Inverter to drive microwave

You're into a fairly chunky invertor to power a decent microwave. And a chunky battery to power it. Surely a gas or paraffin stove is much more suitable for camping?

Dave--

The microwave is in an RV--I have multiple generators that would work--just hate to start them for 2 minute popcorn or 60 sec hot tea. Thought an inverter might be a quick solution--the RV has 2 D-8 batteries for DC power--1350 amp-hrs each.

Thanks

Tut

sounds like you have enough battery power but I have no idea which would be better for a microwave

"cnctut" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

Iron-core transformers do not like square waves-the harmonics just generate excess heat in the core.You would need a hefty inverter to power the average MW oven;they run about a kilowatt output(~15A@120VAC input),and with an iron-core transformer,the startup surge would require more inverter power.

"modified squarewave" inverters generate a stepped version of a sine wave,reducing the harmonic output.

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An inverter microwave might work better since they rectify AC to DC.

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I'm ok with a little bigger inverter if you think the extra heat for the microwave transformer won't be a problem over one 2 or 3 minute duty cycle.

Are you saying a modified square wave inverter has multiple stair steps to max voltage vice one large step for older pure square wave inverters? Or does the modified inverter produce a wave similiar to the first 2 or 3 sums of a Fourier series (sorry, I don't mean to sound like a Jacka--?)

Thanks

Tut

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NSM--isn't there some 120vac in the microwave unit somewhere--AC fans, motors, etc?

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Jim

Thanks--I got off my lazy kester and did a google and found the wave shape for a modified square wave inverter. Appreciate your input.

Tut

Sure, but they're shaded pole motors - should be OK.

A modified sine wave doesn't have a 3rd harmonic, and the idea is that eliminating is goes a long way towards reducing overheating in transformers (since the higher the harmonic, the more it's naturally surpressed from the core's self inductance).

---Joel Kolstad

"cnctut" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Yes,AFAIK.

Jim

Thanks for the response--and thanks for not reprinting the Fourier stuff. ;-))

Tut

The Don Rowe inverter FAQ has a question about running an inverter off of a microwave:

Unfortunately it's rather light on details. Anyway, it should work, but you'll probably need a 2k running, 5k surge inverter to run it. They are out there and actually not terribly expensive any more. Sinewave units at that size are still pricey. A Xantrax 1750 for instance is around $300 with the cable necessary to install it, and will run most reasonably sized microwave ovens for as long as your batteries hold out.

-Keith

Keith--thanks

Tut

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I have a 1500W inverter I've been trying to sell for $75 for a while now so they're obviously not hard or expensive to acquire. It runs a microwave just fine, transformer buzzes a bit louder but how often does one get run for more than a few minutes?

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And it's not impossible to smooth the output either.