jrnymn7 wrote:
Numbers are in on the pm4b...
when out-putting 46.5a @ 13.9v the ac line current is 9.8a... 1024w in / 646w out... ~63% efficient. And other readings showed ~58% eff.
The line voltage dropped considerably from 121.5v to 104.5v, but I was hooked up to a 100' 14/2 extension cord, plus the wiring throughout the bus.
IMO your efficiency calculations are questionable and the power figures are unclear. What counts is the DC amps output, which is pretty straight forward at 46a. That is very clear :)
Here are the specs for the PDs which are not PF corrected to see how they do it:
PD9245C PD9260C PD9270 PD9280
Maximum DC Output Current 45-AMPS 60-AMPS 70-AMPS 80-AMPS
Maximum Continuous Input Power 725 WATTS 1,000 WATTS 1,250 WATTS 1,300 WATTS
No Load DC Output Voltage 13.6 VDC
Full Load Output Voltage > 12.6 VDC
Input Voltage Tolerance 105-130
Efficiency (Typical) > 80%
So they have a 45a at 13.6 taking in 725w. 45 x 13.6 is 612 and 612/725 is 84%. People here have actually measured the PDs as having 0.7 PF and say that means they would need 725w x 100/70 = 1035 VA from a generator so you are pushing your luck trying to run a 45a PD with a Honda 1000.
The Vector chargers are at max just as amps start to taper at 13.9a A 35amper spec says it needs 600w (it has some PF too)
35 x 13.9 = 486 and 486/600 = 81%
PowerMax specs are similar for the non-PF corrected converters (60 ampers and below)
BTW, note the drop in DC output at full load for the PD. Parallax gives the same sort of info on the 7300s and the Paramodes. Salvo always goes nuts over this because they also claim there is no voltage sag under load. It turns on definitions and gets confusing to say the least.
So with all that, IMO the OP should be very suspicious of his results trying to measure these things when they don't match the expected.
