3 Best Transformerless Inverters with Circuit Diagrams

The post helps us to understand 3 inverter circuits designed to work without a transformer, and using a full bridge IC
network and a SPWM generator circuit.

The first idea as given below was requested by Mr. Ralph Wiechert

Main Specifications

Greetings from Saint Louis, Missouri.

Would you be willing to collaborate on an inverter project? I would pay you for a design and/or your time, if you'd like.

I have a 2012 & 2013 Prius, and my mother has a 2007 Prius. The Prius is unique in that it has a 200 VDC (nominal) high-
voltage battery pack. Prius owners in the past have tapped into this battery pack with off-the-shelf inverters to output
their native voltages and run tools and appliances. (Here in the USA, 60 Hz, 120 & 240 VAC, as I'm sure you know). The
problem is those inverters are no-longer made, but the Prius is still is.

Here are a couple inverters that were used in the past for this purpose:

1) PWRI2000S240VDC (See attachment) No longer manufactured!

2)Emerson Liebert Upstation S (This is actually a UPS, but you remove the battery pack, which was 192 VDC nominal.)
(See attachment.) No longer manufactured!

Ideally, I'm looking to design a 3000 Watt continuous inverter, pure sine wave, output 60 Hz, 120 VAC (with 240 VAC split
phase, if possible), and transformer-less. Perhaps 4000-5000 Watts peak. Input: 180-240 VDC. Quite a wish-list, I know.

I am a mechanical engineer, with some experience building circuits, as well as programming Picaxe micro-controllers. I
just don't have much experience designing circuits from scratch. I'm willing to try & to fail, if needed! Anyways, let me
know if you're interested.

Happy Diwali,

Ralph Wiechert

The Design

In this blog I have already discussed more than 100 inverter designs and concepts, the above request can be easily
accomplished by modifying one of my existing designs, and tried for the given application.

For any transformerless design there has to be a couple of basic things included for the implementation: 1) The inverter
must be a full bridge inverter using a full bridge driver and 2) the fed input DC supply must be equal to the required
output peak voltage level.

Incorporating the above two factors, a basic 3000 watt inverter design can be witnessed in the following diagram, which
has a pure sinewave output waveform feature.

The functioning details of the inverter can be understood with the help of the following points:

The basic or the standard full bridge inverter configuration is formed by the full bridge driver IC IRS2453 and the
associated mosfet network.

Calculating the Inverter Frequency

The function of this stage is to oscillate the connected load between the mosfets at a given frequency rate as
determined by the values of the Rt/Ct network. The values of these timing RC components can be set by the formula: f =
1/1.453 x Rt x Ct where Rt is in Ohms and Ct in Farads. It should be set for achieving 60Hz for complementing the
specified 120V output, alternatively for 220V specs this could be changed to 50Hz.

This may be also achieved through some practical trial and error, by assessing the frequency range with a digital
frequency meter.

For achieving a pure sinewave outcome, the low-side mosfets gates are disconnected from their respective IC feeds, and
are applied the same through a BJT buffer stage, configured to operate through an SPWM input.

Generating SPWM
The SPWM which stands for sinewave pulse width modulation is configured around an opamp IC and a single IC 555
PWM geneartor.
Although the IC 555 are configured as PWM, the PWM output from its pin#3 is never used, rather the triangle waves
generated across its timing capacitor is utilized for the carving of the SPWMs. Here one of the triangle wave samples is
supposed to be much slower in frequency, and synchronized with the main IC's frequency, while the other needs to be
faster triangle waves, whose frequency essentially determines the number of pillars the SPWM may have.

The opamp is configured like a comparator and is fed with triangle wave samples for processing out the required
SPWMs. One triangle wave which is the slower one is extracted from the Ct pinout of the main IC IRS2453

The processing is done by the opamp IC by comparing the two triangle waves at its input pinouts, and the generated
SPWM is applied to the bases of the BJT buffer stage.

The BJTs buffers switch according to the SPWM pulses and make sure that the low side mosfets are also switched at the
same pattern.

The above switching enables the output AC also to switch with an SPWM pattern for both the cycles of the AC frequecny
waveform.

Selecting the mosfets

Since a 3kva transformerless inverter is specified, the mosfets need to be rated appropriately for handling this load.

The mosfet number 2SK 4124 indicated in the diagram will actually not be able to sustain a 3kva load because these are
rated to handle a maximum of 2kva.

Some research on the net allows us to find the mosfet: IRFB4137PBF-ND which looks good for operating over 3kva
loads, due to its massive power rating at 300V/38amps.

Since it is a transformerless 3kave inverter, the question of selecting transformer is eliminated, however the batteries
must be appropriately rated to produce a minimum of 160V while moderately charged, and around 190V when fully
charged.

Automatic Voltage Correction.

An automatic correction can be achieved by hooking up a feedback network between the output terminals and the Ct
pinout, but this may be actually not required because the IC 555 pots can be effectively used for fixing the RMS of the
output voltage, and once set the output voltage can be expected to be absolutely fixed and constant regardless of the
load conditions, but only as long as the load does not exceed the maximum power capacity of the inverter.

A More Comprehensive Transformerless Inverter Design#2

The second circuit diagram of a compact transformeress inverter using ferrite core inductor is shown in the following
article, the image was provided to me by one of the avid readers of this blog Mr. Ritesh.

The design is a full fledged configuration with includes most of the features such as ferrite transformer winding details,
low voltage indicator stage, output voltage regulation facility etc.
The explanation for the above design hasn't been updated yet, I will try to update it soon, in the meantime you can refer
the diagram and get your doubts clarified through comment, if any.

200 watt Compact Transformerless Inverter Design#3

A third design below shows a 200 watt inverter circuit without a transformer (transformerless) using a 310V DC input. It
is a sine wave compatible design.

Introduction

Inverters as we know are devices which convert or rather invert a low voltage DC source to a high voltage AC output.

The produced high voltage AC output is generally in the order of the local mains voltage levels. However the conversion
process from a low voltage to high voltage invariably necessitates the inclusion of hefty and bulky transformers. Do we
have an option to avoid these and make a transformerless inverter circuit?

Yes there is a rather very simple way of implementing a transformerless inverter design.

Basically inverter utilizing low DC voltage battery require to boost them to the intended higher AC voltage which in turn
makes the inclusion of a transformer imperative.
That means if we could just replace the input low voltage DC with a DC level equal to the intended output AC level, the
need of a transformer could be simply eliminated.

The circuit diagram incorporates a high voltage DC input for operating a simple mosfet inverter circuit and we can clearly
see that there's no transformer involved.

Simulation and Working

The high voltage DC equal to the required output AC derived by arranging 18 small, 12 volt batteries in series.

The gate N1 is from the IC 4093, N1 has been configured as the oscillator here.

Since the IC requires a strict operating voltage between 5 and 15 volts,the required input is taken from one of the 12
volt batteries and applied to the relevant IC pin outs.

The entire configuration thus becomes very simple and efficient and completely eliminates the need of a bulky and
heavy transformer.

The batteries are all 12 volt, 4 AH rated which are quite small and even when connected together does not seem to
cover too much of space.They may stacked tightly to form a compact unit.

The output will be 110 V AC at 200 watts.

Parts List

Q1, Q2 = MPSA92
Q3 = MJE350
Q4, Q5 = MJE340
Q6, Q7 = K1058,
Q8, Q9 = J162
NAND IC = 4093,
D1 = 1N4148
Battery = 12V/4AH, 18 nos.

Upgrading into a Sinewave Version

The above discussed simple 220V transformerless inverter circuit could be upgraded into a pure or true sinewave
inverter simply by replacing the input oscillator with a sine wave generator circuit as shown below:
Parts List for the sinewave oscillator can be found in this post

Make This 1KVA (1000 watts) Pure Sine Wave Inverter

A relatively simple 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter circuit is explained here using a signal amplifier and a power
transformer.

As can be seen in the first diagram below, the configuration is a simple mosfet based designed for amplifying current at
+/-60 volts such that the connected transformer corresponds to generate the required 1kva output.

Simulation and Working

Q1, Q2 forms the initial differential amplifier stage which appropriately raises the 1vpp sine signal at its input to a level
which becomes suitable for initiating the driver stage made up of Q3, Q4, Q5.

This stage further raises the voltage such that it becomes sufficient for driving the mosfets.

The mosfets are also formed in the push pull format, which effectively shuffles the entire 60 volts across the transformer
windings 50 times per second such that the output of the transformer generates the intended 1000 watts AC at the
mains level.

Each pair is responsible for handling 100 watts of output, together all the 10 pairs dump 1000 watts into the
transformer.

For acquiring the intended pure sine wave output, a suitable sine input is required which is fulfilled with the help of a
simple sine wave generator circuit.
It is made up of a couple of opamps and a few other passive parts. It must be operated with voltages between 5 and 12.
This voltage should be suitably derived from one of the batteries which are being incorporated for driving the inverter
circuit.

The inverter is driven with voltages of +/-60 volts that amounts to 120 V DC.

This huge voltage level is obtained by putting 10 nos. of 12 volt batteries in series.

The Sinewave Generator Circuit

The below given diagram shows a simple sine wave generator circuit which may be used for driving the above inverter
circuit, however since the output from this generator is exponential by nature, might cause a lot of heating of the
mosfets.

A better option would be to incorporate a PWM based circuit which would supply the above circuit with appropriately
optimized PWM pulses equivalent to a standard sine signal.

The PWM circuit utilizing the IC555 has also been referred in the next diagram, which may be used for triggering the
above 1000 watt inverter circuit.
Parts List for the sine generator circuit
All resistors are 1/8 watts, 1%, MFR

R1 = 14K3 (12K1 for 60Hz),

R2, R3, R4, R7, R8 = 1K,
R5, R6 = 2K2 (1K9 for 60Hz),
R9 = 20K
C1, C2 = 1µF, TANT.
C3 = 2µF, TANT (TWO 1µF IN PARALLEL)
C4, C6, C7 = 2µ2/25V,
C5 = 100µ/50v,
C8 = 22µF/25V
A1, A2 = TL 072

Part List for Inverter

Q1, Q2 = BC556
Q3 = BD140
Q4, Q5 = BD139
All N-channel mosfet are = K1058
All P-channel mosfets are = J162
Transformer = 0-60V/1000 watts/output 110/220volts 50Hz/60Hz

The proposed 1 kva inverter discussed in the above sections can be much streamlined and reduced in size as given in the
following design:

How to Connect Batteries

The diagram also shows the method of connecting the battery, and the supply connections for the sine wave or the
PWM oscillator stages.

Here just four mosfets have been used which could be IRF4905 for the p-channel, and IRF2907 for n-channel.
Complete 1 kva inverter circuit design with 50 Hz sine oscillator

In the above section we have learned a full bridge design in which two batteries are involved for accomplishing the
required 1kva output. Now let's investigate how a full bridge design could be constructed using 4 N channel mosfet and
using a single battery.

The following section shows how a full-bridge 1 KVA inverter circuit can be built using, without incorporating
complicated high side driver networks or chips.

The Full-Bridge Inverter Concept

Driving a full bridge mosfet network having 4 N-channel mosfets is never easy, rather it calls for reasonably complex
circuitry involving complex high side driver networks.

If you study the following circuit which has been developed by me, you will discover that after all it's not that difficult to
design such networks and can be done even with ordinary components.

We will study the concept with the help of the shown circuit diagram which is in the form of a modified 1 kva inverter
circuit employing 4 N-channel mosfets.

As we all know, when 4 N-channel mosfets are involved in an H-bridge network, a bootstrapping network becomes
imperative for driving the high side or the upper two mosfets whose drains are connected to the high side or the battery
(+) or the positive of the given supply.

In the proposed design, the bootstrapping network is formed with the help of six NOT gates and a few other passive
components.
The output of the NOT gates which are configured as buffers generate voltage twice that of the supply range, meaning if
the supply is 12V, the NOT gate outputs generate around 22V.

This stepped up voltage is applied to the gates of the high side mosfets via the emitter pinouts of two respective NPN
transistors.

Since these transistors must be switched in such a way that diagonally opposite mosfets conduct at a time while the the
diagonally paired mosfets at the two arms of the bridge conduct alternately.

This function is effectively handled by the sequential output high generator IC 4017, which is technically
called Johnson divide by 10 counter/divider IC.

The Bootstrapping Network

The driving frequency for the above IC is derived from the bootstrapping network itself just to avoid the need of an
external oscillator stage.

The frequency of the bootstrapping network should be adjusted such that the output frequency of the transformer gets
optimized to the required degree of 50 or 60 Hz, as per the required specs.

While sequencing, the outputs of the IC 4017 trigger the connected mosfets appropriately producing the required push-
pull effect on the attached transformer winding which activates the inverter functioning.

The PNP transistor which can be witnessed attached with the NPN transistors make sure that the gate capacitance of the
mosfets are effectively discharged in the course of the action for enabling efficient functioning of the entire system.

The pinout connections to the mosfets can be altered and changed as per individual preferences, this might also require
the involvement of the reset pin#15 connection.
Waveform Images

The above design was tested and verified by Mr. Robin Peter one of the avid hobbyists and contributor to this blog, the
following waveform images were recorded by him during the testing process.
220v to 110v inverter
Inverter 12v to 230v ac
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Make a SUPER Joule Thief Light!: A joule thief is a simple circuit that can take 1.5 volts and put out as much as 5 volts. It
can light an LED super bright! But have you ever heard about getting 120…

How to Make a 2kva Ferrite Core Inverter Circuit

Last Updated on April 27, 2018 by admin 15 Comments

Within this post we talk about the development of a 2000 watt inverter circuit which includes a ferrite core
transformer thereby is significantly portable than the standard iron core alternatives.
Very first you have to discover 60V DC power supply for operating the offered 2kVA inverter circuit. The
purpose is to design a switching inverter which is able to allow change the DC voltage of 60V to a higher 220V
at a reduced current. The topology implemented in this particular situation is the push-pull topology which
utilizes transformer on the ratio of 5:18.

For voltage control which you will require, and the current limit – they may be all powered by an input voltage
source. Additionally at the similar rate, the inverter expedites the current permitted. With regards to an input
source of 20A you may get 2 – 5A. In spite of this, the peak output voltage of this 5kva inverter is
approximately 220V.

Pertaining to the architecture, Tr1 transformer has 5+5 primary turns and 18 for secondary. For switching, you
are able to utilize 4+4 MOSFET (IXFH50N20 type (50A, 200V, 45mR, Cg = 4400pF). You will be also free to
employ MOSFET of any voltage with Uds 200V (150V) together with least conductive resistance. The gate
resistance utilized and its effectiveness in speed and capacity needs to be excellent.

The Tr1 ferrite section is designed around 15x15 mm ferrite c. The L1 inductor was created utilizing five iron
powder rings that could be wound as wires. For inductor core as well as other connected parts, you could
always get it from old inverters (56v/5V) and within their snubber phases.

For built-in circuit the IC IR2153 may be deployed. The outputs of the ICs could possibly be observed buffered
with BJT levels. Furthermore, as a result of the large gate capacitance included it is essential to utilize the
buffers by means of power amplifier complementary pairs, several of BD139 and BD140 NPN / PNP transistors
perform the job nicely.

You can even make sure to make use of other control circuits like SG3525. Also, it is possible to modify the
voltage of the input and operate in direct connection with the mains for assessment purpose. The topology
utilized in this circuit has the facility of galvanic isolation and working frequency is around 40 kHz. If you find
you might have planned to utilize the inverter for a small operation, you don’t cooling, but for longer operation
make sure to add a cooling agent making use of fans or large heatsinks. The majority of the power is lost at the
output diodes and the Schottky voltage goes low around 0.5V.

The input 60V may very well be obtained by putting 5 nos of 12Vbatteries in series, the AH rating of each
battery ought to be graded at 100 AH
The 220V acquired at the output of TR1 in the above 5kav inverter circuit still simply cannot be useful for
working regular appliances since the AC content could well be oscillating at the input 40kHz frequency.

For transforming the above 40 kHz 220V AC into 220V 50 Hz or a 120V 60Hz AC, additional phases could be
needed as mentioned below:
Initially the 220V 40kHz will have to be rectified/filtered by means of a bridge rectifier comprised of fast
recovery diodes rated at around 25 amps 300V and 10uF/400V capacitors.

Subsequent, this repaired voltage which might now build to around 310V will have to be pulsed at the
demanded 50 or 60 Hz by way of another full bridge inverter circuit as demonstrated below:

The terminals marked "load" could possibly be right now instantly employed as the final output for running the
preferred load.
Right here the mosfets may very well be IRF840 or any parallel type will do.
Tips on how to Wind the Ferrite Transformer TR1
The transformer TR1 is the main device which can be accountable for upgrading the voltage to 220V at 5kva, being
ferrite cored based it's designed over a number of ferrite EE cores as detailed below:
Considering that the power engaged is substantial at around 5kvs, the E cores ought to be impressive in size, an E80 type
ferrite E-core might be attempted.
Be aware of you might have to include a lot more than 1 E core, may be 2 or 3 E-cores with each other, positioned side
by side for attaining the enormous 2KVA power output from the assembly.
Make use of the largest one that might be accessible and wind the 5+5 turns utilizing 10 numbers of 20 SWG super
enameled copper wire, in parallel.
After 5 turns, stop the primary winding insulate the layer with an insulating tape and start the secondary 18 turns over
this 5 primary turns. Utilize 5 strands of 25 SWG super enameled copper in parallel for winding the secondary turns.
As soon as the 18 turns are finalized, terminate it across the output leads of the bobbin, insulate with tape and wind the
remaining 5 primary turns over it to carried out the ferrite cored TR1 construction. Do not overlook to join the end of
the first 5 turns with the start of the top 5 turn primary winding.
E-Core Set up Technique
The following diagram provides a concept concerning how greater than 1 E-core can be utilized for applying the above
mentioned 2 KVA ferrite inverter transformer design
How To Build a Sinewave Inverter Circuit Using Arduino
The publish describes how you can develop a basic sinewave inverter circuit choosing PWM feed from an Arduino
Uno board, the post also talks about a sinewave 3 phase inverter utilizing the same input from an Arduino.

In accordance with the demand the first diagram below displays a single stage PWM sine wave inverter making use
of an Arduino feed for the PWMs.

The design appears fairly easy, the 4047 IC is designed as a totem pole astable for producing the simple 50 Hz or
60 Hz frequency.

This frequency pushes the two power BJ transistor phases alternately at the specific frequency rate.

The transistors might be restored with IGBTs to get better effectiveness, but mosfets ought to be prevented because
these may need particular focus while creating the PCB, and additional buffer BJT phases to stop heating up of the
mosfets from possible hidden stray inductance or harmonics.

In the above diagram P1 and C1 figure out the frequency of the astable which is often modified by suitably establishing P1
making use of a frequency meter for the proposed inverter operating frequency.
T1 along with the connected components which stabilize a set 9V for the IC 4047 might be eradicated if the chosen inverter
operating voltage is not over 15V, in spite of this higher voltage up to 60V could possibly be attempted and is appropriate for
accomplishing a portable and a more effective inverter design.
The PWM from the Arduino is utilized across voltage divider networks over the two outputs of the IC via reverse biased diodes
which ensure that merely the negative pulses of the PWMs communicate with the power stages and cut their conduction
properly.
Because of these PWM splitting impact, the brought on current inside the transformer is furthermore in the same way formed
for accomplishing the meant PWM sinewave stepped up mains voltage at the secondary of the transformer.
The PWM frequency from the Arduino needs to be set at around 200 Hz, if a designed 50 Hz totem pole can be obtained from
the Arduino then the IC4047 could be completely eradicated along with the signals may be built-in directly with R2, R3 left
side ends.
3 Phase Inverter circuit utilizing Arduino
The following two diagram are created to function as a 3 phase PWM managed inverter from an Arduino.
The first diagram is wired making use of six NOT gates from the IC 4049. This phase is employed for bifurcating the Arduino
PWM pulses into complementary high/low logic pairs to ensure that the a bridge 3 phase inverter driver IC IC IRS2330 can be
created suitable for the fed PWMs.
The second diagram from above forms the bridge driver phase for the offered Arduino PWM, 3 phase inverter design, making
use of the IC IRS2330 bridge driver chip.
The inputs of the IC mentioned as HIN and LIN acknowledge the dimensioned Arduino PWMs from the NOT gates and drives
the output bridge network produced by 6 IGBTs which often drive the associated load across their three outputs.
The 1K preset is utilized for managing the over current limit of the inverter by well adjusting it across the shut down pin of the
I, the 1 ohm sensing resistor might be lowered properly if the current a comparatively higher current is stipulated for the
inverter.
High Voltage Generator
This high voltage generator was designed with the aim of testing the electrical break-down protection used on the
railways. These protection measures are used to ensure that any external metal parts will never be at a high voltage. If
that were about to happen, a very large current would flow (in the order of kilo-amps), which causes the protection to
operate, creating a short circuit to ground effectively earthing the metal parts. This hap-pens when, for example, a
lightning strike hits the overhead line (or their supports) on the railways.

This generator generates a high voltage of 1,000 V, but with an output current that is limited to few milliamps. This
permits the electrical breakdown protection to be tested with-out it going into a short circuit state. The circuit uses
common parts throughout: a TL494 pulse-width modulator, several FETs or bipolar switching transistors, a simple 1.4
VA mains transformer and a discrete voltage multiplier. P1 is used to set the maximum current and P2 sets the output
voltage.

High Voltage Generator Circuit Diagram

The use of a voltage multiplier has the advantage that the working voltage of the smoothing capacitors can be lower,
which makes them easier to obtain. The TL494 was chosen because it can still operate at a voltage of about 7 V, which
means it can keep on working even when the batteries are nearly empty. The power is provided by six C-type batteries,
which keeps the total weight at a reason-able level.

The 2x4 V secondary of AC power transformer (Tr1) is used back to front. It does mean that the 4 V winding has double
the rated voltage across it, but that is acceptable because the frequency is a lot higher (several kilo-Hertz) than the 50
Hz (60 Hz) the transformer is designed for. The final version also includes a display of the output voltage so that the
breakdown volt-age can be read.