How a Simple Pallet Inverter Crossed the Sea

The Pallet inverter is different, because where by the end of the 50's most useful bits of large mechanical devices were already coming to the conclusion of their evolution and were now simply being refined, the pallet inverter was hardly on the horizon.

In fact the load turner, which had been no more than a machine that flipped over agriculture bags, was not seen in the warehouse and distribution environment for many years.

The first recognizable free-standing pallet inverter was developed in Norfolk in around 1976 built using the hydraulics salvaged from a dustcart! The concept proved very popular with ICI Fertilizers who bought at least 60 rotators for their distribution stores and factories throughout the country. The use of the machines cut their pallet losses enormously and helped to contain spillages in the warehouse.

But what is a pallet inverter and how did it cross the sea. Well it is a machine used when a pallet that has goods stacked on it needs to be removed without the goods themselves having to be unstacked and re-stacked. The idea is quite simple. A fork lift of hand truck is used to load the broken or unwanted pallet with it's load still intact into the inverter. A new pallet is then placed on top of the stack of goods and the whole lot is clamped and turned 180 degrees. This means the new pallet is now holding the weight of the stack and the old one can be removed and disposed of or used elsewhere.

It's true that pallet inverters of a type good be found in the United State but those from Norfolk were soon to cross the sea and capture the market. Premier Pallet Systems were one of the early companies to build on the need for a quality pallet inverter that didn't need replacing often. So they packed up their first machine with the love and care of sending off a loved one and so was born an international trade that has seen many hundreds of pallet inverters cross all seas to every continent and most countries in the world.

The truth is that as the developing world starts to flex its manufacturing muscle pallet inverters can be seen in countries as far from Norfolk England as Malaysia, India and Australia.

More information about Pallet Inverters

Frank L Garsome has been writing about industrial machinery for many years. He as a particular interest in pallet inverters. He writes for the UK blog Pallet Inverters

An Introduction To Power Inverters

Electrical power interruptions are quite common in every place especially after a heavy downpour or a severe storm. To counter these power outages a search has been done to find a reliable and economic alternate source of electricity.

A power inverter serves this purpose. It is a device that is used to convert direct current to alternating current. It works by converting 12 Volt DC power into 110 volts AC. Power Inverters are great tools to run household appliances from a car or any other DC source in areas where there is no electricity. There are several types of power inverters available in two categories – The True Sine Wave Power Inverters and the Modified Sine Wave Power inverters.

True sine wave power inverters provide utility grade power. These inverters are expensive and can power almost anything including laser printers and fax machines. A sine wave inverter is recommended to operate higher-end electronic equipment. Modified sine waves are the most common types of power inverters. A modified sine wave inverter can adequately power most household appliances and power tools. It is more economical, but may present certain compromises with some loads such as microwave ovens, laser printers, clocks and cordless tool chargers.

Simple inverters make use of oscillators driving a transistor to create a square wave, which in turn is fed through a transformer to produce the required output voltage. While Advanced inverters have started using more advanced forms of transistors or similar devices such as thyristors.

Inverters are used in a wide range of applications, from small power supplies for a computer to large industrial applications to transport bulk power. A few of the most widely used applications of Power Inverters include running television sets, microwaves and other household appliances and charging cell phones, laptops from a car’s cigarette lighter outlet and running power tools from a 12 volt battery on jobsites where electricity isn’t available.

Power Inverters provides detailed information on Power Inverters, DC To AC Power Inverters, Emergency Power Inverters, Car Power Inverter and more. Power Inverters is affiliated with How to Replace a Circuit Breaker

Yacht Power Inverters - A Guide

Power inverters

Computers, hi-fi and microwave ovens use considerable power, so if you're considering using them on board you'll probably need power inverters.

An inverter is probably one of the first extras most owners consider buying for their boat, whatever size it is. The ability to use 240V equipment when you are on passage or moored away from a shore supply is prized by most people. At the same time, an inverter is one of the easiest items to install, providing you understand the basic steps involved. Inverters range in size from 50W to 4kW, and can power most items that you now plug into the mains, but you need to understand their limitations, and for that you need to understand what makes them tick.

How they work An inverter takes low-voltage direct current (DC) from batteries, usually 12V or 24V, and converts it to high-voltage alternating current (AC), either 110V, 230V or 240V. The process is the same as your battery charger, except in reverse, and some combi models double as chargers, using the same basic electronics inside. Early inverters used transformers to step the volts up, and were heavy, but most modern models use solid-state electronics, both to step up the voltage and to convert the current from DC to AC, and are correspondingly lighter.

Domestic mains supply voltage follows a sine-wave form with a rounded top as the current alternates. But, while this wave form is easily produced by a rotating generator in a power station, it's more complex and costly to produce electronically and wastes more power. Instead many inverters use a modified sine-wave, or quasi sine-wave, which has a flat topped or square curve. The modified sine-wave powers most AC equipment, but can struggle with some items, particularly electronics with internal power supplies and digital timers like computers, TVs and microwave ovens. Recently the internal power supplies for most electronic equipment have changed to switch-mode systems, which better handle poorer quality incoming AC. At the same time, the standard of the best modified sine-waves has improved markedly, close to that of a pure sine-wave.

Yacht batteries and marine batteries

An inverter can provide high outputs but all this power has to come from your batteries. Short burst high power appliances like a microwave oven, kettle, toaster or hair-dryer are fine, but to run heaters or machines for long, you need a very large battery bank or engine power.

As we have said, virtually anything that you now plug into the mains can be run from an inverter, but the size of your unit governs what it will power. Up to 500W you can run computers, TV, hi-fi, battery chargers for your mobile phone and cameras, and even a 240V domestic fridge, though not always all at the same time.

Up to 1,000W, and you can add a small travel hair-dryer. For most people however the big plus is being able to run a microwave oven and for this you will need at least 1,500W, preferably 1,800W. Don't be confused by the 60OW or 80OW rating on most microwaves. This is the useful cooking power they generate, not the amount of power going in, which will be double this figure.

And at this size, your inverter should also power a standard hair-dryer, plus possibly a kettle, toaster and coffee-maker, though these may require 2kW.

Installing an inverter is within the capabilities of a competent DIY electrician, but if you've any doubts, leave it to a professional. A 2kW, 12V inverter will be drawing up to 200A from your batteries, more than many engine starter motors, so you need large diameter cables, short runs, and good connections. For the higher output models, use 50mm cables (35mm for lower outputs), a maximum of 1.5m long with properly crimped lugs, not screw connectors as they work loose. Anything less and you could lose too much power down the line, which means reduced performance and possibly tripping the inverter. You need proper cable from a battery dealer or automotive electrical supplier. Measure the exact length you want before you buy. They will probably crimp the terminals on for you, but check the diameter of the studs. Most batteries will be 8mm, but the inverter may be l0mm.

If you have to mount the inverter further away, use 70mm cable, or two 35mm cables in parallel for both positive and negative.

Unless a main input fuse is already fitted, you'll have to fit a 250A fuse in the supply line. It's also a good idea to have a separate battery master switch in line, so you can disconnect the unit completely. This must be capable of taking 250A continuous load. Check the size of its terminal studs - they will usually be l0mm.

The DC input terminals on some units were very close together, risking short circuit. If there are no plastic terminal covers, fit your own.

Your battery bank is a major consideration when fitting any but the smallest inverter ...If you take 200A out of a fully-charged 200Ah bank, the voltage at the battery terminals will drop from 12.6V to 11.0V at the inverter. If the bank is only half-charged, the voltage could be down to 10.5V, close to the low voltage tripping point of 10.0-10.5V.

If you're fitting a 21kW inverter, you should have a minimum of 400Ah batteries, preferably 600Ah. For a 1 kw unit, you will need 200Ah, preferably 300Ah.

All these figures assume the engine is not running, which is the usual situation when moored. If you start it up, you will get an input from the alternator, and the battery volts will rise, which will improve the situation, but you should not rely on this.

The condition of your batteries is also important. High continuous current drains will hammer the bank, and quickly find out any weak cells. Gel or AGM batteries will be better able to handle continuous heavy loads.

The 230V output from the inverter will be either one or more sockets on the front, or you may have to hard-wire a cable internally Again, only do this if you are sure of your proficiency. UK three-pin outlets are best fitted sideways or upside down so that large plugs or power-supplies dont foul the base.

Because the inverters have to be close to the batteries, they will usually be mounted in the engine space, or at least away from the galley area. But because most of them have a continuous residual current drain in standby-mode, you don't want to leave them permanently switched on. A remote control panel allows you to turn off the inverter when it's not needed.

Ideally you should fit a change-over switch in the output circuit to switch the incoming AC power between shore supply, generator, and inverter. It's important that you don't have two different power sources feeding into your ring main at the same time. Make sure you get the polarity right when connecting the DC or you could damage the unit

Any piece of electronic equipment will give a high short-term output, but will quickly cut out as it heats up. Best practice is to use the continuous rating to describe the unit. Having said that, the intermittent rating is important, as some pieces of AC equipment, particularly those with motors in them, have a start-up surge that needs a short burst of higher power.

Most power inverters drain a continuous current when switched on, even when you're not using them. This standby current will be at least 2A, sometimes more, which, over 24 hours, it could drain 50Ah or more from the batteries.

This is why a remote control is important. Some models have a powersave mode. This sends the unit to sleep while nothing is connected and wakes it up when it's needed. The drawback to this is that tiny currents, like the timer light on a microwave, will not trigger the unit, so the microwave won't start. Your mobile phone charger will also probably not activate the inverter, so you still need to turn it on manually.

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