Bosch tools not working?

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santaigo
santaigo Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I have my off-grid system up and running in testing mode in my garage; the 120v is made by a Xantrex TR1512 (1500 watt, modified sine wave). Everything I plug in works except my Bosch jig saw which draws about 6.5 amps. Saw works great when I plug it into the grid system. What gives?
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  • Frxddy
    Frxddy Solar Expert Posts: 113 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Some (most?) electric motors like, want, need, a pure sine wave.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #3
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Is the tool not working or the variable speed not working (high/off instead of variable speed)?

    In general, a brushed motor should work OK.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • santaigo
    santaigo Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭✭
    #4
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    It is a variable speed motor but I am holding the trigger full on. I have a hard time believing that Bosch would make a tool that would not run on modified sine wave as many, many job sites are run on 5000 watt cheapo gen sets. My 5 gallon shop vac runs fine and it surely pulls way more amps than the jig saw so it's not an amp start-up issue.:confused:
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?
    santaigo wrote: »
    It is a variable speed motor but I am holding the trigger full on. I have a hard time believing that Bosch would make a tool that would not run on modified sine wave as many, many job sites are run on 5000 watt cheapo gen sets. My 5 gallon shop vac runs fine and it surely pulls way more amps than the jig saw so it's not an amp start-up issue.:confused:

    Those El Cheapo gen sets produce sine wave power: motor and windings; nothing fancy about them.

    Your jigsaw probably has circuitry to provide controlled speed under varying loads (good design). With MSW it's "seeing" low Voltage and can't make up the difference. Ironically, a cheap jigsaw would work. :roll:

    This is similar to the problem suffered by some tool battery chargers where the MSW produces an incorrect reference Voltage and the batteries don't fully recharge. Others have been known to fry.

    The whole problem with MSW: you never know which things will work with what inverter 'til you try it. Not all the inverters are the same, either; some have more "steps" to the waveform and more closely mimic sine wave. If you don't like gambling, get a sine wave inverter.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #6
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Decades ago, I think I remember the variable speed on a drill did not work on a msw inverter.

    Even cheap gensets are pretty close to sine wave.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • santaigo
    santaigo Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭✭
    #7
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Ha - you're right - my Dewalt jig saw works fine. go figure.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    The Bosch variable speed tools have a electronic speed control, and my guess is Ty SW is messing it up. I would not risk the tool on the inverter.

    Tony
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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #9
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Also, if the inverter is in Search Mode, some VSR tools will not wake up the inverter. Have had that problem with a Bosch electric Jack Hammer. Other brands of VSR tools would bring up the inverter, but NOT the Bosch. This using a Trace/Xantrex SW+ inverter in search. Just a thought. Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    Not the fault of the jig saw, it's a problem caused by the square wave power being supplied to it. As mentioned by others, some items will actually emit smoke on these cheap modified square wave inverters. Generally the cheaper older less complicated items tend to work better on these wave forms than many of the more complex modern items that can do what they do, BECAUSE they have sine wave power to work with. Our standard electrical system in North America is sine wave, and that's what things are designed to work on. Some items are more tolerant than others and will even work reasonably well on square wave, but definitely not everything will.
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  • santaigo
    santaigo Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭✭
    #11
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    Re: Bosch tools not working?

    To wrap this up, I received this from a gentleman who has "been there, done that".

    Actually I have run into that problem before. My wife had a bosch food processor back when I had a Trace msw inverter. It would not work with that inverter. I thought it was defective, but when we got back up to San Diego it worked fine on house power. Also I have found that motion sensor lights don't like msw power. Most everthing works fine on msw power, but there are a few things that don't like it. I killed 2 electric refrigerators before I figured out what the cause was. Since I switched to Outback inverters, no more problems.

    In my case, my genset is a Honda EU2000 which I have always used to run power tools anyway so I will still be doing that. Hopefully, the NEED to run tools will abate and I can get back to fishing and drinking beer, heh.:roll:
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