MSW: Modified Square Wave or M. Sine Wave Discussion (trimmed from original thread)

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  • GreenerPower
    GreenerPower Solar Expert Posts: 264 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: MSW: Modified Square Wave or M. Sine Wave Discussion (trimmed from original threa

    It has been interesting to follow this thread - I say to-mei-to, you say to-ma-to, to-mei-to, to-ma-to ...
    It's all in the eye of the beholder. My 2 cents:
    * MSW - an approximation of a sine wave generator with a 3-level (V, 0 -V) digitized sine wave, or an engineering product under severe managerial constraint budget.
    * Quasi SW - more levels on the digitized sinewave like this 9-level (I recalled, but I heard this is a crap) or a more respectable one
    * Sinewave - pretty good approximation of the sinewave as in the Xantrex 55-level (27 levels each half-wave plus 0) TraceSine.png
    * TSW - well, this is what meant to be designed in the first place.

    Then there are marketing spins on the terms - pure sine wave, ESW, magic sinewave ...
    I'm sure there would be more to come to fill up the wiki pages.

    By the way, the content of this thread is way over the head for "solar beginners"
    GP
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: MSW: Modified Square Wave or M. Sine Wave Discussion (trimmed from original threa

    This thread is a prime example of why the Glossary was created: to define the terms in respect to their use on this forum and in Renewable Energy applications in general.
    MSW: Modified Sine Wave. Correctly, Modified Square Wave. Refers to an inverter whose output waveform is incremental square-wave 'steps' that 'mimic' a sine wave. While usually less expensive than Sine Wave inverters, they have limitations in that some devices do not work properly or at all. Some refer to these Sine Wave inverters as True Sine Wave (TSW) or Pure Sine Wave (PSW), but that is a bit of a misnomer as the waveform is not true or pure.

    Not to be condescending, but I used to have this sort of argument with the children all the time; when they'd learn the meaning of a new word, they'd think that was the only meaning. I'd tell them to go look up "run" in the dictionary. They're all college-educated now, so they must have done it. :D