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Microtek Inverter Review 2024

By on October 17, 2022

With the advancement in the technology, there has been a change in our lifestyles. Previously people had no option but to wait for long hours when power distributor faltered. But thanks to the invention of power inverter, followed by UPS and the present day online UPS, dynamics have completely changed. With inverters/UPS in place, people don’t need to wait for long for electricity to come back. Businesses used to face the worst impact of power cuts (in the pre-inverter era). But inverters are now the saviors. So, not only the households but also the business setups rely heavily on the UPS for the power back up. There are many brands which provide a solution to power outages in the form of inverters/UPS. They include renown companies like Microtek, Sukam, Luminous, Videocon etc. Microtek is one of the leading UPS brands. It is one of the largest manufacturers of power appliances, providing a gamut of products like offline UPS, online UPS, TPZi wave inverter, sine wave inverter, and solar inverter. Apart from inverter/UPS, Microtek also provides batteries which are needed alongside the inverter under the brand name, Okaya. It has started manufacturing e-rickshaw batteries and even plans to set up battery charging stations for e-vehicles in the future. Microtek boosts a robust infrastructural national network with 355 service points and 150 service centers spread across India.

Key Microtek Inverter Technology

Visual Indicator to Display Status of Various Parameters

To keep an eye on the status of an appliance is not an easy task. Therefore, Microtek inverter from Hybrid and Max+ series comes with 6 indicators on the LED display that apprises the user with various statuses and faults, if any. Continuous blinking of LED is an indicator that the system is completely charged. This is something we really liked about Microtek inverters. Additionally, there are indicators which notify the user about low battery, blown fuse, mains on and overload.

Static Bypass to Avoid Unnecessary Power Cuts

Normally, when regular power is available, an ordinary inverter helps the load (household appliances connected to the power outlet) work by passing on the main supply while simultaneously charging the battery. Now, if there is an issue in the inverter, then an ordinary inverter will not able to bypass the mains and would start drawing power from the battery. This would result in momentary discontinuity of the power and would only work till the battery lasts. This means customers need to call an electrician/engineer to fix this issue. But thankfully new inverters in the latest Max series comes with a static bypass feature. So, even if there is an internal problem in the Microtek inverter or it stops working, then the static bypass feature comes to the rescue. It bypasses mains and works the load without turning on to the battery for supply of power. This eases the customer’s predicament of frequently calling the inverter service guys and eliminates the need to change the wiring.

DSC-based Technology to Improve Processing Power of the UPS

Inverters, which converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC), are designed to be used with different voltage ranges and topologies. Besides the main functionality of DC to AC conversion, modern Microtek inverters also provide additional functions like power maximization, battery charging, and protection of the circuitry. All these functions require specialized control that can occur in real time or near-real time. The wide variations in application mandate the need for a system control to be highly flexible. Digital signal controller based (DSC) inverters/UPS from the JM series comes with that high level of computational performance needed for the real-time signal processing in the inverters. DSCs are a combination of digital signal processor and microcontroller which assist the inverters with motor control, power conversion and sensor processing. DSCs used in Microtek models help inverters in creating more efficient and cost-effective products that can support the growing demand for green energy.

PWM Technology for Efficient Battery Charging of Solar UPS

Battery charging in UPS especially the solar ones is not an easy process. Older UPS usually uses simple on-off regulators to limit battery outgassing when a solar panel produced excess energy. There have been developments in battery technology for inverters in recent years. Microtek is one of the vanguards of new technology and usage of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is a testimony of it. Modern Microtek Solar UPS models come with PWM which helps in achieving constant voltage battery charging by switching the solar system controller’s power devices efficiently. When a PWM regulation is active, the current from the solar array tapers according to the battery’s condition and its recharging requirements.

The Solar UPS chargers using PWM technology performs like other modern high-quality battery chargers. When a battery voltage reaches the predefined regulation setpoint, the PWM algorithm slowly reduces the charging current to prevent heating of the battery. But the charging continues to return the maximum amount of energy to the battery that too in short time interval. This results in an improved charging efficiency, rapid recharging, and a healthy battery at full capacity. These are additional benefits of using PWM technology in the UPS:

  1. Battery desulphation
  2. Increase in charge acceptance
  3. Recovery of lost battery capacity
  4. Maintenance of high average battery capacity
  5. Better regulation even with voltage and temperature fluctuation

Multi Stage Battery Charging to Ensure Long Life of the Battery

Modern Microtek UPS/inverters come with multi-stage battery charging to expedite the charging process. Also, multi-stage charging improves the longevity of the battery used with the inverter. Depending upon the models, they employ 3-5 stages of battery charging. Let us cover individual battery charging stages in more detail:

Desulphation

Over the time as the inverter is used, due to chemical processes involved in the charging, sulphate crystals accumulate around the battery. This can hamper smooth charging of batteries. Solar UPS coming with PWM technology start the battery charging process with the desulphation stage wherein these harmful sulfate layers are disintegrated by a pulsing current. Thereafter, the actual charging process starts. This stage removes the sulphur impurities around the battery and maintains the stable internal temperature of the battery. Studies have suggested that desulphation stage can even help in recovering deep-discharged batteries.

Cold Start

Normally ordinary inverter starts the charging with bulk charge wherein if mains fail, the load works through the battery. But when the battery starts to discharge, the internal temperature of the battery increases. When the mains are available, a normal inverter starts to charge the battery in bulk charge that is with the full power. As a consequence, the internal temperature of the battery further increases, leading to an overheated battery. Instead of directly starting with the bulk charge, modern line interactive Microtek UPS models starts with something called as cold start, wherein low voltage low current electricity is passed through the battery. This prevents overheating of the battery and keeps the internal battery temperature stable and normal.

Bulk Charge

Bulk charge is the most common stage for any inverter battery charging. In this stage, Microtek inverter processor provides a full charge in high voltage and pre-define current. This stage is the longest stage accounting for more than 70 percent of the charging.

Absorption

Absorption stage is usually the penultimate stage of the inverter battery charging. In the absorption stage of the Microtek inverters, the battery charges slowly because of constant high voltage and decreasing current. They generally charge last 20% of the battery in a slow manner to safeguard it from overcharging and overheating.

Trickle Charge

This is the final stage of modern Microtek inverter battery charging. In this stage, inverter processor supplies intermittent electricity called trickle charge. Trickle charge is one in which the battery is supplied with low voltage and low current at a rate nearly equaling to the idle discharge rate of the battery. This is an effective way to prevent battery overcharge.

Conclusion

Microtek is one of the known inverter brands. In fact, it is one of only a few brands to offer trapezoidal waveform output apart from the models offering sinusoidal and square waveform output. Premium UPS models come with good looks and compact sizing. Operating instructions are fairly easy, even for a novice user. Then there is LED indicator displaying the status of power, charging, overload, battery low etc. Models coming with static bypass allows the user to be stress-free because even in case if inverter fails it won’t affect the supply of power from the mains. DSC and PWM technology gives more processing and management power to the UPS which ensures good battery life and enhances its performance. Things which we find missing with Microtek inverter is that there is no automatic temperature compensation feature which is present in the premium Su-Kam inverters. This means that in extreme climatic conditions inverter might not perform as expected. Also, like Su-Kam inverters, their battery charging stage doesn’t include equalization stage which means sulphuric acid remains weakly concentrated, thus slowing down the battery charging process. But barring these shortcomings, Microtek is still a good inverter brand to opt for given its durability and technologically rich features.

Some Good Microtek Inverters

About the Author:
Hussain Kanchwala is an Electronics Engineer from University of Mumbai. As an Analyst at BijliBachao he keeps a tab on latest technologies in gadgets and appliances, tracks businesses of white goods companies and monitors the consumer behavior. With a background in engineering, penchant for detail, and flair for writing he regularly write reviews about brands and their products. .

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