[RE-wrenches] Modified sine deterioration

[Eric.Bentsen at schneider-electric.com]

Hi Drake,
Motor loads with control circuitry tend to have problems with MSW (phase 
detection or zero crossing). There are plenty of motor loads out there 
that are powered by modified sine wave, so it is not 
a hard fast rule that all motor loads have problems with MSW. You can look 
at the waveform on a scope. Under no load, it should have the appearance 
of a square wave with a ground-level step between each 1/2 cycle. Although 
the DR incorporated a robust design with good surge capability, they 
typically fail due to control board or AC board related issues. They are 
technically still repairable, although parts supplies are dwindling. The 
cost of true sine wave inverters has come down significantly in recent 
years. That way you don't need to worry about compatibility.
Rgds,
_________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Eric Bentsen   |   Schneider Electric   |  Customer Care Center | Advanced 
Technical Support   |   Technical Support Engineer
Phone: 866-519-1470 option #1  |   Schneider Electric Support Center: 
+800-640-0770   
Email: eric.bentsen at schneider-electric.com  |   Site: 
www.schneider-electric.com/solar  |
Address: 1660 Scenic Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

How am I doing? Please e-mail my manager with any feedback at: 
Jim.Houlik at Schneider-electric.com
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From:
Drake <drake.chamberlin at redwoodalliance.org>
To:
RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>, 
Date:
05/20/2014 07:24 AM
Subject:
[RE-wrenches] Modified sine deterioration
Sent by:
"RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org>



Hello Wrenches,

We are diagnosing a system with a 20 year old Trace DR 1512 inverter. 
Recently a motor burned out that had been running on the system. I do 
understand that modified sine (modified square) wave inverters are hard on 
motors in general.

My question is, "does the quality of the Mayan Pyramid sine wave 
deteriorate with time as the capacitors dry up, or for any other reason? 
Would the power quality be expected to have declined on an old unit like 
this?

Thanks,

Drake 

Drake Chamberlin
Athens Electric LLC
OH License 44810
CO License 3773
NABCEP Certified Solar PV 
740-448-7328
http://athens-electric.com/ 


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