• Thread starter TiberiusMineola
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Inverters!! Yet more? "TEC"

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TiberiusMineola

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On a recent visit to PriceSmart, Santiago, I noticed that PS is now selling inverters; I never noticed PS selling inverters before; the only brand offered is "TEC", 3 different sizes. There is no country of manufacture named on the TEC inverters?? All of the writing is in English. Anyone have any experiences with any TEC inverters, positive or negative? They seem substantially cheaper than Trace / Xantrex [or, at least the DR prices for Trace]. Also, PS is selling a line of 6 volt batteries, specifically for use with inverters. Has anyone purchased any batteries or inverters from PS? Results? Pleased? Warranties? Thank you.
 

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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It depends on what you want it for.

If its just for running a couple of fans, lights, and maybe a TV, its probably fine. Although you might be better asking AZB for his inverter contact, that guy seems to sell cheap inverters that many people are happy with.

If its for computers and electrical equipment you care about, you should buy a Trace.

Heres my newly created "Adrian's law of choosing an inverter":

Consider the replacement cost of the devices you want to run on the inverter.

- If the total amount is equal or less than the price of the cheap inverter, then buy the cheap inverter.
- If the total amount is similar or higher than the price of a trace inverter, then you should buy a trace inverter.
- If its in the middle, then its up to you!
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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TEC

There are new brands of inverters manufactured in this country, popping up every year, and it's always the same story.
"They're made with the same parts as a Trace"
"They're just as good as a Trace, only cheaper"
"Try it out for 30 days and return it if you're not satisfied"
So far, they've all turned out to be useless pieces of junk. They develop problems, if they don't already have them from day one. They are over-rated, (I had a 4.5 kilo locally made inverter that couldn't handle the load that my Trace 2.5 handles easily), they take too long to switch over, (TV's, PC's, routers, refrigerators, etc shut down) they do not have 3 stage charging systems that allow for longer battery life, (if you have a 12 battery system @ 3,000 pesos per battery that lasts 2 instead of 4 years, you can take that amount off of what you think you are saving when you buy the cheap inverter), they are less efficient in transforming DC to AC current, ( if you are able to last 12 hours with a given Trace system under a given load, you might only last 8 hours with a cheaper unit) when I want to have my Trace inverter repaired, I disconnect it, take it to Santiago, have it repaired while I wait and have it reinstalled the same day. When your "cheapo" breaks down, your lucky if the guy who sold it to you is still in business, and if he is, don't count on getting one day service.
"Cheapo" units also make more noise. Anybody who has owned an inverter, knows that they are relatively silent when operating, but they do make a buzzing noise when under high load conditions and the "cheapos" make a lot more noise that Trace units.
Trace inverters have an assortment of adjustments that allow you to adapt the system to your specific needs, allowing for longer battery life, faster recharging if needed, better battery care, over-discharge protection, etc.
There are some American brands, such as Dimensions Unlimited, that are quite good, but when it comes to these locally made units, it's quite similar to those "Roka" trucks they built here some odd 10 years ago. Never have I seen such a piece of junk.
If you can't afford a brand new Trace system to suit your needs, then look for a used one. If you can't find a used one, buy a gas generator and save yourself the frustration of owning a pile of electronic junk that has you pulling your hair out by the roots.
Marco.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Know ye that....

Trace make units specifically for the Dominican Republic.

given the conditions present in the dR, Trace figuered out that they have a huge market and are manufacturing units designed for our friggin' electricity and all that it implies---spikes, low voltage, intermittant ons and offs. These are enough to fry most units..

I don't have one except at the beach and it works fine..

HB
 

Adrian Bye

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I know an engineer that had access to Trace's schematics.. he was extremely impressed by their engineering and said it was extremely well done. The way he talked about their internals was that it would be extremely hard to do what they've done.

I would suggest you will have a tough time surpassing trace's brand recognition and reputation for quality. As Marco said, we repeatedly see lots of junk inverters out there that come and go, so its probably a difficult market to penetrate.
 

mondongo

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Jan 1, 2002
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I really cannot think of a better business to make happen in the DR. The key, as you mention, is to make a world class product. There is nothing preventing an intelligent DR engineer from making it happen. That person has to be committed to quality. Unfortunately, those kind of workers/entrepreneurs are not readily available in the DR. Do you have any more details about the Trace schematics?
 

Bolt

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Jun 12, 2002
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www.wireless-alarms.com
There ARE some good invertors in DR if you shop around. This site makes very good invertors and has logrithimic transistional state charging (better then 3 stage), and current adjustments for large battery banks etc etc. They come with a 2 year warranty in DR and one year on site service. I have had the lid of and it is very well made indeed and the caps etc are well rated for our supply fluctions. Most importantly it uses VMOS FETS transistors which can take a heavy pounding and do not suffer from thermal melt down like normal transistors do. I know a good PSU when I see one as I used to build switch mode PSU's for military and aircraft use many years ago.

Switching is in the order of 20 milli seconds to invertor (so nothings turns off at all) and 5 seconds soft start on mains recovery.

http://www.fondeur.com

Onda de salida quasi-seno.
Pulso de correcci?n de onda.
Sistema de carga de bater?as completamente autom?tico.
Protector contra bajo y alto voltaje de l?nea
Protector contra corto circuito en la salida del inversor.
Duplicaci?n de potencia en el arranque.
Panel con LED?s indicadores de status.
Cargador de bater?as temporizado (soft-start).
Transferencia (inversor-linea) retardada 5 segs.
Switch de ecualizaci?n para banco de bater?as.
Panel dip switch para ajuste de corriente de carga y de voltaje de carga (5-25 amp).
Sistema de enfriamiento controlado por termostato (40-55 grados celcius).
Protector de bajo nivel de voltaje del banco de bater?as.
Protecci?n contra conexi?n de bater?as invertidas (hasta 200 amp.).
Dos a?os de garant?a en piezas, Un a?o en servicio.
 

Rocky

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Unesf inverters

I have no direct experience with this brand, and it may very well be the best Dominican brand on the market.
I am skeptical, of course. There's only so many times I can bang my head on the wall before realizing it hurts and it ain't worth doing.
I did notice a couple of things from their website.
1) The page for inverters leads nowhere, so one can only guess about the finer details.
2) There is a marked absence of adjustors to set the unit to best suit one's needs.
3) It is mentioned that there is an equalization switch and an adjustor for the charger. If that's all there is, it's not enough and pales in comparison to a Trace.
Marco.
 

mondongo

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Jan 1, 2002
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Bolt, If you designed power supplies for the military....I bet you used some of our power controller IC's.