Things that Work! Home Power tests the Trace 2012 Inverter/Charger The original Trace 1512 was the very first reliable and affordable inverter for home power use. It not only worked, but you needed a shotgun to kill it! Well, the fine fellows at Trace are not resting on their laurels. They are busily integrating the latest MOS FET power transistor technology into their supertough inverters. The result is a 25% increase in overall performance, and (here's the nicest part) at no increase in price. Inverter Overview The Trace 2012 is 12 VDC to 120 vac, modified sine-wave, power inverter with an output of 2,000 watts. It also contains an up to 120 Ampere, 12 to 15.5 VDC Battery Charger that accepts 120 vac as input power. The test inverter was equipped with both the optional charger and the digital instrumentation package. As this series of Trace Inverter/Chargers are the most popular models ever, I'll not waste space with the usual details of size, weight and such. Suffice it to say that the unit is packed well enough to travel to Zanzibar, and documented well enough to be installed and operated by anyone reading English. Test System We decided to give this inverter a real workout. We installed it in the largest 12 VDC system in this neighborhood. The Hacker & Nerd Universal Centre was made available to us by Stan Krute. This monster system uses 12 Kyocera 48 W. PV panels to charge 8 @ Trojan L-16W batteries (1,400 Amp-hrs. @ 12 VDC). Also present in the system are two engine generators: 1) a 12 VDC Mk. VI system of 100 Amps at 15 VDC, and 2) a Honda 4kW. 120/240 vac generator. A Heliotrope CC-60 PV Controller rides herd on PV recharging of the batteries. The inverter was connected to the batteries via "0" gauge copper cable of Å3.5 feet in length. This system is not only large but also contains a wide variety of handy, enormous loads. One in particular, an electric popcorn maker, already has the scalp of one power inverter under it's belt. This system's loads vary from ultratech computer gear, to a large radial arm saw. Inverter Operation The Trace 2012 performs flawlessly, just like the earlier model 1512. It powered all types of ac loads, including motors and transformers. The 2012 seems quieter in its operation that did the 1512, but this may be subjective since we have no accurate sound measurement instruments. The Trace 2012 resisted all attempts at destruction from overloading. It even survived direct and deliberate shorting of its output. While the inverter was loaded at close to its maximum output, a screwdriver was placed across its output, creating a direct short. The loads stopped operating and the inverter ceased functioning. As soon as the screwdriver was removed, the Trace started inverting again, the lights came back on, and the motors started. The screwdriver wasn't even hot, and there were no arc marks at the short point. The output of the Trace 2012 is definitely up from the earlier models. It had an much easier time starting and running large motors like the radial arm saw. As with all Trace models, this inverter is protected against just about any electrical mishap. Included in the protection circuitry are: overtemperature, overcurrent, battery overvoltage, and battery undervoltage. The Trace will even survive such carelessness as plugging its output into its 120 vac charger input. Don't try this with other inverter/chargers as it will absolutely ruin them. The real news here is not the inverter, which is much the same as the previous model but higher in power, but the battery charger. The Trace 2012's charger really kicks butt on large battery packs. Its output is programmable in amperage up to 120 Amps. Voltage limits are user programmable with a wide enough range to even equalize cold lead-acid batteries. Early models of the Trace charger suffered from low output, not from any fault of their own, but from the power sources folks fed them with. Engine powered generators produce 120 vac with a lower peak-to-peak (vpp) ac voltage than does the commercial grid. The grid supplies about 164 vpp, while most generators are lucky to hit about 140 vpp. The lower peak voltage output of 120 vac engine generators reduces the charger's output. Well, the Trace 2012's charger performs much better on engine generators than did the previous model's. While Trace claims more modest gains, our 2012's charger output was up some 40% over the earlier 1512 model. The Trace 2012's built-in charger is without doubt the best of its type now available. Operation of the charger is ultra simple. Just plug the ac input to the inverter into the generator and everything else is automatic. The inverter stops inverting, becomes a battery charger, and transfers all loads plugged into the inverter to the generator. All automatically! The digital LED metering package is well worth the cost to anyone using the Trace's charger. It not only measures the DC Amps flowing into the batteries via the built-in charger, but also measures the speed (Hz.) and peak voltage of the generator. This instrumentation makes it a snap to adjust the generators speed so that it produces 120 vac at EXACTLY 60 cycles per second (Hz.). The meter also measures the battery's voltage to two decimal places. Cost The Trace 2012 costs no more than did the lower powered 1512s. The price of the inverter itself is $1,090, the charger option-$220, and the digital metering package-$130. For a total of $1,440., it's a very good buy for those requiring an inverter with battery charging capabilities. Trace offers a two year warranty with the 2012 and backs it up with technical support and service that is rapidly becoming famous in the industry. Conclusions The Trace 2012 is THE power inverter/battery charger. It does everything that Trace says it will, and it's virtually indestructible. This inverter is as tough as a Rhinoceros. It has the finest, most high powered, built-in battery charger available. It should cost more money than it does, but who are we to argue with the folks who make it? Home Power recommends the Trace 2012 most highly to anyone considering an inverter with battery charging capabilities. If you don't believe us, then ask ANYONE who owns one. The folks at Trace deserve credit for a significant improvement in their already first class product. Other companies would have charged us more money for a new, higher powered, model. But not Trace. Thanks Trace! Incidentally, this fact alone tell you more about the folks at Trace than anything we can say.