Rectifier

1. Rectifier (Charger) - To convert AC Power (from Power Grid) to DC Power (to charge Battery)

2. Inverter - To convert DC Power (from Battery) to AC Power (to power load i.e., electrical and electronic equipment.)

3. Controller - To control functions of Rectifier (Charger) and Inverter. (i.e., when to start or stop charging battery, when to start or stop power from battery to load, how fast to change from Grid Power to Battery Power and so on)

An Inverter broadly consists of:

1. Inverter - To convert DC Power (from Battery) to AC Power (to power load i.e., electrical and electronic equipment.)

2. Controller - To control functions of Inverter. (i.e., when to start or stop power from battery to load and so on)

Inverters are usually used with Solar Photovoltaic Cells/Modules (Solar Panels) or Windmills, which directly generate DC Power to charge batteries and therefore no Rectifiers are required.

Batteries be directly charged via Battery Chargers. Typically, hawkers in India use Inverters to power light sources. At the end of the day, they give their batteries for charging.

Notes:

1. Change over time from Grid Power to Battery Power is typically set to less than 10 milliseconds to avoid sensitive electronic equipment and computers from rebooting. As change over time is set in Controller, both UPS and Inverters can run sensitive electronic equipment and computers.

2. DC Power from Battery is converted to AC Power for load in either Pure Sine (Sinusoidal) Wave (Waveform) or Modified Sine Wave. Pure Sine Wave is ideal and recommended for increasing life of electrical and electronic equipment and is a must for sensitive electronic equipment. Modified Sine Wave damages electrical and electronic equipment over a period of time and generates humming noise from load during operation. Both UPS and Inverters can generate either Pure Sine Wave or Modified Sine Wave.

Misinformation:

Indians typically call a device:

UPS

·         when it has a built-in battery

·         when it has a short backup duration

·         when it is used in Office

·         when it is not used for lighting purposes

·         when it is used for computers

·         when it does not reboot computer

·         when its output is pure sine wave

Inverter

·         when it has an external battery

·         when it has a long backup duration

·         when it is used in Home

·         when it is used for lighting purposes

·         when it is not used for computers

·         when it reboots computer

·         when its output is modified sine wave

Sometimes Inverters with the above features are incorrectly called Invertors (word not in dictionary).