Digital Phase Converters

Digital Phase Phase Converters scored poor to moderate in the categories of our testing and research.  There are a number of technologies that fit within the category of Digital Phase Converter.  We only counted "digital only" (non rotary) Digital Phase Converters for this class of phase converter.  There were a number of dual digital-rotary units that were categorized as rotary phase converters (with true 3 phase generator units).

Digital Phase Converters are purely electronic and non-mechanical in nature.  As such some of these models are able to produce decently balanced 3 phase power.  Another benefit of this type of phase converter is that they are usually very quiet.  On the downside, this type of phase converter takes a sine wave, chops it up and spits out choppy synthesized 3 phase sine waves - their output harmonic distortion tends to be greater than a few other types of phase converters.  Most digital units did not take power factor correction into account and thus they scored lower in the rating of their ability to produce balanced 3 phase power.  Most of these types of units on the market were limited in the amount of power they could put out.  Thus from all the models that we found, if you need to supply a lot of 3 phase power then this type of phase converter is not appropriate.  Also, due to their sensitive complex electronic nature, they are easily burned out by power surges from power imbalances or lightning strikes.  In addition, due to their complex electronics they are much more expensive and there is a limited number of locations with the ability to repair these.  This can cause extended and costly downtime in the event of damage.  The sensitive nature of their electronics causes their lifespan in the field to be much shorter than what the companies hawking these units claim they are capable of.   In our experience even the most expensive Digital Phase Converters tended to overheat and shut down when dealing with uneven voltages.  This is a common inconvenience with this type of phase converter.

In our experience, and the opinion of many companies who contributed information, Digital Phase Converters failed to last long enough to meet required the quality standards.

There are phase converters types that scored a much higher score than Digital Phase Converters.  Read our Phase Converter Comparison Chart to see which models scored well in each category.

Remember that not all phase converters are manufactured to the same high quality standards.  Click here to read our Phase Converter Purchasing Checklist for guidance in selecting a quality product from a quality company.