pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 12/18/2004
View Profile
 Offline
|
Bobbo,
The micro-air makes just enough difference that the autoformer doesn't cut in. That leaves my air conditioner running at a barely safe voltage.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
|
StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
View Profile
|
pianotuna wrote:Hi,
I don't like my Micro-Air Easy Start.
Do you care to elaborate on this to make it useful information to me?
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
|
StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
View Profile
|
dougrainer wrote:StirCrazy wrote:dougrainer wrote:15k AC will pull 1600 to 1800 watts. About 14.0 amps. So, base the size of your Genny on that. Doug
Surge start up, about 1900 watts
thanks Doug. is that with the micro air or with out?
That is standard SPEC. No Micro air or a Hard start kit on the AC. Doug
that seams low for a surge, but it does have capacitors so it's feasible... I might have to measure mine and see what it does go to...
|
dougrainer
Carrolton, Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 06/11/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
StirCrazy wrote:dougrainer wrote:StirCrazy wrote:dougrainer wrote:15k AC will pull 1600 to 1800 watts. About 14.0 amps. So, base the size of your Genny on that. Doug
Surge start up, about 1900 watts
thanks Doug. is that with the micro air or with out?
That is standard SPEC. No Micro air or a Hard start kit on the AC. Doug
that seams low for a surge, but it does have capacitors so it's feasible... I might have to measure mine and see what it does go to...
The "surge" is a split second. You watch the ampmeter(digital) and it is so quick you have a hard time seeing the upper range. Doug
|
3 tons
NV.
Senior Member
Joined: 03/13/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Doug said:
“ The "surge" is a split second. You watch the ampmeter(digital) and it is so quick you have a hard time seeing the upper range. Doug”
*************
Correct, the true surge level (often 4-5 times run watts…) occurs so fast (milliseconds) that a Kiii-a-Watt meter or a VOM is unable to measure it…
In a similar sense, having both a Micro-Start and a Hughs Autoformer, after a bunch of hands-on ‘trail and error’ test (rendering only ‘one off’ success), my view is that the Autoformer is no substitute for a Micro-Air, because of it’s slower response time, a characteristic of it’s slower transformer based induction response time versus the MicroAir’s near light-speed response mosfets…
Thus, while there IS a place for autoformers, their real design utility is to help resolve dreaded summertime voltage sags when in campgrounds…Since I almost never camp in CG’s, if anyone needs one (still as new) just PM me…
3 tons
|
|
|
Cptnvideo
Arizona - most of the time
Senior Member
Joined: 11/05/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Nice post on 4/15, Itinerant1.
I will post some numbers after my A/C kicks on. But in the meantime.... I have 3 A/Cs with the middle one also being heat pump with "soft start". While unplugged, the soft start unit doesn't disrupt anything at start up, but if I try that with one of the other 2, TV and microwave clock stay on but Dish receiver goes to re-start. Obviously, the Dish receiver doesn't like that very brief surge.
Bill & Linda
Arizona
2019 Dodge Ram Laramie 3500 dually 4x4 diesel
Hensley Trailer Saver BD5 hitch
2022 Grand Design Solitude 378MBS
1600 watts solar, Victron 150/100 MPPT controller, GoPower 3kw inverter/charger, 5 SOK 206AH LiFePo4 batteries for 1030 ah
|
Cptnvideo
Arizona - most of the time
Senior Member
Joined: 11/05/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
It's 11:45 MST, A/C just kicked on. Solar is putting out 86 amps and batteries are putting out 45 amps. So, 131 amps to run A/C, res fridge, TV, misc. In 2 hours time assuming the A/C runs 50% of the time, I would consume 150 ah. But my solar would put out 172 ah during those 2 hours (mid-day).
StirCrazy, I agree with you - I hate to listen to a generator. Could you add more solar for what you would spend on the soft start? For my system, the only difference between running the unit with soft start vs one of the units without is the Dish receiver re-starting.
|
StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
View Profile
|
Cptnvideo wrote:It's 11:45 MST, A/C just kicked on. Solar is putting out 86 amps and batteries are putting out 45 amps. So, 131 amps to run A/C, res fridge, TV, misc. In 2 hours time assuming the A/C runs 50% of the time, I would consume 150 ah. But my solar would put out 172 ah during those 2 hours (mid-day).
StirCrazy, I agree with you - I hate to listen to a generator. Could you add more solar for what you would spend on the soft start? For my system, the only difference between running the unit with soft start vs one of the units without is the Dish receiver re-starting.
I am going to add more solar; do I have enough space to add that much haha... Right now, I have three 160watt panels (480watts total) and a pwm controller. The 5th is getting upgraded to around 800 to 1200 watts depending on how I can fit things and MPPT. My main reason is so that I can run the bar fridge in the outdoor kitchen when camping and keep the beverages out there, can't quite do it right now but I did test it during that heat wave so that couldn't have helped my testing... but I am also going to switch to LFP batteries in the 5th as soon as my battery savings account has enough money in it ![[emoticon]](https://forums.goodsamclub.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink") I am not sure what level of solar you need to run an AC as I haven't ever thought about that. Remember it's only one weekend since 2016 that I wished I had a genny when boondocking.
|
theoldwizard1
SE MI
Senior Member
Joined: 09/07/2010
View Profile
Offline
|
3 tons wrote:“Well you look at them with a proper scope you feel the need to change underwear they are that scary”……
Now that some advice that’s well worth following !!
Brushless generators are notoriously BAD ! Stay away from them !!
|
theoldwizard1
SE MI
Senior Member
Joined: 09/07/2010
View Profile
Offline
|
3 tons wrote:
... my view is that the Autoformer is no substitute for a Micro-Air, because of it’s slower response time, a characteristic of it’s slower transformer based induction response time versus the MicroAir’s near light-speed response mosfets…
Here is the short electrical engineering of what is happening.
All electric motors that power heavy loads have a "starting capacitor" (there is a mechanical switch that cuts out the capacitor once the motor is "up to speed").
When a capacitor is fully discharged (before the motor starts), it "looks like" a short circuit when power is first applied. Additional/larger starting capacitors just make this worse. The MicroAir actually "limits" (slows down by a few hundred microseconds) how fast that capacitor charges up eliminating the current spike.
|
|
|
