is $1.200.00 and Sun is $750.00. No status LED read out on the AIMS unit.
There's a lot of the companies that sell essentially the same thing. Snap On sued Harbor Freight over a floor jack...it came out in the trial. HF bought from a catalog of a Chinese manufacturer...OOOPSIE so did Snap ON LOL so they lost. Tons of relabeling going on. Those fancy $2-300 computer gaming chairs...Yep you can buy one customized for you for about $75.
Actually sungold was around first, Aims possibly procures its producs from sungold..?.I remember when aims products were terrible..and then they came out with their low frequency (sungold clone) I think it's what saved that company.....
If you are going to go an inverter.... I would suggest a low freq inverter..... yes they are heavier but they are more reliable because of the big Tx in them to smooth things out.... if you get a spike in a high freq tx (mosfets) ....it's game over
did you do this test without the earth ground lug below the dc hookups attached, my dc side works fine but 120 won't light up. wondered if it needed the earth ground hooked up
Hey Jim. I couldn’t find a place to contact you directly so I’m hijacking this vid comment page for a moment. I’m amazed and enthralled with your vids and have been watching them for days. Small engine repair has always vexed me but you make it so manageable and systematic that it looks easy now. My comment is I would love to see some vids on your “philosophies” and opinions about the stuff you use. What type and brands of oils and fluids you use and why, a user vid on you very cool ultrasonic cleaner and what is that yellow stuff you add? Is there a favorite? Any commentary on tools, shops, how you find all these used junk generators and how divers is your business? Are you just generators or do you do other stuff too? Let us into the life of James Condon.
I have this Sun Gold Power inverter at an off-grid seasonal cabin. It is turned off when I am not there. It’s under two years old and has worked fine since it was installed. It recently started to turn itself off after being on for about 15 seconds. Upon turning it to the off position and restarting it, it again continues to shut itself off within a minute. The LED readout is scrambled and unrecognizable. Any thought on what is causing this to occur?
I really hope you're kidding when you said your favorite meal was a microwave dinner. Cool bit if kit, look forward to seeing it tested to automatically turn on your generator when you find one that's compatible. Keep up the great work!
If your lights dim when your compressor kick's om open your panel box up and check to make sure that all the screws are tight check the common grounds I had this problem and found most were at least a half turn some were as much as 2 with all that resistance gone it not only fixed the problem my power bill dropped too
2 questions this video brought to mind when trying to measure DC current with a clamp meter are there any special steps you need to take vs AC, does it only work on pricier meters that state they can do it or are the mechanics behind how its measured the same for both AC and DC? second when buying batteries theres typically an AH rating on them, what exactly does this tell you? how many amps itll put out until it drops below 12volts? 11volts? wheres the cutoff or is that the amps contained in the battery if you drain it right to nothing? depending on the answer to this question can you simply take the AH of the battery multiply it by 12 and get the WH the battery will put out for the the inverter before going flat of course with some margin or error favoring low long loads like lights vs high draw items like microwaves and power tools
That's usually two entirely different types of metering these days. AC clamp-on current meters use the clamp as the secondary "winding" of a transformer and the wire running through it is the primary "winding". The AC voltage the meter reads via that transformer is scaled to display AC amps. Most DC clamp-on current meters now use a Hall-effect sensor (sensitive to the magnetic field the DC current induces in the wire it's clamped around) and that magnetic field reading is scaled to DC amps. Some meters may use Hall-effect sensors for both AC and DC. You should probably spend some hours at batteryuniversity.com as they can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about all types of batteries ;-) The AH rating of a battery is based on testing done for 8, 10 or 20 hours (depending on the battery's intended use). Most vehicle batteries (and those for UPS units and many solar applications) have a 20 hour rating. A 100AH battery can deliver 5 amps for 20 hours (5 * 20 = 100) BUT there are a number of "gotcha's", depending on the type of battery. A typical vehicle battery (SLI - starting, lighting, ignition) is a FLA (flooded lead acid) battery - the type you must check the water level on occasionally. Some newer vehicles use AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries which are sealed, with the acid trapped in a fiberglass mat so the battery never needs water and can be used in any position (you'll also find these and gel batteries in electric wheelchairs and handicap scooters). Some FLA batteries are designed for long service at high loads (forklift, solar power, submarines) and can last many years. Newer battery technologies use lithium instead of lead-acid and can have longer life - but cost more. SLI batteries are designed for the quick, high current engine start and immediate recharge but don't last if subjected to discharges greater than 20% or so. AGM batteries can provide 350 charge/discharge cycles if discharged 80% or 1200 charge/discharge cycles if only discharged 50%. Most lithium-ion cells can provide 500 cycles if discharged 80%, but perhaps 3-4 times that if only discharged 50%. LiFePO4 cells can provide 1000-2000 cycles if discharged 80% and probably double that if only discharged 50%. LiFePO4 batteries can be made up that match the voltage range of lead-acid batteries so they are almost a drop-in replacement - 12, 25 or 48 volts. Lithium-ion batteries can be made that work in place of 24 or 48 volt lead-acid batteries but they are NOT a drop-in replacement - things usually need some tweaking. If you can only use 50% of a 100AH battery, you only have 50AH to work with at that level of battery cycle life so you must compute how many charge/discharge cycles you need from the battery bank, how much space and money you have and then work out which type battery and how many AH to power your needs for XXX hours. There is no easy answer because it depends on YOUR needs and YOUR available funds.
@@notyoung dang that was a good comment thanks for the info I've been messing around with this stuff for a while now but it's always good to read it again
@@jcondon1 I hear those kind of generators mess up the inverters when they are charging the batteries. I think eg4 is selling a 48 V charger now because of that. That's in those all in ones
Good tip with the lamp providing the initial capacitor charge, This could be very helpful to create a power conditioning circuit for pure sine wave critical devices using a non inverter generator and fairly small bank of batteries. Thanks.
All inverters are driven by MOSFETs or IGBTs, the differences are if the transistors are before or after the transformer, and the switching frequency used to boost the voltage from battery voltage to line voltage.
What generators are compatible with the 2 wire start function?. I can't find any information on this or how to set up a remote start generator to work with this inverter feature. Thanks for an excellent channel.
Not sure. I only researched if my EU6500 could do it. Might have been possible, but would have been a hack. Maybe large non portable generators might be comparable.
Nice review. What impressed me was the relatively low quiescent current draw (no load). Not much more than my 3500 watt Reliable hi freq unit. Too bad you did not show the max inrush amps from batteries to inverter when starting that direct drive air compressor! Not all clamp meters can do a peak current though. I have an old 1200 watt modified squarewave inverter (12v) that will pull over 300 amps for a split second when starting, say a de-humidifer compressor!
@James Condon it's been a year you probably got that different tester, 😊. You don't happen to know the idle consumption in Watts by chance do you. Or could you explain how convert idle consumption from amps to watts. Thanks in advance
Hi James. Do you still have this inverter with you? Can you help me with a close up photo of the main circuit board inside ? I need to identify the part number of an 8-pin surface mount iC on the main cirtuit board for a similar inverter whose 8-pin IC burnt up (charred) such as number isn't visible. Regards.
I love your videos they are very detailed. I have a question I can’t get an answer for. I have a portable backup generator that is not a inverter. It’s 17,500 watts running and 26000 start up. I’m not sure what THD is but I’m sure it’s above 5. I m worried about my refrigerator and LCD tv getting destroyed. I was thinking about buying a few power inverters and somehow through a power supply plug them into the wall then plug the TV or refrigerator into the inverter to get a pure sine wave. Can this be done and if so how. Because I’ll have the house powered through the generator I thought I could power the inverter through wall ac power any help will be very appreciated.
Ohms law- 120v x 15A = 1800w, 120v x 20A = 2400w so with these inverters you will NEVER get the 3000w out of the standard receptacle, it MUST be hardwired for full output. I've seen 3000w inverters with NO hardwire terminals...I'm not sure how they expect you to get full output.
My 3000 charging inverter is working pretty good so far question in a email sungold asked if I wanted a xtra year of warranty I told them yes please but dont no if they added it or not how can I find this out I bought the unit I believe in January of 2023 put it in service late March 2023 but never received a email telling me that my warranty has been upgraded..
I am hoping you can give me some clarity on this. I purchased this inverter and two 550 watt panels. I am wanting to do grid tie. From what I understand I can use this as a grid tie as well. Could you give clear this up.
Nice unit!! I've not seen ones like that here in Australia. We do have those which will charge a battery bank from a solar array system, as well as putting out mains power from the same solar array input.
I always think it needs to be whole home or bust but you have a point with critical circuits. For example, refrigerators, well pump...then there are some lights, maybe furnace + hot water. It would be pretty amazing to have the house just hold over critical stuff on batteries, particularly in the night. Unfortunately I'd have to wire in a sub-panel and switch those circuits over which is always an involved project.
I’m surprise that little air compressor dim the lights mine is twice that size it’s supposed be started on 20 A but even on 15 A it doesn’t dim the lights.
I wish I could. I think this is more designed for a whole house generator. It might be possible to get it to work with a Honda eu6500 or eu7000. Was looking into that at one point, but would require some custom work. Not plug and play.
I ordered one of these to backup a sump pump, pellet stove, and fridge. I also went with the 24V and 2 - 200A LifePo batteries. Any info on wiring one of these to a sub-panel? I'm not sure how the hot line would connect to a panel designed for 240V with 2 hot inputs? Do you run a jumper between the 2 hots?
This particular model's sub-panel output is only for 120V applications according to the website description. In spite of that, I'm glad James did this video. It never showed up on my radar when I was looking for a sump pump backup inverter. The Pump Sentry I bought last year only fried my sump pump when I tested the load interruption and caused a voltage surge, and it was back to the manufacturer for that one! Thanks again for the video and the links, James!
Seems like a good system, however I can find no reference as to UL safety approval, (CE is not applicable in USA) on their website or on the user manual that I downloaded. That could be an issue if connected to a transfer switch in your house, as it would not pass inspection, although many homeowners would ignore getting an inspection - just be aware that should there be a fire or some other fault, you could find your homeowner's insurance is invalid.
Thanks for the presentation. An interesting product that might be useful for some applications. I went to Sun Gold Power's web site and was looking at some of their other products and I was astonished to find (at least what it looks like to me) that the utility connectors on all the models look similar to the one you tested. While those connectors might be fine for 25A @ 120V, in no way would they be capable of providing 18000 Watts of power on a split phase inverter setup. Do these have any agency approvals? If you used for your home backup and something went wrong, i.e. the apparent undersized output logs burned up, your insurance company would say NO, you're on your own... But, don't get me wrong, it's an interesting product that has it's uses but from the images on the web site I was concerned about the robustness of the connectors being able to handle the loads they specify. Eric
They could...depending on the voltage, the capability is usually rated in amps, but that will change the total wattage that can run through there at a higher voltage. Basic Ohms law. So a contact rated at 15A at 120v is 1800w, but at 240v that's 3600w. It can all be done by calculations
That's probably the way to go for most of us, eventually. It is effectively a big UPS with nice extra features. I'd say, go for the 48v input, and halve the current draw from the batteries. I like the practical test, nuking a lasagne for dinner! What sort of money are we looking at for one of these inverters?
@@jcondon1 I guess you could say "ouch" to the price, but I'd hazard a guess that like most things, the costs, and eventually retail price should fall, but for now, I think only a serious need would force me to buy one. One good reason might be to have the advantage of short term power restored without upsetting the neighborhood, especially in the late evening, otherwise, if like us you're lucky enough to be rural, stick with a reliable generator.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
For those that don't know, MOSFET means metal oxide semiconductor, field effect transistor. Just in case you wanted to know.
He doesn't know
This is correct, and this inverter has just as many MOSFETs as any other. These are LV MOSFETs where the HF inverters use HV MOSFETs or IGBTs.
True. In other words it's a switch - electronic.
Thanks I don't know anything about mosfets
What is the idle consumption on the sun gold. I think it said 1.6 amps but I don't know how to convert that to watts.. I need to learn how to do that because they all come in amps well they don't all say amps. The all-in-one inverter 2424 mPP uses 50 watts, which is the only drawback to those. well I don't know about the only but that's the biggest one. I wonder what the 1.6 amps on this means
I have some welding machines from SUNGOLD, inverter type machines. They are the beast in class. I have 4 different welding machines and SUNGOLD beats them all. I have had the machine for 2 years and has been a champ. I would not be surprised that these inverters are good quality and last for some years.
I've had this exact unit sitting on a pallet rack in my shop for about two years, unused. A friend of mine had some kind of issue where they sent this unit instead of the one he was supposed to receive and it was apparently cheaper to tell him to keep this one instead of shipping it back to them. So I got it for a song. Anyhow, it just sat there brand new in box until a couple of days ago, when I paired it with two Lifeline AGM 255ah batteries for our camping trip. It did a great job, powering everything overnight and through the morning. Then the batteries were charged partially by two 100w solar panels during the day and then topped off by a small 2000w suitcase generator in the evening. Works great, and I'm very pleased with the setup. It'll become a permanent feature on the travel trailer, but for this permanent setup I'm going to use LFP batteries instead of the super-heavy Lifelines. They're much better suited to marine or Class A RV weight capacities.
I have the same inverter but branded as Power Star. Ive been using my unit in an off-grid solar setup for a decade and only recently it statted to act up. Pulled it apart and diagnosed as a single faulty electrolytic capacitor in the control circuit. Replaced and is working flawlessly again. These are excellent reliable units.
That’s a super nice inverter. Thanks for showing it to us. I was hoping you had a gen-set hooked up and it was going to switch between the three modes of operation.
Really wanted to do that. Believe it or not, I only have one with remote start at the moment and it was not comparable :(
Technically speaking ... Your inverter, like all modern inverters, use MOSFETs and TRANSFORMERS ! A high frequency inverter uses high frequencies, MOSFETS diodes and small transformers to create high voltage (about 200V) DC. This then sent to a controller that makes it into 120VAC using more MOSFETs. The SunGoldPower inverter first creates low voltage (about 16V) AC. This is then feed, via MOSFETs, to a LARGE transformer which makes it into 120VAC.
In theory, both designs work and the high frequency design is less expensive. The low frequency design seems to be more robust/durable.
Which kind has a higher idle consumption I've asked this question a couple times on here today. I figure somebody might see my comment and know the answer. I believe that red 1.6 amps. I'd like to convert that to watts
@@VinceBadovinatz88LF has higher consumption, in this case 35W. My cheap 24V HF inverter is only 6.8W.
@@VinceBadovinatz88These inverters have power save mode though which I measured about 5 watts. The problem is only certain types of loads are suitable for power save mode. Well pumps and heaters are good for that. Small loads or computer driven loads (like furnace) will not kick it on.
@@LibertyDIYthank you
This converter is something mywife and I sure could use it do to our temp R.V living and our solar charging system and our generator this would be a great gift step up thank you for listening Sincerely R.&L Gregor your channel has been great at helping some of our solutions
This is even better than a user manual. Thanks James.
I know what a great review with all the testing tools
4000W DC 12V PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER WITH CHARGER
$998.00 Looks like a good price compared to some others
Have been installing sungold inverter for more than 10 year. Never had a client compliant with this brand. Great video
I'm happy you tested this inverter brand.im thinking to go off grid on my home.going with 48 DC inverter.going with gel batteries and going with solar and wind
20 hours ago
That’s a super nice inverter. Thanks for showing it to us. I was hoping you had a gen-set hooked up and it was going to switch between the three modes of operation.
I really wanted to, but do not have one that is comparable currently. Also there is only one AC input so you can run on generator or grid. Need a transfer switch to do both.
I am down in Florida and have been collecting new takeoff or slightly used 48 volt battery kits from golf carts. Right now I kind of have a jerry-rig system where I have to have a separate charger and inverter I definitely think this would be cool to play around with thanks for showing it off!
Good place to start ! Lead acid batteries, especially cheap used ones are not a bad starting point. Keep them full of water and well ventilated. Make sure if you are buying a charger it can be adjusted to LiFePO4 batteries. Sooner or later you will get there. Watch the RUclips Channel DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse ruclips.net/user/errolprowse especially some of the one from last year and early this year.
the leading brand in off grid inverters is Victron.........multiple units can be configured for split phase,parallel units and even three phase power from 3 or 6 units. They are not made in China. Victron inverters and solar charge controllers have a lot of fine control options over battery charging configuration for all battery types ,inputs for fuel tank levels and genset start up. Multiple units can be networked for redundancy and multiple solar charge controllers can be networked to operate as a single charging unit. Victron units can also be hubbed to share data for remote monitoring..........endless features.
Am confident this video will confirm to some who need an inverter to go ahead and fit one. Good stuff, thanks :)
Good video mate! I live totally off grid on my farm and have for many years and have always wanted an auto generator back up; thank you. Lots to consider.
I use Victron inverters, they have low standby power at no load (2 watts) and very high efficiency (98%) They also have the ability to use the inverter to boost the mains input power if perhaps it is not enough for an application. Victron used to use low frequency heavy toroids 5 years ago, but now they all use high frequency. Still have a surge of 2x inverter capacity. A 500w Victron runs and starts my refrigerator fine- my 1600 watt runs 4 refrigerators simultaneously.
98% efficiency cus it's using switch mode topology. Those can't handle heavy current surge.. u should try running a non inverter ac on it and see how it does 😂. These low frequency bois can handle 3x 4x surge like seen with the air compressor. Refrigerators are not a huge load and they don't have a ton of starting current..
Victron is all marketing and is crap.
@@talusranch990 you cant afford victron, you got butt hurt!!!
What is the idle consumption on the sun gold. I think it said 1.6 amps but I don't know how to convert that to watts.. I need to learn how to do that because they all come in amps well they don't all say amps. The all-in-one inverter 2424 mPP uses 50 that's the only drawback to those well I don't know about the only but that's the biggest one. I wonder what the 1.6 amps on this means
"Low Frequency" inverters have MOS-FETs. Just like a high frequency inverter. The difference is the voltage they are used at. In this LF inverter, the MOS-FETs are running directly off the battery voltage, and synthesize a low voltage mains frequency sine wave by switching the battery at high frequency using PWM . This makes about 18 VAC at 60 Hz in a 24 volt unit like the one you reviewed. The 60Hz 18 VAC sine wave is sent to a large step up transformer to raise it to 120/240 VAC
In a high frequency inverter the voltage from the battery is sent to a DC-DC boost converter that makes ~350 VDC. Then MOS-FETs are used to directly synthesize a 60 Hz sine wave directly at the target line voltage using the same method as was used in the LF inverter, except for the fact the voltage was boosted in the DC realm instead of in the AC realm.
I like those as they have the same transformer that charges the batteries to also be the step-up transformer.
In charge mode, the output is center tapped at 2 rails of 12 volts AC (24 total).
In inverter mode, the mosfets "swing" the input voltage back and forth at 2 rails of 12 volts AC.
Great explanation. I hope the subscribers read your comments. I just stated briefly above that the unit MUST use a switching device such as a MOSFET. A transformer cannot provide switching. That is not up for argument.
Good job on the testing of the inverter, very thorough testing, keep up the good work.
Yes ,I live off the grid and I would really like to have this inverter becauseI can use it with my battery pack.
Eloquently presented James.
Wow what an awesome machine! I like the fact that they've gone back to using mains frequency transformers. I have many scrap inverters in the UK where the high voltage MOSFETs have blown up horrendously and destroyed the control circuitry.
via internal elec auto transfer switch. No Interlock necessary.
Watch out for those Made in China cables. They tend to send CCA crap instead of copper wires. The CCA works fine until you get to 50% capacity or a few years old and corrodes to crap (putting it nicely).
CONCUR ! Invest in some large (4 AWG ?) cable. You can find places on eBay that will make them to whatever length you want. If you are going to be doing a lot of solar/inverter/charge work, you might be better off buy cable in bulk and a crimper. Even the hammer crimpers are pretty good.
I have had some of those Chinese cables actually made from copper plated aluminum wire, which as a notably higher DC resistance.
I also make my own cables. Sometimes it can be hard to find the exact terminal lug I need so, I have made several from copper tubing, which I then crimp using a hydraulic crimper. I need to go a step further and buy a solder pot to solder the terminals after being crimped to reduce resistance. With 100 amps flowing, the least little bit of resistance quickly starts heating.
I actually bought this exact one (12 volt version) in 2020. The cables were way undersized. Better go big or go .....
@@jackpatteeuw9244 A 3000w should be more like 4/0 and short as possible. A 2000w should be more like 2/0. The included are never near large enough. Tons of RVers have figured out many of their problems running these larger units is small cables. Welders cable works well
Where did you tap in your O-Scope to display the sine wave?
I know right I don't know much about oscilloscopes anyway
Been taking baby steps following you along. Outstanding!
Incredibly helpful, shopping for an inverter charger for my travel trailer. Thought this one must be junk since it's almost half the price of the well known brands. This will be my inverter, thanks a lot.
Watch for standby power! also the efficiency
That looks just like my Aims inverter I installed in 2012. Same features
Nice product and excellent presentation.
One thing I’m hoping to see demonstrated is the transfer switching cycle - from normal grid input at 1.5~3kW, to simulated outage state, to automatic auxiliary on mode. Wait a minute, then to grid returning, to automatic auxiliary off mode and back to normal grid input. As you know most of us operate manual interlock plate by the breaker panel. Wondering how this product automated that?
The generator start is nice... but where can I find an AUTOMATIC transfer switch to switch between generator and mains AC ? Lots of manual switches but I can't find an automatic one...
How was lunch? James this is very very impressive thanks for reviewing this inverter. It is too bad some American companies aren't doing this but that is another forum. Almost $800.00 and it does what it says it will do. Thanks again keep on keeping one James.
@2:07 Regarding Automatic Generator Start (AGS), have you tried that? I have had difficulty getting the SunGoldPower 3000W inverter AGS to start or stop my 2020 Onan 2500 LP generator using the inverter's AGS dry contacts. For those unfamiliar, dry contacts are a safe and standard interface for many worldwide generators that provide the automatic remote start function when the battery voltage gets low (10/10.5V). Can you kindly demonstrate the AGS on this inverter?
James, don't turn it on. Take it apart. I want to see the inside. Thanks for the videos anyway, Like watching them because I learn a lot.
Hi James, I just stumbled upon your Inverter video and have been working on a similar system for long term home backup power so, wanted to share my findings. First off, all inverters use Mosfets, there are 2 basic types: (1) High frequency inverters use a 50 kHz (25 to 100 kHz) switching power supply to boost the battery input voltage to around 200 Vdc, then they use a second switching power supply to generate a 60 Hz sinewave at 120 volts from the 200 volts. (2) Low frequency inverters use a similar high frequency switching power supply to generate a 18 volt (in the case of a 24 volt inverter) 60 Hz sinewave, which is fed to a 60 Hz step-up transformer, which is what makes the unit so heavy. The use of the 60 Hz transformer makes the unit much more electrically rugged.
I spent a year and a half testing 24 volt inverters for my application. Of the 6 Chinese ones I tested, they all failed within a few months. They also did not put out rated power, overheated easily, and had poor protection circuitry. So, if you need something you can depend upon, the only one I have found super reliable under all conditions so far is the MagnaSine Magnum Energy series inverters.
Lead acid batteries have a high series resistance, I don't recommend pulling more than 1/10 C current from them as a continuous rating (Yes, they will supply several times this for surges). 1/10 C means one tenth the capacity rating. As an example, for a 12 volt marine that has a 100 amp/hour rating, don't try to pull more than 10 amps from the battery. I know this seems ridiculously low but, pulling more current than this causes the series resistance of the battery to start internal heating. This is bad for 2 reasons: you are throwing battery capacity and heating the battery, which can easily take you above the maximum operating temperature of 79F/26C for lead-acid batteries.
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the insight.
Your explanation of "Low power inverter" is a bit wide of the mark. Both types use Mosfets these days. My understanding FWIW is that the difference is:- cheaper inverters run at high frequency through one or multiple ferrite core transformers and then the underlying 50 or 60 Hz envelope is then filtered from that high frequency stuff. The LF type uses a square, C core or toroidal transformer and the high inverter frequency is filtered out before the transformer which essentially just sees the 50 or 60 HZ. Ferrite core transformers have just enough magnetic material (ferrite) to meet the specified output and little more than that. With the larger iron core transformer the power limit is mainly a function of winding heating and therefore short term overloads are no big deal.
Did you see the first Kingsman movie? Well, my head just did that....now who's going to clean this up?
Correct, this one has MOSFETs too (or IGBTs) and bigger magnetics
@@lot27a 😂
I like the surge capability of the SunGold but I've been using high frequency inverters (active & spare) from Reliable Power (now WZRELB on Ebay) for 4 years in my "Wait until daylight" solar-charged backup power system. The 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter was chosen to handle the maximum normal load of 1350 watts (just under 70% of the inverter's rating) and it has no problem starting the essential things (fridge, freezer, furnace blower). After one trip outside to shovel 7" of snow in the dark at 30F to get a generator out of a shed, I decided there had to be a better way ;-) A gasoline generator is still the fallback if there isn't enough sun but, depending on the season, the solar backup system can provide 8 to 20 hours of limited power - 20 hours if only powering the fridge, less time if the freezer needs some cooling or we need the furnace. No "bells and whistles" on the inverters (charger, gen start, etc) but they have survived 4+ years so they are fine for my needs.
The gasoline generator is actually a hierarchy of generators: 1600 watt inverter gen for limited power and recharging the battery bank if there is no sun (most efficient); 3000 watt 120 volt gen if I need corded hand tools; 5000 watt 120/240 volt gen if I need the 10" table saw or the air compressor.
Longest outage we've used the solar backup for was 12 hours in December - with snow taking down power lines. It worked for my design time, so I was happy.
No, I haven't tried to start any large, high-start-current tools with these inverters. I know that some 10" and larger chop saws can have a 40 amp or greater start surge which very few inverters smaller than 10KW can handle. My spreadsheet for "What things for how long?" on the solar backup has a page which includes average running power, maximum running power (defrost cycle on fridge or freezer takes more power than running the compressor) and starting power plus cells which go red if you exceed the inverter's ratings - nice to be able to say "You can use the garage door opener if I unplug the fridge and freezer for a few minutes" - all can be run at the same time but not all can be started at the same instant so you need to ensure controlled motor starting - timers work well to prevent simultaneous fridge and freezer starts: two hours on; two hours off and a 3-5 minute gap between those times or whatever works for your appliances.
Inverter power is fed to selected circuits via a transfer switch, which is also where the gas generator connects through a 12/3 cable. The 5000 watt gen has a 4 prong plug connected to a double duplex outlet via adequate wiring - one outlet on each side of the 240 - so I can power multiple larger tools at the same time and still charge the battery bank, if needed.
Good comment I was wondering about those inverters seeing them advertised. A lot of the reviews weren't so great I don't think
I know I'm 2 years late, however, I would have liked to have seen the charging current. I have had "name brand" chargers before that listed a certain current, however, they were unable to produce it. The battery charger alone has me second guessing this product because I have yet to see actual amperage. Thanks for the video
Would it run a TV VCR descrambler antenna off of a car battery in a car
It would if you had the 12 volt version of this.
Very informative thank you. I think this setup is going to be way less complicated than my original plan.
Very interesting. Based on your video, this appears to be a modernized version of a device known as the "Heart Interface, which has been around since the 1980s and widely used in sailboats. I have two Hearts: one has been in use in my boat since 1991; the other supplies AC to a critical communications repeater and has been in use since about 1995. Both of my Heart's run on 12VDC: the boat one is connected to 400AH of East Penn gel cels, and the radio one to 200AH of same. One difference is the the Hearts are MSW, versus PSW.
I suggest two questions that it would be nice to answer. The easy one is transfer time from shore power to inverter on loss of shore. This was important for the radio system because the radio (a Motorola Quantwr) is computer controlled, with a long boot up cycle on initial power up. We found that on interrupting shore power the Heart swtiched fast enough that the Quantar doesn't see loss and doesn't reboot. We later measured transfer time and got a result (from memory) of about 18 Ms.
The second question is long term reliability, a question the answer to which requires some long term experience. Our Hearts were made in Washington state, though I believe current ones are made in Canada. The Sun Power is made in China.
Anyhow, enjoyed your video. The potential applications for devices of this type are virtually unlimited.
The original Heart Interface inverters created a "modified sine wave". Not the best for heavy loads like microwave or that compressor.
Some companies still make modified sine wave inverter, but I would not recommend them. Even though they charge a lot more for a pure sine wave inverter it is worth the money. Modern pure sine wave inverters, especially the high frequency one, really only cost a few dollars for to build compared to the modified sine wave inverters, but companies get away with it !
Inverters have been around from the late 19th century. Early ones tended to be mechanical - eg: a DC power source driving a generator, or such exotic devices such as amplidynes (I worked on a radar/radio telescope built out of a cold-war DEW radar station, and used to drive the "aiming" motors). In fact, as I understand it, this same unit was used in WWII battleship MIssouri-class main turrets). In 1957 thyristers (SCRs and Triacs) were invented, and they became fully solid state. After, they started using power FETS, vFETs, SOS FETS and lately the legendary igFET which allow you to convert your entire public power grid to DC except for local distribution lines.
[Most FETs are Metal-oxide semi-conductor (MOS). So are most high density microcomputers of one form or another. That's further divided into many different categories, like nMOS, pMOS, SOS and igFETs]
We replaced the 4'x8'x8' dish power unit, that weighed over a ton with two 500 pound amplidynes, and vacuum tubes the size of your head with a box about the size of a breadbox with igFET bridges.
In essence, if you took one of Condon's gasoline generators, and replaced the motor with a DC motor, you'd have an old-fashioned rotary inverter with an effectively pure sine wave output. Every battery-based UPS is an inverter. The only real difference is how true the output AC is to a sine wave.
Brushless battery power tools are *effectively* DC to AC inverters where you can change the output frequency and thus vary the speed of an AC induction/synchronous motor.
[DC distribution in high voltage lines avoids the 10-15% loss in skin effect at 60hz long haul AC. And completely eliminates the need to synchronize power production generators when you need to share load.]
The "Heart Interface" is just the name of one company who specialised, at the beginning, in small-medium marine applications.
As for long term reliability, do remember where most chips come from these days. North American ones (Heart Interface was subsumed into Schneider Electric - a French megacorp multi-national) may be mechanically nicer and more solid, but the guts are really not that much different, and often exactly the same electronic components.
Heart Interface made the FDM 458 modified sine wave inverter/ chargers. That UL listed inverter/charger series is still sold today under the Xantrex brand. Xantrex is now an MCE company headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
This inverter is not made by SunGold Power. SunGold Power does not manufacture any its inverter offerings. SunGold Power is just a system reseller that rebrands the products that they offer. SunGold inverters are manufactured by Sigineer Power. Sigineer Power manufacturers inverters for several renewable energy companies.
8.19.21 Nice video James. Are going to to a solar panel install and use the growatt inverter 5kw to run your garage on?
You can directly attach this to your home power? Does it give you the items to do this? This will then use the homes ac when the batteries become to low?
Could it sense that the homes power doesn't have enough Amps on the particular circuit(due to other things pulling from that circuit) and then pull from batteries?
It does not come with anything to connect to your house. It could be connected in such a way to power a couple circuits in your house. It will automatically charge you batteries and if the voltage drops low or utility power is lost, those circuits will keep running.
I have considered getting a full home generator for a long time for emergencies and ultimately decided on an inverter installed in my truck. my main issue with the generator was the noise and with the inverter in the truck it's much quieter and at a normal idle the truck can actually run for a really long time. It's only a chevy trailblazer so it's just regular fuel not diesel and in emergency situations it does awesome. I can easily run a full size fridge, lighting, and even TVs and computers with no problem not to mention making sure cell phones stay charged. I do get a little nervous leaving the truck running with no one inside it. but in those emergency situations it's typically pouring down rain and lightening so i doubt anyone would be outside thinking of stealing a car.
That is a good idea. Most cars can produce around 1000 watts at 120 volts and up to about 3,000 watts continuous. The car battery can easily absorb surges associated inductive loads.
Been there, done that. At idle, there is only about 30 amps available from an automotive electrical system, assuming nothing else on the car that consumes power is turned off. That translates to 300 to 360 watts of inverter output power. You can pull more current than this but, you will cook your alternator. I would leave the hood up while the engine is running and (of course) the car would need to have its exhaust routed to the outside at least 25 feet away from your house. Although this method works okay in emergencies, I would recommend using an inverter generator instead for something more permanent. They are fairly quiet and get better gas mileage than a simple open frame portable generator.
@@billharris6886 Yep agree, the Harbor Freight Predator Inverter line is pretty good, the 3500 is a popular option/size.
greetings sir; i am very pleased to have happened up on your channel as it is very informative, interesting and easily followed. also, it is narrated without the use of profanity that i am finding almost everywhere lately. i learned a long time ago to carry on a conversation without it and am enjoying life so much. i have some of the equipment you service and find your videos very helpful...............g
Thanks. Try to keep profanity to a minimum and always edit it out.
That’s a great unit! I’d love to have it. Keep up the great videos!
When using a generator with a built-in electric starter will this inverter/charger activate any generator with electric start or are there other devices required or do you need a particular type of auto-start generator?
It will not start any electric start generator. I think it is geared more toward home standby generators rather then the portable generators I normally work on.
The generator needs the autostart ability, if it's a regular electric start I think most can be modified...but not sure on it.
Nice having coffee with you today. Even though I was looking forward to a carb cleaning🤣🤣🤣 this was more interesting.🤣🤣🤣 Very cool product.
It is driven by MOSFET, it cannot be driven by a transformer. It's either MOSFET or IGBT.
I'm not sure IGBT's are being used as yet in solar inverters.
The transformer is on the output end of the circuitry. A transformer cannot be "switched".
Sun Gold looks EXACTLY like the AIMS Corp unity out of Nevada. AIMS user
manual is detailed, and their user support is difficult. Thanks for your nice review. Just compared
the 2 manuals, and they are the same, with Suns having made a few minor
changes. Aims unit for 3k is $1.200.00 and Sun is $750.00. No status LED read out on the AIMS unit.
There's a lot of the companies that sell essentially the same thing. Snap On sued Harbor Freight over a floor jack...it came out in the trial. HF bought from a catalog of a Chinese manufacturer...OOOPSIE so did Snap ON LOL so they lost. Tons of relabeling going on. Those fancy $2-300 computer gaming chairs...Yep you can buy one customized for you for about $75.
Actually sungold was around first, Aims possibly procures its producs from sungold..?.I remember when aims products were terrible..and then they came out with their low frequency (sungold clone) I think it's what saved that company.....
If you are going to go an inverter.... I would suggest a low freq inverter..... yes they are heavier but they are more reliable because of the big Tx in them to smooth things out.... if you get a spike in a high freq tx (mosfets) ....it's game over
did you do this test without the earth ground lug below the dc hookups attached, my dc side works fine but 120 won't light up. wondered if it needed the earth ground hooked up
Great demonstration and review, thank you!
Hey Jim. I couldn’t find a place to contact you directly so I’m hijacking this vid comment page for a moment. I’m amazed and enthralled with your vids and have been watching them for days. Small engine repair has always vexed me but you make it so manageable and systematic that it looks easy now. My comment is I would love to see some vids on your “philosophies” and opinions about the stuff you use. What type and brands of oils and fluids you use and why, a user vid on you very cool ultrasonic cleaner and what is that yellow stuff you add? Is there a favorite? Any commentary on tools, shops, how you find all these used junk generators and how divers is your business? Are you just generators or do you do other stuff too? Let us into the life of James Condon.
Great job...I see the CE mark, is there a UL?
Do not think so.
I have this Sun Gold Power inverter at an off-grid seasonal cabin. It is turned off when I am not there. It’s under two years old and has worked fine since it was installed. It recently started to turn itself off after being on for about 15 seconds. Upon turning it to the off position and restarting it, it again continues to shut itself off within a minute. The LED readout is scrambled and unrecognizable. Any thought on what is causing this to occur?
I really hope you're kidding when you said your favorite meal was a microwave dinner. Cool bit if kit, look forward to seeing it tested to automatically turn on your generator when you find one that's compatible. Keep up the great work!
That was my favorite "microwave" meal.
If your lights dim when your compressor kick's om open your panel box up and check to make sure that all the screws are tight check the common grounds I had this problem and found most were at least a half turn some were as much as 2 with all that resistance gone it not only fixed the problem my power bill dropped too
Would not surprise me. Have found a lot of wiring issues in my house over the years.
2 questions this video brought to mind
when trying to measure DC current with a clamp meter are there any special steps you need to take vs AC, does it only work on pricier meters that state they can do it or are the mechanics behind how its measured the same for both AC and DC?
second when buying batteries theres typically an AH rating on them, what exactly does this tell you? how many amps itll put out until it drops below 12volts? 11volts? wheres the cutoff or is that the amps contained in the battery if you drain it right to nothing? depending on the answer to this question can you simply take the AH of the battery multiply it by 12 and get the WH the battery will put out for the the inverter before going flat of course with some margin or error favoring low long loads like lights vs high draw items like microwaves and power tools
That's usually two entirely different types of metering these days.
AC clamp-on current meters use the clamp as the secondary "winding" of a transformer and the wire running through it is the primary "winding". The AC voltage the meter reads via that transformer is scaled to display AC amps.
Most DC clamp-on current meters now use a Hall-effect sensor (sensitive to the magnetic field the DC current induces in the wire it's clamped around) and that magnetic field reading is scaled to DC amps.
Some meters may use Hall-effect sensors for both AC and DC.
You should probably spend some hours at batteryuniversity.com as they can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about all types of batteries ;-)
The AH rating of a battery is based on testing done for 8, 10 or 20 hours (depending on the battery's intended use). Most vehicle batteries (and those for UPS units and many solar applications) have a 20 hour rating. A 100AH battery can deliver 5 amps for 20 hours (5 * 20 = 100) BUT there are a number of "gotcha's", depending on the type of battery. A typical vehicle battery (SLI - starting, lighting, ignition) is a FLA (flooded lead acid) battery - the type you must check the water level on occasionally. Some newer vehicles use AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries which are sealed, with the acid trapped in a fiberglass mat so the battery never needs water and can be used in any position (you'll also find these and gel batteries in electric wheelchairs and handicap scooters). Some FLA batteries are designed for long service at high loads (forklift, solar power, submarines) and can last many years.
Newer battery technologies use lithium instead of lead-acid and can have longer life - but cost more.
SLI batteries are designed for the quick, high current engine start and immediate recharge but don't last if subjected to discharges greater than 20% or so.
AGM batteries can provide 350 charge/discharge cycles if discharged 80% or 1200 charge/discharge cycles if only discharged 50%.
Most lithium-ion cells can provide 500 cycles if discharged 80%, but perhaps 3-4 times that if only discharged 50%.
LiFePO4 cells can provide 1000-2000 cycles if discharged 80% and probably double that if only discharged 50%.
LiFePO4 batteries can be made up that match the voltage range of lead-acid batteries so they are almost a drop-in replacement - 12, 25 or 48 volts. Lithium-ion batteries can be made that work in place of 24 or 48 volt lead-acid batteries but they are NOT a drop-in replacement - things usually need some tweaking.
If you can only use 50% of a 100AH battery, you only have 50AH to work with at that level of battery cycle life so you must compute how many charge/discharge cycles you need from the battery bank, how much space and money you have and then work out which type battery and how many AH to power your needs for XXX hours.
There is no easy answer because it depends on YOUR needs and YOUR available funds.
@@notyoung dang that was a good comment thanks for the info I've been messing around with this stuff for a while now but it's always good to read it again
For safety, shock and fire, I recommend puchasing an inverter/charger which has UL Listing mark or equivalent 3rd party approval.
Hi what battery’s you use for this please
Hi James, does it convert the square sine wave power from the generator to a clean up pure sine wave?
It does not
@@jcondon1 I hear those kind of generators mess up the inverters when they are charging the batteries. I think eg4 is selling a 48 V charger now because of that. That's in those all in ones
Good tip with the lamp providing the initial capacitor charge,
This could be very helpful to create a power conditioning circuit for pure sine wave critical devices using a non inverter generator and fairly small bank of batteries.
Thanks.
A 10 ohm 100 watt resistor is easier to use. Cheap on eBay.
All inverters are driven by MOSFETs or IGBTs, the differences are if the transistors are before or after the transformer, and the switching frequency used to boost the voltage from battery voltage to line voltage.
This is definitely a competitive offering. Thanks for sharing.
What generators are compatible with the 2 wire start function?. I can't find any information on this or how to set up a remote start generator to work with this inverter feature. Thanks for an excellent channel.
Not sure. I only researched if my EU6500 could do it. Might have been possible, but would have been a hack. Maybe large non portable generators might be comparable.
The only that I have witnessed on RUclips is aims generator look Gavins garage he has a video for that
Interesting! You could run a Battery Tender Trickle Charger, and charge up the Batteries!
I’m glad I studied ME and not EE!! 1.21 Gigawatts to the flux capacitor Professor!!
Nice review. What impressed me was the relatively low quiescent current draw (no load). Not much more than my 3500 watt Reliable hi freq unit. Too bad you did not show the max inrush amps from batteries to inverter when starting that direct drive air compressor! Not all clamp meters can do a peak current though. I have an old 1200 watt modified squarewave inverter (12v) that will pull over 300 amps for a split second when starting, say a de-humidifer compressor!
Need to upgrade my tooling.
@James Condon it's been a year you probably got that different tester, 😊. You don't happen to know the idle consumption in Watts by chance do you. Or could you explain how convert idle consumption from amps to watts.
Thanks in advance
Hi James.
Do you still have this inverter with you?
Can you help me with a close up photo of the main circuit board inside ?
I need to identify the part number of an 8-pin surface mount iC on the main cirtuit board for a similar inverter whose 8-pin IC burnt up (charred) such as number isn't visible.
Regards.
What is the difference with this inverter and the Aims inverter?
can you power with a generator that does not have clean power and have the power out of the sun goldpower come out clean
Does this inverter maintain a continuous sine wave as it switches between shore and battery? That is, phase continuous.
Great review, James!
Thanks
I love your videos they are very detailed. I have a question I can’t get an answer for. I have a portable backup generator that is not a inverter. It’s 17,500 watts running and 26000 start up. I’m not sure what THD is but I’m sure it’s above 5. I m worried about my refrigerator and LCD tv getting destroyed. I was thinking about buying a few power inverters and somehow through a power supply plug them into the wall then plug the TV or refrigerator into the inverter to get a pure sine wave. Can this be done and if so how. Because I’ll have the house powered through the generator I thought I could power the inverter through wall ac power any help will be very appreciated.
After the review did you have to return the unit? Was it a freebie? Freebie is great!
Definitely a good idea, I'm going to explore it's feasibility for my application
That was awesome to watch I didn't even know those existed. And I love your toys I need some of them
Ohms law- 120v x 15A = 1800w, 120v x 20A = 2400w so with these inverters you will NEVER get the 3000w out of the standard receptacle, it MUST be hardwired for full output. I've seen 3000w inverters with NO hardwire terminals...I'm not sure how they expect you to get full output.
I see that too. There are generators out there that make more power then then the outlets can support.
Wow that's a great point
Great unit James . A bit pricey but very heavy duty ! ENJOYED..
I think high frequency inverters are efficient than low frequency inverters?
My 3000 charging inverter is working pretty good so far question in a email sungold asked if I wanted a xtra year of warranty I told them yes please but dont no if they added it or not how can I find this out I bought the unit I believe in January of 2023 put it in service late March 2023 but never received a email telling me that my warranty has been upgraded..
I am hoping you can give me some clarity on this. I purchased this inverter and two 550 watt panels. I am wanting to do grid tie. From what I understand I can use this as a grid tie as well. Could you give clear this up.
I do not believe this model can support that. They do sell others that can grid back feed.
Nice unit!! I've not seen ones like that here in Australia. We do have those which will charge a battery bank from a solar array system, as well as putting out mains power from the same solar array input.
Every DC powered (eg: battery) UPS producing AC is an inverter by definition.
I always think it needs to be whole home or bust but you have a point with critical circuits. For example, refrigerators, well pump...then there are some lights, maybe furnace + hot water. It would be pretty amazing to have the house just hold over critical stuff on batteries, particularly in the night. Unfortunately I'd have to wire in a sub-panel and switch those circuits over which is always an involved project.
That Inverter worrks like a boss! I had no doubts it could do all the things you wanted to do. By the way are all these low frequency?
Can you comment on fan noise when this inverter is running? I did not hear any fan when this was running. Tnx.
I could hear it a little. It is variable speed so it runs quiet and increases speed with load/temp.
Very nice!, thanks! I'd love to see for the sake of curiosity the difference with a high frequency one, delivering the same power.
Wish list material. What is your setup and how do you plan to use this item?
Jim, I'm planning on going with solar panels, and I have a diesel engine that I can mount a military alternator on since it is 24 volts.
I’m surprise that little air compressor dim the lights mine is twice that size it’s supposed be started on 20 A but even on 15 A it doesn’t dim the lights.
Can you recommend a good inverter generator with the autostart feature that would work with this inverter/charger? Thanks in advance.
I wish I could. I think this is more designed for a whole house generator. It might be possible to get it to work with a Honda eu6500 or eu7000. Was looking into that at one point, but would require some custom work. Not plug and play.
Can I have an output of 240 volts to connect a dryer or a stove?
Not on this unit, but they do may 240 v volt versions.
I ordered one of these to backup a sump pump, pellet stove, and fridge. I also went with the 24V and 2 - 200A LifePo batteries. Any info on wiring one of these to a sub-panel? I'm not sure how the hot line would connect to a panel designed for 240V with 2 hot inputs? Do you run a jumper between the 2 hots?
I have not wired one of these to my house. Without knowing your setup it is hard to comment.
This particular model's sub-panel output is only for 120V applications according to the website description. In spite of that, I'm glad James did this video. It never showed up on my radar when I was looking for a sump pump backup inverter. The Pump Sentry I bought last year only fried my sump pump when I tested the load interruption and caused a voltage surge, and it was back to the manufacturer for that one! Thanks again for the video and the links, James!
What’s the short circuit output capacity, thus operating mode not constant voltage but constant current? At 0v?
But did you clean the carburetor?
For once, I did not
If you want to install this permanently you definitely should install an inline fuse between the battery cables and the inverter.
I agree and a disconnect.
Seems like a good system, however I can find no reference as to UL safety approval, (CE is not applicable in USA) on their website or on the user manual that I downloaded. That could be an issue if connected to a transfer switch in your house, as it would not pass inspection, although many homeowners would ignore getting an inspection - just be aware that should there be a fire or some other fault, you could find your homeowner's insurance is invalid.
Thank you very much for the information on inverters . 🇨🇦
Thanks for the presentation. An interesting product that might be useful for some applications. I went to Sun Gold Power's web site and was looking at some of their other products and I was astonished to find (at least what it looks like to me) that the utility connectors on all the models look similar to the one you tested. While those connectors might be fine for 25A @ 120V, in no way would they be capable of providing 18000 Watts of power on a split phase inverter setup. Do these have any agency approvals? If you used for your home backup and something went wrong, i.e. the apparent undersized output logs burned up, your insurance company would say NO, you're on your own...
But, don't get me wrong, it's an interesting product that has it's uses but from the images on the web site I was concerned about the robustness of the connectors being able to handle the loads they specify.
Eric
They could...depending on the voltage, the capability is usually rated in amps, but that will change the total wattage that can run through there at a higher voltage. Basic Ohms law. So a contact rated at 15A at 120v is 1800w, but at 240v that's 3600w. It can all be done by calculations
That's probably the way to go for most of us, eventually. It is effectively a big UPS with nice extra features.
I'd say, go for the 48v input, and halve the current draw from the batteries.
I like the practical test, nuking a lasagne for dinner!
What sort of money are we looking at for one of these inverters?
They are not cheap. This one is in the $800 range.
@@jcondon1 I guess you could say "ouch" to the price, but I'd hazard a guess that like most things, the costs, and eventually retail price should fall, but for now, I think only a serious need would force me to buy one. One good reason might be to have the advantage of short term power restored without upsetting the neighborhood, especially in the late evening, otherwise, if like us you're lucky enough to be rural, stick with a reliable generator.