Aug 21, 2009 02:50 pm
Re: Modified sine Wave VS Pure Sine Wave Inverters.
"I'm putting together an alarm system for my remote off-grid cabin" - "the added features of the alarm is to use modules that will turn off and on lights, etc.It also has the ability to telephone in from another location and turn these modules off and on."
So, a remote off grid cabin in a high crime area, or at least high enough to warrant a security system with all of those features. Remarkable. What is that word that is used for phrases like; jumbo shrimp, and pretty ugly? Anyway, thats what this sounds like to me. No offense intended Paul Smith. It probably comes from my having spent almost a lifetime of sleeping at night with nothing but a screen door between me and the other 6.5 billion other humans on this God forsaken planet. Now if it was say, the Bronx or someplace like that sure but a remote cabin? You should have more to fear from critters than people. But thats just me. I forget sometimes that not everybody is as cavalier as others.
Just the other day I went to tighten the lugs on the main breaker at a fellas house with my hex wrench set and I though somebody had stuck him with an ice pick the way he howled. I told him, I said, "Relax, I have on rubber soled shoes and I know what is and isn't potential to current, I do it all the time." His reply was, "Well, if you want to kill yourself I am not gonna watch." I was glad he left. He made me nervous!
I guess what I am trying to say here is, is the potential for crime really that bad at your remote off grid cabin? I mean most people go remote to get away from all of that kind of stuff. Is there no place safe left on Earth?
Anyway, to get back to your system.
"you must use the the power adapter as it contains circuitry required to control the modules".
I take it that this system use X10 technology, correct? And it uses the vac to do the switching while it uses the vdc for motion sensors and such? It would seem that it still has a vdc relay the "triggers" the X10. Other than the power adapter getting hot, does the system work ok? I mean, I don't see how this could work at all if the lights and all are powered by one inverter but the security system is power by a different inverter. But of course I don't know what kind of system you have yet.
There are many "pure" sine waves (Which is really stepped, theres just so many steps it can be called "pure.") of low wattages but as Ken Hall pointed out, you may have to experiment to find the right inverter. The manufactures are not going to tell us if its "half voltage" or not. The only way to obtain a "true" sine wave is with a rotating or spinning force, a.k.a, AC generator. Otherwise you may have to look a other security systems that do not require alternating current.