I Bought the Cheapest Inverter on eBay part 1/2

[@knurlgnar24]

Thank you everyone for all of your support, I greatly appreciate it! This whole video thing started as a hobby for me back in 2012 and it was support from people like you who kept me going the next couple of years until I got a little burned out. Even a two part video like this probably took me 12 hours of solid work, plus I was spending at least an hour per day maintaining my account with comments, comment abuse, etc. It was tiring. First my backlog of queued up videos ran out, then it was a month since the last one, then a year... At some point I stopped moderating or reading comments - you know how people on the internet are. It was never supposed to end that way and I apologize. Now the production quality of videos on youTube is so high that I have little chance of competing with that content and any future videos will continue to have this garage-style quality - though perhaps with a better camera if I continue making videos. Thanks again - your support is what makes doing this worthwhile.

[@rolliebca]

Knurlignar24 I'm so happy to see you back! I enjoyed this video immensely. Garage style is fine, I can see what you are talking about and your audio is excellent, who needs more than that? It's your content that puts you head and shoulders above any other KZbinr out there! You have no competition. I'm hopeful that you continue posting videos and that you can do it in a way that keeps the load on your shoulders to a minimum sustainable level. This is your channel. You're the boss. Make it work for you. Those who appreciate your content will follow, those who don't can be banned, blocked, and not take up any more of your time. Channels like Robert Murray-Smith have very good policies in place to keep his channel manageable in that regard. Welcome back, looking forward to part 2. I feel like Christmas came early this year!

[@apollorobb]

im good with the Garage style content .Just glad to see you making videos again

[@aqibnaseem]

Hey dude, your content is unique and no one else can compete with you!! Content over Photography anyday. Glad to see you back!

[@gorally2003]

Hey I am just glad to see your back don't worry about the video quality i think most of your true followers would agree a quick and dirty video is fine you do whatever makes you happy and screw all the people with bad comments. I was just showing my wife a few months ago one of your videos and I said I wish I knew what happened to this guy he kinda feel off the face of the earth I hope he is ok so you have true followers that care about you and your well-being

[@MRCNC1967]

I bet after your gas can mod video a lot of people thought some men in black visited you in the middle of the night and took you away for some "reconditioning", I know I did, the coincidence was just too...coincidental.

[@adamnorris163]

The legend returns!!

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

So glad you're making videos again. Welcome back.

[@robertlandrum1971]

Thank goodness 😅 you’re here. How’s your battery 🔋 backup doing?

[@billbraun6846]

It's great to have you back. Your sense of humor is what makes your videos the best. Thanks for posting.

[@gridarmorfix]

Welcome back!

[@momowas]

He is alive! Awesome to see you! Best greets from Germany

[@DMAN22yeah]

Good to see a new video from you, your videos have taught me a lot of what I know about inverters and 12v systems since I found your channel 6 or so years ago. I would very much enjoy seeing some new content from you, maybe you could go back and show the systems you set up in the past like your massive battery bank and dc generator and how they have held up.

[@MuhammadBilal-im7yt]

Welcome back. Missed your videos. Learnef a lot from your inverter upgrade series.

[@Bassguitarist1985]

Holy Shit you are back! Welcome back to the fray! Great to see you are well!

[@jrveloso]

Welcome back man! Don't worry about the quality of the video production, we all just want to see you talking and learn from you. Thank you for all the work put in your past, present and future videos.

[@crash3ksa]

kept us waiting huh ? man when first i knew this channel i was in high school and now its been year since i've graduated from college, really happy to see u back

[@bennyschapero2049]

Where you been? Long time no see... Hope to see you more often.

[@knurlgnar24]

Under a rock. seriously. It's the best place to be right now isn't it? I'm like a groundhog in that I pop my head out once a year to see what the weather is like. :)

[@GoingOffGrid101]

missed you man, love your videos! so glad your back!!!! I tried repairing inverters but not as good as you!

[@knurlgnar24]

You must not be the only one repairing inverters as for the last few years non-working inverters aren't available on eBay (my original source) for reasonable prices anymore. e.g. why pay $80 for a broken one that needs $50 worth of parts and a 70% chance of being repairable that's then worth $150, and after $30 shipping losses when reselling and a 15% seller's fee... when I can get a new one like the one in this video for $200? I didn't mind where there wasn't much of any money in it since I could make videos with them, but to put work into it and then lose money on the project? I can't bring myself to do that.

[@GoingOffGrid101]

@@knurlgnar24 I only repair my friends a d my one inverters

[@MrJon10002]

Brought a smile to my face when i saw you come up as a notification on releasing a new video ! Welcome back !

[@korishan]

Welcome back knurlgnar!! Your videos inspired me to use UPS units as inverters to start with. Also helped to get me into the alternative energy world. Great videos from the past, and look forward to your great content again. Don't worry about the negative nancy's out there. Some people post crap just to try to get on peoples nerves or because they themselves have low self esteem and want others to feel as bad as them. Take your time with your videos. Quality and keeping ones sanity is more important than quantity.

[@knurlgnar24]

I was into alternative energy long before 'green' was even a thing. Now with the regulations and restrictions out there alt energy is getting more and more difficult to do. It's sad really, those who claim to care in order to look good socially seem to only mess it up for those of us who honestly care. I've long dreamed of living in a mostly 'off grid' house, but that is now for all practical purposes illegal today. So coal power it is for me I guess...

[@korishan]

@@knurlgnar24 This is true. But, it also does depend on where you live. Here in Fl it is still not illegal to run independent. In the city is a little different. The only thing so far is that if you do have grid connected, you must have a locking transfer switch (either A or B can be selected at any given time). If you'd like, come check out the forum secondlifestorage where we repurpose lithium batteries. Many different projects to get ideas from

[@timcat1004]

@@knurlgnar24 I went 9000 watts grid tied in 2014/2015 I got in just before they tightened the rules for size of system and wiring reg's. Making 10.4 megawatts a year here.

[@electromechanicalstuff2602]

How's the battery back up doing? Should do an update video if u still have it

[@knurlgnar24]

I have been intending to convert it to a 48V battery bank for my SI6048 inverters and I've gotten to the point of recovering each battery individually so that I can group them into 48V series banks, but that's where I have currently stopped. The batteries themselves are doing well.

[@electromechanicalstuff2602]

@@knurlgnar24 awesome can't wait to see the update

[@timcat1004]

@@knurlgnar24 Is there any chance you could do a review on the EGO 3000 watt Nexus power station? Anything EGO videos get lot's of views. I'm thinking of buying this power station.

[@JT-lq4yd]

Welcome back! How is the 1000 ah battery bank you salvaged? Still using it or was it replaced with other batteries?

[@knurlgnar24]

6 months or more ago I went through each battery and was able to recover them to a better condition than they were after the last 1000ah video I made. I used different equipment that was better able to measure their recovery but I was surprised that I was able to do so after that many years. Now they stand at about 80% of their rated capacity overall which is pretty good considering that they are about 10 years old and at their EOL according to the manufacturer. I also have the two BCI group 24 batteries I bought back in 2012 that are going strong still. Those are cheap-o batteries and show that a person can keep batteries a very long time if they take care of them.

[@JT-lq4yd]

@@knurlgnar24 Thanks for replying! Could you make a video of that testing equipment you are using? I have a battery charger that supposedly desulfates batteries but don't have a tester and would like to test the batteries on my UPS. Maintenance is key to keeping batteries in good condition, charge voltage and water level if they are flooded type lead acid batteries. I am not surprised that you are able to keep them working after this long.

[@knurlgnar24]

@@JT-lq4yd I started a video a few months ago that I need to finish showing the different equipment and how to use it to desulfate a battery. It's nothing too special, basically just a lab style power supply and a lab style programmable electronic load. Thanks for the comment! I might now be motivated to finish that vid and get it posted.

[@MRCNC1967]

Good you're back, hope you and your family have been well, looks like you have to brush up on the old camera skills! Looks like I missed a video release 5 months ago, don't know how that happened but we all have a crisis on our hands and was somewhat distracted! Again, glad you're back!

[@knurlgnar24]

Yes, my camera skills are, well, bad. They do need some work don't they? Also, my camera is by today's standards bad.

[@MRCNC1967]

@@knurlgnar24 No worries, baby steps. Just want to thank you for all your great past videos, it was an awesome help when trying to understand the battery and inverter technology. With the info in your videos I put together several iterations of portable AC inverter packs. Two are in use at this time and all put together with off the shelf components. Drawback to Pb batteries is weight, so as LifePo batteries come down in price I will be upgrading to those, but the basic inverter layout will remain the same. Again, thank you, your videos played a key part in helping me get comfortable with these incredible devices. Sidebar - I purchases the Bestek 1000W inverter you reviewed, it worked great until I lent it to a friend and it was returned inoperative...let me know if interested in troubleshoot/repair, I can ship to you.

[@ironhead65]

Glad to see you back!

[@davidw2425]

Great to see you making videos again!!

[@apollorobb]

Oh you bet im gonna use it on inductive loads lol Runs it through a Transformer into a split phase cap start motor lol

[@knurlgnar24]

That's a good thought - a transformer would have been a good addition even just for facetious reasons.

[@Oneupthesleevecustoms]

Yay!!!!!

[@Lee_Adamson_OCF]

Good to see you back, sir!

[@gorally2003]

You made my day welcome back

[@Gyppor]

Holy shit, you're back! Nice!

[@mitchellwilson12354]

At that length I would say the 8awg wire could handle 80a, I have gotten away with 10awg in similar length for 60a and it barely gets warm.

[@knurlgnar24]

60a through 10awg will get hot no matter the situation. That said I agree that if in free air with some natural convection it will work just fine. I wouldn't trust it long term. Personally I've run 150A through 4AWG and it works OK but I wouldn't recommend it.

[@station240]

so 500W of power per transformer/mosfet set, 6 transformers to make up 3000W. I wonder if there is a version with 8 transformers to make up 4000W ? Good to see you back also.

[@knurlgnar24]

Looks like there is room in there for at least 5000W with a larger top board. I did not see this option anywhere however on eBay, Amazon, google images, alibaba, etc

[@TheBlackadder-Edmund]

Welcome back 🙂

[@sausagedog52]

havent seen you since 2015, looking at just the videos theyre shot in basically the exact same way

[@knurlgnar24]

Yes, my production quality isn't the highest. Never was, never will be.

[@lmlm400b]

Great to have u back on KZbin! No need to apologize knurlgnar24, everyone has right to live their own life as they see fit! I'm thankful you are well and continue to help fellows like me! stay free n safe!!!

[@greegearl1542]

Yayyy!! Your Back!!!!

[@kannonsengineeringandpotte3210]

Do a 2020 power jack inverter review

[@idontneedaname85]

Please keep making videos. I have a 4kw off grid solar power system. MS4448pae. and I got into solar watching your videos.

[@knurlgnar24]

Cool! I have one of those exact inverters - never took it out of the box to date sadly... How is it working for you? Unless I move I just don't have the ability to do an off grid solar setup like I want.

[@idontneedaname85]

@@knurlgnar24 it’s great. It’s been running for 3 years straight. (Can’t start my compressor tho)

[@coolasice5589]

Welcome back to the Planet earth 🤣

[@Hrod750]

Hey, glad to see you're back. Love the vids. Just picked up a schumacher 410w a few days ago to charge my power tools on the go. Also scored a bunch of lead acids for dirt cheap. Any tips on charging small lead acids directly from a cigarette lighter?

[@knurlgnar24]

I have a video half done on restoring a small lead acid battery. One day when I get that video done and posted perhaps it will interest you. :) In the meantime I have to say that charging from a cigarette lighter is a subpar way to charge a battery. That said if it is what you have then there is no shame in it.

[@donowens5883]

Brushless fans do they really pull hardly any current at all or are they really safe to have or are they a fire starter that's my question?

[@donowens5883]

Test your inverter on your laboratory power supply to find out what current it actually really does draw before you trust the specs on it run a laboratory check a safe laboratory check first before even hooking up to a battery?

[@donowens5883]

I don't think I believe that what that specification says like I said to protect yourself and your equipment tested on your power supply and find out exactly what the current of the inverter would draw off of power supply before you hook it to a battery then we know if it needs continuous card or if it would be safe to run off a battery or not or wise let's say wise to run off a battery or not run it off a power supply first check the power supply find out what the power supply is stating then that probably should justify your answer we know a battery may not last long in an inverter setup do we know exactly what the power draw really will be and the amperage draw will be there's no way to tell unless we use a laboratory power supply first,

[@donowens5883]

That would sound highly stupid to trust those specs they tell you just to make their products sound real big be careful about that I'm very skeptical of what that power inverter pulls what about the last power inverter it was better when you made the thousand amp hour battery but now we're looking at a laboratory power supply use to see what the power supply says what if the power supply laboratory says hey this is too much you need a little bit more then would you justify your power needs for the project?

[@aqibnaseem]

I want to buy an inverter now 😂😂😂😂!

[@pjshots]

More, more, more.

[@fc436]

just the type of terminal say you DONT BUY ME

[@briangroene7756]

Long time

[@baxbax8701]

Sooooo dangerous buying a cheap inverter as they are NOT input output isolated which means that the 240/120 volts output can go back into the batteries, which means you touch the batteries when feet are on the ground, you can get zapped! These cheap inverters should be outlawed!

[@knurlgnar24]

Knives hurt you if you touch the wrong. They should be outlawed! Matches cause thousands of damaging fires every year. They should be outlawed! Used properly these inverters are not a shock hazard and one can safely touch the batteries. They are not intended to be used in neutral-ground bonded applications and almost no one uses them that way much like almost no one grabs the sharp end of a knife intending to use the handle as a hammer.

[@baxbax8701]

Yea agree with part of what you said and I guess in the US 120 volts wouldn’t give you much of a jolt in most circumstances. But here in Aus 240 volts kills, and because these cheap inverters are not isolated work places have outlawed the use of them because of the danger. I have been zapped by a cheap 6000 watt square wave inverter through the battery post. It’s fact that these inverters are dangerous when used as they are supposed to be used and not as a knife or a match, and there are documented cases proving it. I’m not going to show you any here because you prolly wouldn’t be interested anyway! However if you really want to find out about the dangers, you know what to do 😎

[@sharukhmatekuki5830]

Nice 👍🏻👍🏻 🇮🇳 Kuki 03|06|2022

[@tronixfix]

$200 for that junk? 😂😂😂 sorry but i got a used 2000W/4000W pure sine wave UPS for only $180?... even the brand new 200Ah battery did cost me more at $220. The unit is running 24/7 for 7 month by now in combination with an automatic changeover switch.

[@knurlgnar24]

It turned out to be a pretty decent inverter. I've bought surplus new or used inverters in the past also and while there are good deals to be had that way there is a significant convenience factor with being able to purchase something new anytime you want it without worrying about its past life. Be careful with UPS units as they are rarely designed to run continuously at high load.

[@tronixfix]

@@knurlgnar24 i saw the full video... i still think $200 is too much for a modefied sinewave inverter. Yes, sure it brings convenience but does it als bring reliability or is it one of those devices of which you better keep two extra in storage in case one fails?... that UPS i bought can hadle over 2000W, it’s fused at 320A 12V. The manufacturer is a small company in Germany, i think it will last a while. The unit actually came from a hospital and was just about two years old. I think it is a better deal than a mod sinewave inverter from china for $200.

[@james10739]

I thought this guy was dead or in jail

[@knurlgnar24]

Or maybe he just got out?

[@charlesaec442]

👋🖐️👋🖐️👍👍👍👌

[@xxxratixxx]

Thank you for another vid thank yoy

[@timcat1004]

Holy shit. Welcome back. Missed your vids man.

[@wcharliewilson7004]

I know, right? Recently I visited a pelo human exhibit at a local museum hoping to find evidence of his earlier existence...

[@brycejcox]

Holy shit you’re a grown man now! Lol

[@jinpingthebear110]

Comment liked.

[@BenCos2018]

@@KairHatchet same here

[@electromechanicalstuff2602]

Yesssss!!!!!!

[@GarmnCX]

Double Yes!!!!!!

[@thomasdipaolo2349]

Welcome back. Been a while. been missing your channel. Thanks for posting

[@bryantstewart9543]

Dude I'm glad that you are back! Your videos are insanely informative and have helped me greatly.

[@bubblehead6160]

welcome back

[@PilotChris06FW]

OMG i nearly wet myself with excitement when this popped up in my feed!

[@arecibo1974]

Good to see you back! 😃👍🏼

[@simpletennesseelife5895]

Yea !!!!

[@gregorscott]

Welcome back! It's been a while. Same great video style!

[@Drewboo1968]

No Way! Welcome Back!

[@NiHaoMike64]

If you're after a large, cheap inverter that's also high quality (who isn't?), Damien Maguire has figured out how to modify a Prius inverter (about $100 from Ebay and can handle at least 10-20kW continuously) for general purpose applications. With the right firmware work, you'll even get advanced features like V/Hz scaling that normally are only available on very expensive inverters.

[@knurlgnar24]

That's very interesting. I'll have to check it out.

[@simonmasters3295]

Yes

[@RiceCakeWtf]

Woo! The man returneth!

[@maxmaxwell1905]

Holly crap! You're back! Where have you been all these years young man?!! Your viewers have been very worried for you. Hope you and your family have been well.

[@volvo09]

Nice! Good work dooooood, can't wait for the testing!

[@collinsmwaura1833]

Wooww! Great to have you back... You have really changed, I barely recognized you.

[@jordan663322]

Glad to see your back. Looking forward to more videos!!

[@loosean4707]

Wow, where you been, dude? Welcome back.

[@HDXFH]

Been a while Changed a bit since

[@Darryl603]

Good to see you! Looking forward to part 2

[@sharik_rahat]

Oh man,,, you're alive.... thank god.... welcome back... keep the videos coming...

[@haunter51662]

Awesome, a Knurlgner video!!!!!!

[@tracyrreed]

I had long since forgotten I was subscribed to this channel.

[@knurlgnar24]

For this reason I'm expecting a large number of unsubscribes in the next few days. :)

[@rolliebca]

@@knurlgnar24 Not gonna happen! Would be interesting to know how your channel progresses though, if you're willing to share. I suspect that as word gets out that you're producing videos again I predict steady membership growth. With van life increasing, inverters are a major concern for these people. With channels like Cheap RV Living showing people how to survive in times of stress. It would be helpful if you could comment on his channel as to what is a good deal when it comes to pure sine wave inverters.

[@knurlgnar24]

@@rolliebca That is a good point - it may be worth reviewing some newer 12V inverters for van and RV people given the situation today.

[@rolliebca]

@@knurlgnar24 Not surprisingly some bigger van dwellers are also using 24 and 48 volt systems to take advantage of their benefits. Looking forward to your next videos. Cheers.

[@ChrisEdwardsRestoration]

YAY YOUR BACK!

[@peterzeboroff7448]

Hi, I am very happy to see you ,I really miss your inverter and power supply review and repair videos, I hope you will keep making these excellent videos.

[@jamesscott1932]

Boy Howdy! It’s great to see your return.

[@nordicresilience7449]

Welcome back! I hope you decide to continue producing content. I really like the channel and the topics you cover. I'd be really interested into a deeper dive into the old battery bank f.ex. and the (improved) battery conditioning process you mentioned in some other comments.

[@threeredstars]

Welcome back Brother!!!

[@BubbasWorkshop]

Welcome back.. Thanks for posting again!

[@shanicehagert]

Great video

[@akirchner3]

It's amazing to see you again knurlnar24! I've missed your excellent videos. Please keep at it!

[@ientu242]

Well come back.how your old system and old APC ups your modified.it still work well?

[@knurlgnar24]

Unfortunately I shelved my APC 1500 APC UPS units long ago. I still have them and have no reason to believe they have degraded in their function but have not used them since my video years ago. Since Schneider Electric bought them out they no longer make UPS units I'd bother purchasing even at salvage value.

[@ientu242]

In the pass after watched your video.i follow your steps and make may apc 3000va run with 200ah x 48v free maintain lead acid system and it still work well with continue 2kw out put for 1- 2 hours without any problem .thanks brother for share experience.

[@Engineerd3d]

Looking forward to this

[@-Graham]

Yeah! I've been waiting for this day! 👍

[@TKTmon]

bruh! I've missed your videos so much. in regards to production quality I say HOBBLEDASH! your content is gold and personally I prefer the "dude working in his shop" style vs the "I spend more time editing than actually doing the work shown on camera" style that a lot of youtubers use.

[@knurlgnar24]

Thanks for the feedback TK. I've come to the conclusion that I should stick to simple videos rather than worry about production quality. Focus on what you're good at I suppose... I just can't compete with the production quality of most youTubers anymore.

[@Brad26843]

glad you back to making videos!!

[@somethingsomeone5440]

Good to see you! Missed you and your vids

[@fredmax2541]

Who is this mysterious stranger?

[@roland349]

Welcome back!

[@kracer19]

Fantastic! I've been waiting for your return. I learned so much from you, and enjoy your adventures!

[@garbleduser]

And my soul returns!

[@willtomkinson8083]

Awesome, good to see you.

[@carmadme]

Great to see you back

[@biggj5813]

omg your alive yeah

[@closertothetruth9209]

Good to see you Back

[@joshuabest100]

Finally hes back

[@AQUATICSLIVE]

Missed you, man. Awesome to see you testing out a different inverter. That's always fun. Pretty decent setup considering the price. They are thinking outside the box a bit with that setup on the cover pretty smart, to be honest.

[@davelee7572]

WELCOME BACK

[@graymouser7649]

welcom back!

[@fn0rd99]

There he is!

[@lagman8908]

Awesome

[@joshsadowski8869]

Don't sweat the video quality. Just keep giving us that sweet, sweet information. Seriously, you can use an old cellphone and get great quality. Don't blow money on stuff until you are making money or ready to make this a job again.

[@moneymikeslickwill8749]

If anyone has a link to a American version I’ll switch mine keeps burning up the ground wire I’m getting power to the ground smh

[@cutweldngrind]

I need a decent 3k inverter to go with my 2500 watt array. Glad to see you back. I also took a 1 year break.