Re: [pvusers] RFI Inverter Problems, part 2

["David & Sheila Knapp" <solar@aeroinc.net>]

Bill,

I've used a PowerStar 1300 watt inverter in my house for seven years with no
RFI problems to speak of.  It is well grounded though and has always come
through for us even while grossly overloaded by a contractors big table saw
who plugged into it instead of the grid-tied outlet.  It does have a
modified sinewave waveform, typically having a 40% total harmonic distortion
and you therefore cannot expect it to be RFI free.  The harmonic distortion
will have an effect up through the short-wave spectrum.  Try moving the AM
radio antenna far away from the inverter or get a pure sinewave inverter.
The phone line also has a positive ground which must be run through an
optical isolator (and never to the car negative ground on the phone input
side) and also must be RF chocked and not run close to any of the AC wiring.
I run my 40 meter 7 Mhz ham radio gear in the same room as the inverter and
have no RFI problems with the PowerStar 1300 although the 60 foot long 40
meter antenna is outside and over 30 feet from the inverter at its closest.
My old Sears stereo has an external antenna option on both the AM and FM
bands which has a 100 feet long wire and an Yagi antenna connected to get
the most signal to the received.  The internal antennas do nothing than
pickup a lot of noise, mostly local grid power noise from bad insulators on
local power lines.

Dave
http://www.geocities.com/renewables

----- Original Message -----
> Some more info.
> I live in San Diego, in a camper on a pickup truck with the 5 pvs on
> the roof. I am using a POWER STAR 1300 WITH 0.9 A Q CURRENT DRAW.
> This provides me with power for the frige, a small Sanyo (3' x 2') and
> TV and Macintosh with BestData 56k external modem.
>
> I noticed most of you were attacking the phone line, not the source of
> RFI, the inverter. BTW it is my 3rd one in a year, all have come up
> dead or sparked inside the case - is this just a BAD PRODUCT OR WHAT?
> At $300 it is expected to work better than that.
>
> Yes I had considered using ferite beads in the output line of the
> inverter. BTW the am radio is not usable on ac due to the RFI.
>
> Are they in violation of FCC part 15 rules?
>
> Bill.


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