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

Really wanted to do that. Believe it or not, I only have one with remote start at the moment and it was not comparable :(

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 UKposts Channel DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse ukposts.info especially some of the one from last year and early this year.

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

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 know what a great review with all the testing tools

Watch for standby power! also the efficiency

via internal elec auto transfer switch. No Interlock necessary.

A 10 ohm 100 watt resistor is easier to use. Cheap on eBay.

Every DC powered (eg: battery) UPS producing AC is an inverter by definition.

Thanks Bill, I appreciate the insight.

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.

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.

Thanks for a nice, technical review

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

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

Thanks. Try to keep profanity to a minimum and always edit it out.

That was my favorite "microwave" meal.

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.

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.....

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

Good comment I was wondering about those inverters seeing them advertised. A lot of the reviews weren't so great I don't think

James probably looks forward to it 😜...

Most solar setups are simply not worth it and are subsidized and cannot use a battery back up and you will lose power if the grid goes down even if it is solar noon in your locale. This is the law in most places now. The battery is a huge part of a good solar installation and they cost a fortune, even for lead acid. Quality lead acid batteries start around a thousand bucks. Also, I am guessing (though I'm not certain) this is probably not suitable for a proper solar setup with batteries. Generally, the really good reliable inverters are North of a thousand bucks. This stuff just is not cheap. Even this unit is like 800 dollars.

We had only the 3rd power outage that lasted longer than the 40+ years I have lived in my home. Generator was ready. Lots of HD extension cords. I ran 3 house (mostly refrigerators) 14+ hours/day for 4 days. No problems.

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

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.

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!

I know right I don't know much about oscilloscopes anyway

Thank you!

Would recommend running at 48 volts DC or higher if your system allows it. Might also be an advantage to using lower voltage batteries in the 6 or 8 volt range.

Thr inverter has to use a switching device such as a MOSFET or IGBT. The transformer cannot provide that. I'm almost certain that this particular unit uses MOSFET switching.

Wish I could, but do not have a generator that is compatible.

@@jcondon1 I was looking at the specs. There’s no list of compatible gens. Are you referring to where it says the. Gen must be 1.5x greater than the inverter?

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.

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 UKposts is aims generator look Gavins garage he has a video for that

CM01A, they're up to the CM06 now

It would if you had the 12 volt version of this.

I do not believe this model can support that. They do sell others that can grid back feed.

Do not think so.

Would not surprise me. Have found a lot of wiring issues in my house over the years.

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

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