Magnum Energy MMS-E Series User Manual

Page 9

1.0 Introduction

1.3 Inverter Applications for Mobile Installations

Inverters can be used to provide power in mobile situations, such
as in a caravan, truck, or boat. In these applications the inverter
provides power to the AC loads using the energy stored in the bat-
teries, and recharges the batteries when shore power or an onboard
generator is available.

1.4 Advantages of a Pure Sine Wave vs Modiﬁ ed Sine
Wave Inverter

Today’s inverters come in two basic output waveforms: modiﬁ ed sine
wave (which is actually a modiﬁ ed square wave) and pure sine wave.

Modiﬁ ed sine wave inverters approximate a pure sine waveform and
will run most appliances and electronics without any problems. These
inverters are less expensive, and therefore offer a viable alternative
to more expensive pure sine wave inverters.

The output of a pure sine wave inverter is equal to or, in many
cases, better than the shore power used in your home. Virtually
any electronic device will operate from a pure sine wave inverter.
Motors run cooler, microwaves usually cook faster, and clocks keep
better time just to name a few examples. Without compromising
quality or performance, the MagnaSine provides you with all of the
advantages of a pure sine wave inverter at a much lower cost than
many on the market.

1.5 Appliances and Run Time

The MMS-E Series inverter/charger can power a wide range of house-
hold appliances. As with any appliance using batteries for power,
there is a certain length of time that it can run – this is called “run
time”. Actual run time depends on several variables including: the
size and the type of appliance, the type of batteries installed in your
application, as well as the battery’s capacity and age. Other factors
such as the battery’s state of charge and temperature can also affect
the length of time your appliances can run.

Depending on your inverter capacity, larger electrical appliances such
as coffee pots and hair dryers can be used for short durations. How-
ever, loads that are used for longer periods such as stoves or water
heaters can quickly drain your batteries and are not recommended
for inverter applications.

All electrical appliances are rated by the amount of power they
consume. The rating is printed on the product’s nameplate label,
usually located on its chassis near the AC power cord. Even though
it is difﬁ cult to calculate exactly how long an inverter will run a par-
ticular appliance, the best advice is trial and error. Your MMS-E Series
inverter/charger has a built-in safeguard that automatically protects
your batteries from being over-discharged.