Canon M5 Charger does not like "modified sine wave"

[Hclarkx]

I have a small (150W) "modified sine wave" inverter that I've used without issue to power a range of devices in my RV. Today I plugged my Canon M5 battery charger into it and put a battery in the charger. All seemed well but an hour later I smelled the phenollic odor of burning electronics. The Canon charger was very hot and the battery was warmer than usual (probably heat transfer from the hot charger). The charger still works on my main RV sine wave inverter as it always has, but continues to smell a bit.

I can't say that the inexpensive 150W inerter puts out anything close to a sine wave and maybe isn't a great modified sine wave inverter, but it gets good reviews on Amazon and works well with other devices. The M5 charger will be used only on the sine wave inverter in the future.

 

[M19]

I have a small (150W) "modified sine wave" inverter that I've used without issue to power a range of devices in my RV. Today I plugged my Canon M5 battery charger into it and put a battery in the charger. All seemed well but an hour later I smelled the phenollic odor of burning electronics. The Canon charger was very hot and the battery was warmer than usual (probably heat transfer from the hot charger). The charger still works on my main RV sine wave inverter as it always has, but continues to smell a bit.

I can't say that the inexpensive 150W inerter puts out anything close to a sine wave and maybe isn't a great modified sine wave inverter, but it gets good reviews on Amazon and works well with other devices. The M5 charger will be used only on the sine wave inverter in the future.

What's the VI rating of the inverter? Normally SMPS units which are used in most electronic chargers are immune to such variations of voltage waveforms, as they we're designed to convert AC to DC first, before passing it to a high-frequency transformer.

However, what its' not immune though is the maximum Vpp, if your inverter is outputting a Vpp above the Vpp of a 240V Vrms line, then it could force too much current to flow in the circuit in which it isn't designed to handle.

 

[Hclarkx]

The inverter in question is an inexpensive one rated at only 150W and intended for mobile use. It plugs into a 12V "cigarette lighter" outlet. In my case it's in an RV. By inexpensive, I mean about $15. It's by BESTEK. Got it at Amazon. I'll look for the paperwork that came with it (it may be at home and I'm on the road in the RV).

Yes, a switch mode type power supply will usually work, though I think some chop up the AC wave to transform at a higher frequency rather rather than convert to DC first and that could be the issue. A pair of media speakers (my RV "home theater") work great with no PSU heating ... though they are a quality set so are probably ready for variations in input. Though Canon is quality stuff as well. In any event, thanks. I'll post more if I find anything useful in the "manual" (micro-print leaflet) that came with it.