When shopping for a power inverter, you may come across different types of inverters advertised as “pure sine wave” or “modified sine wave.” But what’s the difference? And does it matter which one you choose?
A pure sine wave power inverter creates an alternating current that is exactly the same as the current you get from your utility company.
A modified sine wave inverter is a cheaper inverter that creates an alternating current that is close to, but not exactly the same as, utility current.
So, does it matter which type of inverter you choose? It depends. If you are just using the inverter to power some small electronics, like a phone charger or a laptop, then a modified sine wave inverter will probably work just fine.
However, if you are powering something that is sensitive to power quality, like a medical device or a power tool, then you will want to use a pure sine wave power inverter.
How Do I Know if My Inverter Is Pure Sine?
The most obvious way to check if your inverter is producing a pure sine wave is with an oscilloscope. If you want to know whether an inverter will produce a pure sine wave or not, you can use an oscilloscope to look at the waveform.
If it is a sine or cosine waveform, then the inverter is a pure sine wave. If your oscilloscope shows anything other than a clean sine-wave, then you may have some issues with your inverter.
…but, after checking with an oscilloscope, how do I identify a sine wave or a square wave?
How Do You Identify a Sine Wave and A Square Wave Inverter?
However, it’s no longer news that an inverter converts DC current to either square wave or sine wave AC current at the core of its circuits.
The output of a sine wave inverter is remarkably similar to AC current. The Sine wave output is purer than the Square wave output, which is also the basis for the existence of the phrase, “Clean power.”
Sine wave inverters are more efficient than square wave inverters and are less likely to cause damage to electronic equipment.
What Is the Difference Between Sine Wave and Square Wave?
