WHAT IS SINE WAVE? DOES THE WAVEFORM OF THE OUTDOOR POWER STATION MATTER?

What is a sine wave? Does the waveform of the outdoor power supply matter?

The outdoor power station is very practical in camping or self-driving tours or power failure emergencies. When purchasing an outdoor power station, you need to choose products with a sinusoidal output waveform. If you choose a power station that does not have a pure sine wave output, the appliance may fail or age.

In this blog, we will explain the basics of the output waveform of an outdoor power station and explain how to select an outdoor power station based on the application.

First of all, what is the output waveform?

The output waveform is the electrical waveform output from the inverter assembly that converts direct current (DC power) stored in the outdoor power source to alternating current (AC power).

A typical home or office outlet outputs an AC sine wave, or an output waveform called a pure sine wave. Of course, most electronic devices (such as TVs, smartphones, heating devices, etc.) are powered by an AC outlet. Therefore, if the output waveform of an outdoor power supply is a sine wave, it can be used for almost any purpose.

There are some inverters on the market that use “square wave” or “modified sine wave” output waveforms for outdoor power supplies. Although such inverters are inexpensive, they may cause electrical equipment failure or aging.

A pure sine wave is a waveform of alternating current (AC current) drawn as a regular periodic and smooth curve with the same voltage amplitude and constant spacing between waves.

What is the difference between a pure sine wave and a square or modified sine wave?

A square wave or modified sine wave is a waveform that is pseudo-close to a sine wave, a square wave has the same voltage amplitude and wave spacing as a sine wave, but has a linear and angular shape.

A modified sine wave is a waveform that makes a square wave closer to a sine wave, and by gradually changing the waveform, reproduces a pseudo-smooth waveform of the sine wave. You can roughly think of it as an intermediate waveform between a sine wave and a square wave. Therefore, the risk of failure and burn-in is lower than with square waves, but cannot be used for precision equipment.

It is recommended to use sine wave for outdoor power supply.

Most home appliances and electronic equipment are built on sine wave settings with smooth voltage changes.

Malfunctions may occur if a square wave or a modified sine wave is used. So, when choosing an outdoor power source, identify the specific equipment you want to use. If you’re not sure, it’s safe to choose a pure sine wave output so you don’t have to worry about accidentally connecting to your computer and failing, or losing access to the equipment you need when it matters most.

If you want to choose a pure sine wave outdoor power supply, it is recommended to use Oxteco power stations.

Most people want to use a safe and reliable outdoor power station normally and Oxteco Sirius Power station is recommended here. As the world’s leading outdoor power supply brand, Oxteco provides a wide range of high-quality outdoor power supplies, which can be used for camping, self-driving tours, emergency backup, professional power consumption, and other scenarios.

Oxteco’s AC port output is a pure sine wave, allowing you to use all general-purpose appliances with confidence, just like using an outlet at home. Also, because the power station is quiet, there is no need to worry about loading delicate equipment or shortening the life of appliances. The product lineup is rich, including a large-capacity home backup type that can be used even in the event of a power outage, a compact and lightweight outdoor type, and a professional type suitable for high-power equipment.