INVERTER Idle Current An Response Time

Transfer time on ProSine 2.0 is 16 mil/sec, transfer is imperceptible - even runs the air cond... Unfortunately, Xantrex phased out this awesome inverter-charger and discontinued parts...They replaced it with the less robust (per surge ratings) Freedom XC...Xantrex bean-counters make me reluctant to go the Xantrex route again...I’m quite sure they earned their cost cutting bonuses...

The OP is talking about an inverter with a transfer switch. The idle current of "inverters" varies by type, where ordinary inverters have low ones and inverter/chargers have higher ones. I suppose an inverter with a transfer switch would be somewhere in the middle.

To measure it requires knowing your baseline amps without the inverter being on. Eg my baseline on the Trimetric is 0.3 amps and with the ordinary (no switch) on, but no load, that goes to 0.6 amps, so the idle is 0.3 amps (2000w PSW)

IN keep my Xantrex Freedom in "UPS" mode. if power is lost (has happened) and I don't have any non-inverter loads up. I may well not even notice.. TV does nto blink, Digital receivers do not blink Comptuers (Laptops) have internal power. A/C and space heaters go silent is all.

.004 amp? That sounds more like a figure for a cell phone than an inverter.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
My old Trace is supposed to have an idle current of .004 amperes (24 volt) and response time of <30 milliseconds.

Both of those numbers are pretty good. 2 cycles @ 60 Hz is 32 msec.

Response time is instantaneous for my Magnum. The inverter goes from stand to running all connected loads with out any notice, no flicker on the TV or groan from a fan.

As a loyal and non questioning consumer, I don't worry about standby current. I've got so many gizmos on the DC bus that whatever the idle drain of the inverter is, is inconsequential.

Mex,

No. In fact my Cobra would sometimes fall over on a large draw. Idle current on the Cobra is about 0.5 amps iirc. The Magnum I have now specifies 30 watts (2.5 amps).

The "standby" mode on the Magnum is nothing short of annoying. It "pulses" the power causing the various and sundry beeps and lights on the microwave control panel to blip on and off. That makes it totally useless.

Magnum specifies 16 ms transfer time.