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
somewhat choppy synthesized 3 phase sine waves - their
output harmonic distortion tends to be greater than a
few other types
of phase converters. Not all digital units
took 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. Also, 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.
* The above is our experience, however we understand
that there may be innovations in producing newer
combinations of Digital Phase Converter technology that
may become available which may have different results.
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.
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