WARNING : Sailrite Machine (230v/international) version does not work with inverters

Slight Adrift

Slight Adrift

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Feb 9, 2024
2
Lavranos 36 gold coast
Bought a Sailrite 230v/international version and missed the fine print stating that it will not work with 230v inverters (only shore power).

Rather than sell it, i've since bought a 110v dedicated worker box and a inverter and will have to use that setup, and swap out the workerbox every time i wish to use the machine with 230 shore power and vice versa

Total cost currently $2484USD ($3800 AUD)

Consult with Sailrite directly but i assume this will also be the case if you are wanting to upgrade your older machine to the newer WorkerB motor (230v version)

Sailrite have been unapologetic to my situation. Apparently the go to boat sewing machine does not work on boats anymore (230v/international version).

to be clear it is not my specific inverter. It is ALL 240v inverters. This is an email directly from Matt at Sailrite (the video he provides are not available on Sailrite's website):

The key statements here are that no WorkerB will run from a 12V to 230V Inverter. And if you want it to work from a 12V to 110V inverter then you must have the WorkerB dedicated 110V box. This is not ideal but these are facts. The workaround is to have both boxes and switch back and forth. But in your case you would need a new inverter that outputs 110V.

These videos will help:

www.sailrite.com

WorkerB (100-230V) Inverter Tests

DetailsIn this video we will be testing a variety of inverters with the WorkerB Power Pack Motor System (100-230V) .View Group 6 SchematicsNote: This video is not searchable on the Sailrite website. The URL link (web address) is usually giving out via a Sailrite Support Case. To access this...
www.sailrite.com www.sailrite.com

www.sailrite.com

WorkerB (110V) Inverter Tests

DetailsIn this video we will be testing a variety of inverters with the WorkerB Power Pack Motor System (110V) .View Group 6 SchematicsNote: This video is not searchable on the Sailrite website. The URL link (web address) is usually giving out via a Sailrite Support Case. To access this video...
www.sailrite.com www.sailrite.com
 
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,712
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Did you find the machine was not working on your system?

A couple of thoughts. We don't know how efficient the various inverters were. A low efficiency inverter will cause a larger drain on the battery and subsequent voltage drop, which will affect the output voltage. We also don't know the health and charge state of the battery, an older battery and one not at a 100% SOC will also show a large voltage drop when a load is applied.

Additionally, there is only one battery, a larger battery bank will have a smaller voltage drop when a load is applied.

Sailrite does not provide information on how many amps the motors draw when running. The inverters that failed may have been limited in their ability to provide the initial high current needed to start the motor turning.

At least in the video I watched (most of the demos) I did not see a high quality marine inverter, like one from Victron, Mastervolt, or ProMariner.

Sailrite seems to be blaming the problems on the inverters not providing the right frequency, 50 hz vs 60 hz, I don't know enough about the motors to render an opinion on this. The ability of the inverter to supply sufficient power on start up may be a bigger issue. Others who might have a better understanding on the effect of AC cycles may have more insight on how much of an issue it is.

Thanks for the heads up.
 
Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

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May 17, 2004
5,544
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Below is how Sailrite describes the problem on their website at Sailrite® WorkerB® Power Pack Motor System (100-230V) . Can’t say I understand the bit about hiding high frequency current in the wave form. A waveform is a varying voltage; I don’t know where current comes in to play with that, and Google is not immediately helpful with it.

Please Note: The 100-230V WorkerB Power Pack may work on an inverter/generator of 600W or more of the Modified Sine Wave or Square Wave types. Pure (or Digital Synthesized Wave) inverters/generators will disrupt the “phase cutting” technology of the WorkerB since they hide high-frequency current in the waveform. Although the 100-230V WorkerB will work on 100-230V household power, it will only work with some inverters/generators with an output of 100-120V. Inverters with an output of 220/230V will never work. This means there are very limited inverter options for use with this particular WorkerB Power Pack. If usage via an inverter is a key requirement, Sailrite recommends purchasing a 110V WorkerB machine/system and running from any 500W or better inverter with a 100-120V output.
 
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joker460

joker460

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Apr 27, 2010
968
Beneteau 352 Hull #276 Ontario
Just my 2 cents worth.
I don't know what's in the black box on the sewing machine but I would guess that the 110 - 230 VAC is converted to DC and then a Pulse Width Modulation circuit is used to control the speed of the 90VDC motor. This is a specific frequency where the pulse width duration is controlled. That may be why some of the inverters don't work properly. Just an educated guess.
 
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,712
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
joker460 said:
Just my 2 cents worth.
I don't know what's in the black box on the sewing machine but I would guess that the 110 - 230 VAC is converted to DC and then a Pulse Width Modulation circuit is used to control the speed of the 90VDC motor. This is a specific frequency where the pulse width duration is controlled. That may be why some of the inverters don't work properly. Just an educated guess.
Click to expand
That's consistent with my thinking about the quality of the inverters. Some inverters may be pure sine wave, but noisier with greater variability in the wave.

BTW, the OP has posted this all over the sailing forums. Check out his post on SailNet.com and the response he got there.
 
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Project_Mayhem

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Sep 24, 2018
3,273
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
Love this post on SailNet:
"So if I get this right, new user joins to complain that product works as advertised?

I can empathize. When we bought our boat I thought I could also use it as a submarine. But the Hunter brochure clearly spells out “though this model is a displacement hull of great strength it is not suitable for use as a submersible. Use of this boat for underwater activities will void the warranty.”

when I contacted Hunter they said I could use the 110m titanium alloy pressure hull. So I bought one, but it’s a real PITA to swap the rig and propulsion every time I want to switch from sailing to submersible. "
 
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Ken13559

Ken13559

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Oct 29, 2005
2,362
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
Could it be your inverter is modified sine wave instead of true sine wave?
Have/will you try using Honda EU22i 220VAC Genset to run your Sailrite sewing machine? The EU22i is true sine wave output.
 
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Project_Mayhem

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Sep 24, 2018
3,273
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
If the OP knew how to use an oscilloscope to check the quality of the sine wave, they wouldn't be posting to begin with
 
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Orbweaver

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Apr 3, 2020
191
Hunter 23.5 Frenchtown, MT
While high quality oscilloscopes are not practical, you can get a handheld 2Ch one with signal generator for well below $100 nowadays. Not something that I would count on for medical device PMEL certifications, but would definitely be useful for average DIY troubleshooting. At least, I find mine useful. :)
And yea, for SailRite to put right on their website that it doesn't work with inverters and then not cover it under warranty?! LOL. But I have thought it would be nice if they offered on that would accept 12VDC directly instead of 120VAC. My wife has a couple of high dollar sewing machines, so I'm not really in the market for the SailRite solution. But for what they are I happen to think it's a pretty good deal.
 
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,712
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Orbweaver said:
And yea, for SailRite to put right on their website that it doesn't work with inverters and then not cover it under warranty?! LOL. But I have thought it would be nice if they offered on that would accept 12VDC directly instead of 120VAC.
Click to expand
The current draw at 12v would be too high. The motor draws about 350 watts, at 12 volts that is over 30 amps, it would need at least 8 ga cables.

The best explanation I have found involves variation in the sine wave and the motor controller's ability to deal with those variations. The inverters that were tested were not necessarily of the highest quality which also contributed to the problems.
 
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