Hazard of running TV/Audio Sys on Inverter

[madbullram]

As you are aware, power-cuts and Tamil Nadu is synonymous. Most of the residents in my vicinity use inverter for this. In the last 2 months, we have cases (around 15+) of LCDs, Plasma, and LED going Kaput or starting with vision blur, vertical lines problem and so on. And these belong to various brands.

The culprit in all cases seems to be Inverter Used. All the owners have been using the old model "Square Wave" inverters which has caused these issues. In fact, one gentleman has 2 inverters, one new and other 6 years old. The Plasma that was running on his new inverter seems good and the other plasma connected to his old went dead. He said he always used to hear humming noise from the TV connected to the old inverter.

I know most of you are aware of this, if you are running your TVs and Audio Systems using inverters, please ensure they are Pure SineWave models. APC, Microtek, Sukam makes good Pure SineWave inverters.

Any inverter expert in the forum, who can recommend if the so called Pure SineWave inverters are good to run these sensitive equipemts?

 

[technobhatt]

Thanks for this info. Even I play TV on inverter sometime and now I am afraid of doing this.
All I know is I am using a UPS inverter.
How do I check if it is a Pure SineWave Inverter?

 

[vakharia]

Thanks for this info. Even I play TV on inverter sometime and now I am afraid of doing this.
All I know is I am using a UPS inverter.
How do I check if it is a Pure SineWave Inverter?

You would have to look at the manufacturer website for the specifications.

 

[shanmune]

Some time back, I have mentioned about running flat panel TVs with inverters. I am not so convinced running those flat panels with inverters. Having said that, though there exists sine-wave inverters, it is not 100% possible to provide a pure sine wave. In power electronics terms, an impure sine-wave can inject harmonic frequencies (the frequency range can vary based on how impure the voltage wave form is) and those harmonic frequencies is not good for any electronic equipments. Of course there could be better inverters which can give closee to pure sine-wave.

Yes, there exist in-built filters to filter the bad harmonic frequencies, but I am not sure how effective they are. I some times get very angry when the representatives from the so-called brand companies say that their TV products have better in-built votage stabilizers/power supply unit, but in reality, we can see how these TVs are failing. Why can't the so-called brand companies build a robust/durable/reliable product ? Can't they build a good in-built power supply unit to protect TVs from low quality power ? Why should the customer suffer when the brand companies are so incompetent to understand the real life problems ? Let me cool down myself a bit . I am writing this out of frustration that I have personally witnessed more than 4 to 5 TVs seeing failures (not only due to power supply problem). I have this disappointment for all the brands ....

EDIT: The failures of the flat panel TVs were not in my house, but in my friends house.

 

[jsmithe]

Any inverter expert in the forum, who can recommend if the so called Pure SineWave inverters are good to run these sensitive equipemts?

Not an inverter expert, but I have run a CRT Sony on both square wave, sine wave inverter for over 5 years without a problem. Currently running a Sony LCD off a Sukam Sine Wave inverter and other than the noisy fan that cuts in when the inverter is charging and a high freq. whine from the inverter that is audible to me at all times, no issues with the LCD running off the inverter. I don't know about running audio equipment off the inverter since my receiver runs off a 220-110V 1000W converter which along with the connected load from other equipment would end up overloading my 1.5KVA inverter. The receiver therefore runs off the mains via the converter.

 

[vakharia]

^One more point about pure sine wave is that the efficiency is less than 90%. So there is wastage of power. This adds to the running cost.

 

[jsmithe]

Thanks for this info. Even I play TV on inverter sometime and now I am afraid of doing this.
All I know is I am using a UPS inverter.
How do I check if it is a Pure SineWave Inverter?

Specifications off the manufacturer website would have to do, unless you are handy with and have access to an oscilloscope. With the scope though, you would see that even the best sine wave inverter would be only producing a stepped square wave, with the better inverters producing a closer approx. of a pure sine wave. It's the nature of digital to analog conversion via the transform used that only produces an approximated sine wave and not a pure sine wave.

That being said most of the sine wave inverters from the reputed manufacturers like APC, Sukam, Luminous etc. should be enough to run everything but the most finicky of equipment for which nothing but a power-conditioned line would do. Or if the owner is finicky too, then servo stabilized, line conditioned output to equipment is required.

 

[adder]

I have been saying this for many years about square wave its like a slow poison.
Back in 2010 there was a article in electronics for you where they tested many inverters and most of them (except sinewave models and APC sine and square wave inverters)in back up mode used to give voltages anywhere between 160v to 270v and most tvs are designed to operate only from 110v to 240v.

 

[Audiodoc]

I am running my 50 inch plasma on a apc 1000 back ups pro followed by a belkin gold series surge protector. The APC back ups are not pure sine wave. There costlier smart ups ones are pure sine wave ones. The APC gives a 1.5 lac warranty for damage while the belkin gives 1 lac. So I believe I am covered.

 

[yrk1969]

Thanks for this info. Even I play TV on inverter sometime and now I am afraid of doing this.
All I know is I am using a UPS inverter.
How do I check if it is a Pure SineWave Inverter?

Try taking a reading from a multimeter, if its around 160V, then it's not a sine wave.

I am running my 50 inch plasma on a apc 1000 back ups pro followed by a belkin gold series surge protector. The APC back ups are not pure sine wave. There costlier smart ups ones are pure sine wave ones. The APC gives a 1.5 lac warranty for damage while the belkin gives 1 lac. So I believe I am covered.

I don't know how good these warranties are and how prove damage.

On the other hand if there is generator backup and UPS is used only for a couple of minutes until generator kicks in then I think it should be fine. At least that's my situation with a Back UPS.

 

[k2max6]

I was using Su-Kam Pure Sinewave Home Ups for quite sometime. Never had a problem with LCD TV's. Instant switchover and as per the manufacturer it gives pure sine wave . Some of my friends still using it and haven't faced any problem till now & there are long outages in Gurgaon. So i suppose this inverter must be fine.
There are some ups & inverters in the market which give a stepped up sine wave but not pure sine wave.
APC also makes pure sine-wave inverters.

 

[etios]

I am running my 50 inch plasma on a apc 1000 back ups pro followed by a belkin gold series surge protector. The APC back ups are not pure sine wave. There costlier smart ups ones are pure sine wave ones. The APC gives a 1.5 lac warranty for damage while the belkin gives 1 lac. So I believe I am covered.

You will have an interesting time claiming 1-1.5 Lac from these companies for damages