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Home » Blog » Inverter Circuits » Multilevel 5 Step Cascaded Sine Wave Inverter Circuit

Multilevel 5 Step Cascaded Sine Wave Inverter Circuit

LAST UPDATED ON AUGUST 3, 2020 BY SWAGATAM — 49 COMMENTS

In this article we learn how to make a multilevel (5 step) cascaded inverter circuit using a very simple concept developed
by me. Let's learn more regarding the details.

CATEGORIES

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Contents  555 IC Circuits (98)
1. The Circuit Concept 741 IC Circuits (19)
2. Circuit Diagram
Ampli ers (59)
3. Circuit Operation
Arduino Engineering Projects (83)
3.1. Transformer Winding Details:
3.2. Notes for the Multilevel 5 Step Cascaded Sine Wave Inverter Circuit: Audio Projects (94)
3.3. 3. The Oscillator Stage Data:
Battery Chargers (83)
3.4. C. The Ampli er Power Transistors:
3.5. 4. Next comes the First Stage Transformer: Car and Motorcycle (94)
3.6. In Conclusion we have 3 proposed lter stages: Datasheets (46)
4. How I Calculated the Transformer Winding
Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (32)
4.1. UPDATE:
DIY LED Projects (91)
Electronic Components (99)
The Circuit Concept
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (36)
In this website so far I have developed, designed and introduced many sine wave inverter circuits using straightforward
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concepts and ordinary components such as IC 555, which happen to be more result oriented instead of being complex
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and full of theoretical jumbles.
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I have explained how simply a high power audio ampli er can be converted into a pure sine wave inverter, and I have Fun Projects (13)
also covered comprehensively regarding sine wave inveters using SPWM concepts GSM Projects (9)
Health Related (20)
We have also learned through this website regarding how to convert any square inverter into a pure sine wave inverter
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design.
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Assessing the above sine wave inverter circuits using sine equivalent PWMs, we understand that the waveform of SPWMs How to Articles (20)
do not directly match or coincide with an actual sinusoidal waveform, rather these execute the sine wave effect or results
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by interpreting the RMS value of the actual sine wave AC.
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Although SPWM can be considered an effective way of replicating and implementing a reasonably pure sine wave, the Infrared (IR) (40)

fact that it does not simulate or coincide with a real sine wave makes the concept a little unsophisticated, especially if Inverter Circuits (98)
compared to a 5 Level cascaded  sine wave inverter concept. Laser Projects (12)
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We can compare and analyze the two types of sine wave simulation concepts by referring to the following images:
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SG3525 IC (5)
Simple Circuits (76)
SMPS (29)
We can clearly see that the multilevel 5 step cascaded concept produces a more obvious and effective simulation of a Solar Controllers (60)
real sine wave than the SPWM concept which relies solely on matching the RMS value with the original sine wave
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magnitude.
TL494 IC (5)

Designing a conventional 5 Level Cascaded sine wave Inverter can be quite complex, but the concept which is explained Transformerless Power Supply (8)

here makes the implementation easier and employs ordinary components. Transmitter Circuits (40)
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Circuit Diagram Water Level Controller (45)

CALCULATORS

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Power Factor (PF) Calculator
NOTE: Please add a 1uF/25 capacitor across pin#15 and pin#16 lines of the ICs, otherwise the sequencing will not Reactance Calculator
initiate. Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick
Referring to the image above, we can see how simply the 5 level cascaded inverter concept can be practically Datasheet
implemented using just a muti-tap transformer, a couple of 4017 ICs and 18 power BJTs, which could be easily replaced Transistor Astable Calculator
with mosfets if required. Transistor base Resistor Calculator
Voltage Divider Calculator
Wire Current Calculator
Zener Diode Calculator

Here a couple of 4017 ICs which are Johnson's 10 stage counter divider chips, are cascaded to produce a sequentially
running or chasing logic highs across the shown pinouts of the ICs.

Circuit Operation
These sequentially running logic are used for triggering the connected power BJTs in the same sequence which in turn
switch the transformer winding in an order which causes the transformer to produce a cascaded kind of sine equivalent
waveform.

The transformer forms the heart of the circuit and employs a specially wounded primary with 11 taps. These taps are
simply extracted uniformly from a single long calculated winding.

The BJTs associated with one of the ICs switch one of the halves of the transformer through 5 taps enabling the
generation of 5 level steps, constituting one half cycle of the AC waveform, while the BJTs associated with the other ICs
does the identical function to shape up the lower half AC cycle in the form of 5 level cascaded waveform.

The ICs are run by clock signals applied to the indicated position in the circuit, which could be acquired from any
standard 555 IC astable circuit.

The rst 5 sets of the BJTs build up the 5 levels of the waveform, the remaining 4 BJTs switch the same in reverse order
to complete the cascaded waveform having a total of 9 skyscrapers.

These skyscrapers are formed by producing an ascending and descending voltage levels by the switching of the
corresponding winding of the transformer which are rated at the relevant voltage levels

For example, winding #1 could be rated at 150V with respect to the center tap, the winding #2 at 200V, winding #3 at
230V, winding #4 at 270V and winding #5 at 330V, so when these are switched sequentially by the set of the shown 5
BJTs, we get the rst 5 levels of the waveform, next when these winding are switched in reverse by the following 4 BJTs it
creates the descending 4 level waveforms, thus completing the upper half cycle of the 220V AC.

The same is repeated by the other 9 BJTs associated with the other 4017 IC giving rise to the lower half of the 5 level
cascaded AC, which completes one complete AC waveform of the required 220V AC output.

Transformer Winding Details:

As may be witnessed in the above diagram, the transformer is an ordinary iron core type, made by winding the primary
and the secondary with turns corresponding to the indicated voltage taps.

When connected with the corresponding BJTs these winding can be expected to induce a 5 level or a total of 9 level of
cascaded waveform wherein the rst 36V winding would correspond and induce a 150V, the 27V would induce an
equivalent of 200V, while the 20V, 27V, 36V would be responsible of producing 230V, 270V and 330V across the secondary
winding in the proposed cascaded format.

The set of taps on the lower side of the primary would carry out the switching to complete 4 ascending levels of the
waveform.

An identical procedure would be repeated by the 9 BJTs associated with the complementary 4017 IC for building the
negative half cycle of the AC...the negative is rendered due to the opposite orientation of the transformer winding with
respect to the center tap.

Update:

Complete circuit diagram of the discussed multi-level sinewave inverter circuit

NOTE: Please add a 1uF/25 capacitor across pin#15 and pin#16 lines of the ICs, otherwise the sequencing will not
initiate.
The 1M pot associated with the 555 circuit will need to be adjusted for setting up a 50Hz or a 60Hz frequency for the
inverter as per the country specs of the user.

Parts List
All unspeci ed resistors are 10k, 1/4 watt
All diodes are 1N4148
All BJTs are TIP142
ICs are 4017

Notes for the Multilevel 5 Step Cascaded Sine Wave Inverter Circuit:
The testing and veri cation of the above design was successfully conducted by Mr. Sherwin  Baptista, who is one of the
keen followers of the website.

1. We decide the input supply to the inverter---24V @ 18Ah @ 432Wh

2. There will be an issue of NOISE generated in the whole process of building this inverter. To crack the issue of noise
generated and ampli ed very easily;

A. We decide to lter the output signal of IC555 the moment it is produced at pin 3, by doing so a cleaner square wave
can be obtained.

B. We decide to use FERRITE BEADS at the respective outputs of IC4017 to enhance ltering before the signal is sent to
the ampli er transistors.

C. We decide to use TWO TRANSFORMERS and enhance ltering between both of them in the circuit.

3. The Oscillator Stage Data:

This proposed stage is the main stage of the inverter circuit. It produces the required pulses at a given frequency for the
transformer to operate. It consists of IC555, IC4017 and Ampli er Power Transistors.

A. IC555:

This is an easy to use low power timer chip and has plenty of variety of projects that can be done using it. In this inverter
project we con gure it in astable mode to generate square waves. Here we set the frequency at 450Hz by adjusting the 1
megaohm potentiometer and con rming the output with a frequency meter.

B. IC4017:

This is a Jhonson's 10 stage counter divider logic chip which is very famous in sequential/running LED asher/chaser
circuits. Here it is smartly con gured to be used in an inverter application. We provide this 450Hz generated by IC555 to
the inputs of IC4017. This IC does the job of breaking the input frequency into 9 parts with each resulting in a 50Hz
output.
Now the output pins of both 4017's are having a clock signal of 50Hz continuously running forward and backward.

C. The Ampli er Power Transistors:

These are the High Power Transistors which pull the battery power into the transformer windings with accordance to the
signal fed into them. Since the output currents of the 4017s are too low, we cannot directly feed them into the
transformer. Therefore we need some kind of ampli er which will convert the low current signals from the 4017s into
high current signals which then can be passed onto the transformer for further operation.

These transistors would get hot during operation and would necessarily need heatsinking.
One could use a separate heatsinks for each transistor, hence it should be ensured that the
heatsinks do not touch each other.

OR

One could use a single long piece of heatsink to t all the transistors on it. Then one should
thermally and electrically isolate each transistor's center tab from touching the heatsink in

order to avoid them from getting shorted. This can be done by using Mica Isolation Kit.

4. Next comes the First Stage Transformer:

A. Here we employ the Multi-tapped Primary to a Two Wire Secondary transformer. Next we nd the volts per tap to
prepare the primary voltage.

---STEP 1---

We take into consideration the Input DC Voltage that is 24V. We divide this with 1.4142 and nd its AC RMS equivalent
which is 16.97V~
We round the above RMS gure which results in 17V~

---STEP 2---

Next we divide RMS 17V~ by 5(since we need ve tap voltages) and we get RMS 3.4V~
We take the nal RMS gure by 3.5V~ and multiplying it by 5 gives us 17.5V~ as a round gure.
In nal we found the Volts Per Tap which is RMS 3.5V~

B. We decide to keep the Secondary voltage to RMS 12V~ i.e., 0-12V is because we can obtain a higher amperage output
at 12V~

C. So we have the transformer rating as below:

Multi-tapped Primary: 17.5---14---10.5---7---3.5---0---3.5---7---10.5---14---17.5V @ 600W/1000VA
Secondary: 0---12V @ 600W/1000VA.
We got this transformer wound by a local transformer dealer.

5. Now follows the main LC Circuit:

An LC circuit being known as a lter device has robust applications in power converter circuits.
Being used in an inverter application it is generally required for breaking down the sharp peaks

of any generated waveform and helps convert it into a smoother waveform.

Here at the secondary section of the above transformer being 0---12V, we expect a multilevel
square cascaded waveform at the output. So we employ a 5 Stage LC Circuit to get a SINEWAVE equivalent waveform.

The data for the LC Circuit is as below:

A) All Inductors should be a 500uH(microhenry) 50A rated IRON CORE EI LAMINATED.

B) All Capacitors should be a 1uF 250V NONPOLAR type.

Note that we stress on the 5 stage LC circuit and not just one or two stages such that we can get a much cleaner
waveform at the output with lesser harmonic distortion.

6. Now comes the Second and Final Stage Transformer:

This transformer is responsible for converting the output from the LC network i.e., RMS 12V~ to 230V~
This transformer would be rated as below:
Primary: 0---12V @ 600W/1000VA
Secondary: 230V @ 600W/1000VA.

Here, NO additional LC network would be required at the nal 230V output for more ltering since we already ltered
every stage of each processed output at the beginning.
The OUTPUT will now be a SINEWAVE.

A GOOD thing is that there is absolutely NO NOISE at the nal output of this inverter and
sophisticated gadgets can be operated.

But one thing to be kept in mind by the person operating the inverter is NOT TO OVERLOAD THE INVERTER and keep the
power loads of sophisticated gadgets being operated in limits.

A few corrections to be made in the circuit diagram are given as under:

1. The IC7812 regulator should have bypass capacitors connected. It should be mounted on a
HEATSINK since it would get warm during operation.

2. The IC555 timer should follow a series resistance before it's signal passes forward to diodes.
The value of resistance should be 100E. IC gets hot if the resistor is not connected.

In Conclusion we have 3 proposed lter stages:

1. The signal generated by IC555 at pin 3 is ltered to ground and then passed on to resistor
and then to the diodes.

2. As the running signals exit the relevant pins of IC4017, we connected ferrite beads before
passing signal to resistor.
3. The nal lter stage is employed between both transformers

How I Calculated the Transformer Winding

I would want to share something with you today.

When it came to winding iron core, i knew nothing about rewinding speci cations since i found out a lot of parameters
and calculations go into them.

So for the above article i gave the basic specs to the trafo winder person and he just asked me:

a) The input and output voltage; tapping if necessary,

b) The input and output current,
c) The total power,
d) Do you need external clamping xture bolted to the trafo?
e) Do you want a fuse connected internally in the transformer 220V side?
f) Do you want wires connected to the trafo OR simply keep the enameled wire on the outside with added heatsink
material?
g) Do you want the core to be grounded with an external wire connected?
h) Do you want the IRON CORE to be protected; varnished and painted with black oxide?

Finally he assured me of a complete safety test for the transformer being a made-to-order type once ready and it will
take a span of 5 days to get completed till a part payment is provided.
The part payment were (on an approx.) one fourth of the total proposed cost dictated by the winder person.

My answers to the above questions are:

NOTE: To avoid wiring confusions, i assume trafo is made for one purpose: STEP DOWN TRANSFORMER where primary is
high voltage side and secondary is low voltage side.

a) 0-220V primary input, 2-wires.

17.5---14---10.5---7---3.5---0---3.5---7---10.5---14---17.5V secondary multi-tapped output, 11-wires.

b) The primary input current: 4.55A at 220V The output current: 28.6 Amps on multi-tapped secondary @ end to end
voltage 35V…..where calculation is concerned.

I told him i need 5 amps at 220V(230. max) i.e., primary input and 32 amps at 35V i.e., multi-tapped secondary output.

c) I initially told him 1000VA but based on volt times amp calculation and rounding off decimal gures, the power went
to 1120VA +/-10%. He provided me with a safety tolerance value for the 220V side.

d) Yes. I do need for easy xture onto metal cabinet.

e) No. I told him i will place one externally for easy access of it when it accidentally blows off.

f) I told him to keep the enameled wire on the outside for the multi-tapped secondary side being appropriately
heatsinked for safety and on the primary side i requested wires to be connected.

g) Yes. I need the core to be earthed for safety reasons. Therefore please attach an external wire.

h) Yes. I requested him to provide the necessary protection for the core stampings.

These were the interaction between me and him for the proposed made-to-order type transformer.

UPDATE:
In the above 5 step cascaded design we implemented the 5 step chopping across the DC side of the transformer, which
appears to be a bit inef cient. It's because the switching could result in a signi cant amount of power lost through back
EMF from the transformer, and this will need the transformer to be enormously big.

A better idea could be to oscillate the DC side with a 50 Hz or 60 Hz full bridge inverter, and switch the secondary AC side
with our 9 step sequential IC 4017 outputs using triacs, as shown below. This idea would reduce spikes and transients
and enable the inverter to have a smoother and ef cient execution of the 5 step sine waveform. The triacs will be less
vulnerable to the switching, compared to the transistors at the DC side.

You'll also like:

1.  Troubleshooting Inverter Output Voltage Drop Issue
2.  Automatic Micro UPS Circuit
3.  How to Build a 100 Watt, Pure Sine Wave Inverter
4.  3 Simple Solar Panel/Mains Changeover Circuits
5.  Solar Water Heater Circuit with Battery Charger
6.  Simple Online UPS Circuit

About Swagatam
I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the
founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas
and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

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POST COMMENT

Will C says
September 3, 2021 at 12:29 am
Do you happen to have the oscilloscope waveforms for this DIY inverter?

Thanks,
Will

REPLY

Swagatam says
September 3, 2021 at 9:44 am
Sorry, presently we do not have the oscilloscope image of the waveform.

REPLY

Gary says
October 11, 2020 at 2:47 am
I am interested in a circuit that doesn’t use a transformer if possible but I will use it if needed. I need to use a 12vdc or
24vdc input and I need to acquire a 130vdc at 18a on the output side. I have looked through the web site to nd
something like that but unable to locate a circuit to t my needs. I prefer to obtain my goal as soon as possible. Can you
help.

REPLY

Swagatam says
October 11, 2020 at 2:07 pm
I don’t think an inverter can be built without a transformer….that doesn’t seem feasible.

REPLY

karias bell says

November 10, 2020 at 11:35 am
Creo que les falta algo muy importante ….. y son las fechas de las preguntas y respuestas ….. por lo anterior si es
posible un inversor sin transformador de nucleo de hierro .

REPLY

DOMINIC NZE says

June 26, 2019 at 8:36 am
Hello Baptista I will appreciate if you will send me the LC lter stage circuit diagram you used. My email:
uchennanze218@gmail.com

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

July 18, 2019 at 10:22 pm
I have mentioned the details of the LC lter circuit in the article itself. Make sure you use EI laminated iron core type
inductors only.
These will need to be made-to-order type and may not be available ready-made.
Initially you can try 100uH : The inductor value, and 50A : The rated coil current.
You will need to build ve of them to have maximum ltering to a close sine wave.

REPLY

DOMINIC NZE says

June 11, 2019 at 5:23 am
Sir Swagatam, please can you give me the circuit diagram of the 5 stage LC lter circuit that should be connected to this
inverter? My email address uchennanze218@gmail.com
Thanks

REPLY

Swagatam says
June 11, 2019 at 9:14 am
Hi Dominic, sorry I do not have a 5 stage LC lter circuit at this moment.

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

January 14, 2019 at 8:38 pm
Just to con rm with you that when transformers are designed taking for example 100 VA 220V primary and 0–12 V
secondary(two wire), upon test measuring the current of the secondary side gives us 8.33 A (can go up to 8.5 or 10 A if
properly rated with accuracy)on a short circuit……IS THAT RIGHT? please clarify.

But in this proposed article i had to build a multi-tapped transformer with the rating 1000 VA 220 V primary to 17.5—14
—10.5—7—3.5—0—3.5—7—10.5—14—17.5 V secondary.
My question:
1. Does it mean that on end to end i.e., 35 V secondary i will get 28.57 A (may go up to 30 A where accuracy and rounding
off is concerned) on a SHORT CIRCUIT? please clarify.

2. If we draw a smaller voltage from the transformer for a different application i.e., taking for example the smallest
voltage available being 3.5 V from the output are we still able to get the HIGH CURRENT being 28.57 A at those taps ?
please clarify.

3. When converting from a higher voltage to a lower voltage using a transformer, IS THE POWER CHANGED? please
clarify.
What i mean to say is that the power owing in the primary winding is the same as the power owing in the secondary
winding.

REPLY

Swagatam says
January 14, 2019 at 9:10 pm
Hi Sherwin,
The current will be the same across all the winding as per its rating. So the smallest winding and the longest
winding all will have identical current delivering capacity in them.
Power will be always equal across the primary and secondary. For example for a 12/5 amp/220V transformer, the
power will be 12 x 5 = 60 watt on one side and 220V x 270 mA = 60 watt on the other side.

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

January 14, 2019 at 7:45 pm
Dear Mr. Swagatam,
I have updated the details of the LC circuit, this time it was smartly con gured to be operated on the 220V side of the
transformer…..I hope you have noticed it…..in my previous comment in the article.
I used 3 stages for the LC circuit.

Point: The LC ltering were far easier on the 220V side of the transformer since it involved much lesser current there.

REPLY

Swagatam says
January 15, 2019 at 8:47 am
Thank you Dear Sherwin,
All your efforts are truly commendable.
It would be great if you could complement these with some pictures or a video clip for the interest of the viewers.

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

January 13, 2019 at 12:45 am
Dear Sir Swagatam,
I have succeeded with the conversion part of stepped sine wave to pure sine wave conversion. I used one transformer in
the circuit (primary multi-tapped 11 wires and secondary 2 wire) as i described earlier.
I have placed the lter on the secondary side 220v this time and the results were:
1. Such that the LC lter were much happier, there were less strain on the LC stages to lter out the waveform at 220V.

2. For the LC circuit, i used a 2A step down transformer for the ‘L’ and 1.25uF 440V oil based capacitor for the ‘C’.
Being ‘C’ remaining charged at mains voltage after the inverter shut off, i shunted a 220K resistor across the caps at
every stage. I made three such stages and then used lamp and speaker to nd out the hum.

3. To be sure how the sine hum is i connected lamp+speaker directly on mains and listened carefully. I memorized the
hum.
Next, i placed the lamp+speaker directly on the nal stage of the LC circuit and the hum were somewhat similar. Now i’m
quiet relaxed at the moment.

4. I connected a 75 watt ceiling fan to the nal LC stage. The fan ran smoothly without any hum at the proposed speed
set on the regulator.
I also tested the fan on a ceramic based wire-wound resistance step type regulator to see for any audible humming but
there were no hum.
I also tried a 40W tubelight with copper ballast and it worked normally without any humming.

5. I can call it a near sine wave output since inductive loads are being able to operate without humming on the nal
stage of the LC circuit.

NOW, FINAL SUCCESS is gained by me.

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

January 6, 2019 at 8:53 pm
Hello Mr. Swagatam,
Wishing you and your family a very HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019!!!

The inclusion of noise reduction components in the above circuit is eventually necessary, without which there are
constant humming from the transformer section when assembled and operated.

I tested the above circuit without inductors and ferrite beads, doing so caused me to bear humming from the
transformer, i connected a Ceiling Fan Load to the inverter circuit and that eventually started humming in the process of
the inverter in operation.

To avoid all noise issues what i did was:

1. At the very rst moment when I built the circuit, I brought all the components and I eventually purchased ferrite beads
from the market without fail.

2. On the output pins of both ICs 9 + 9 sequentially, PWM IC555 pin 3 out and 7812 regulator output i placed the ferrite
beads before the series resistor as the signal came out of the proposed ICs, in total they sum up to 20 of them.
So on all these paths of the circuit noise is completely suppressed.

For the transformer, i bought it from the market made to order (thinking in a step down con guration to avoid
confusions), i prepared the schematic : PRIMARY—2 wire and SECONDARY—5+1+5 meaning 5 taps + common tap + 5
taps—total 11 wires.

The transformer was huge about 4 kgs and the trafo winder asked me for what are you going to use it, be careful and
don’t use it for illegal purpose, it is high current and it can harm a human being so use carefully.
I agreed with this fact. It was nally rated for a 1000VA.
It was a well laminated EI structure bolted with nut and screws for a rm layout.

CONCLUSION:
AS YOU KNOW that previously i used TWO TRANSFORMERS in the proposed design and enhanced ltering between both
transformers to acquire near sine wave on the output……..i succeeded in the design,
BUT i once for all decided to order a single transformer rated for 1 KVA in the circuit design.

NOW i’ll have to change the LC FILTER parameters since i will be dealing on the 220v primary side and will UPDATE YOU
as i progress.

Regards,
SHERWIN BAPTISTA

REPLY

Swagatam says
January 7, 2019 at 9:45 am
Hi Sherwin, A Very Happy 2019 to you also!

As usual you have provided some very useful information and I appreciate it very much.

Actually the above idea could be improved a lot by a smart innovation. Instead of switching the 12V side we can
switch the 220V side through SCRs or SSRs, and switch the 12V side through a basic full bridge inverter circuit.

So basically we switch the 12V side with 50Hz frequency, and then divide this 50Hz into 5 steps at the 220V side
through SSRs.

The advantage of this would be very low loss and higher ef ciency.

Please keep up the good work and keep posting your valuable opinions and suggestions.

REPLY

adebayo Daniel says

March 7, 2018 at 4:05 pm
how many volt transformer for inverter?

REPLY

Sherwin Baptista says

July 25, 2017 at 11:09 am
Dear Sir,
Where the LC circuit is concerned, i didn't use any software nor calculator rather gured out the combination by mind
itself, basically we have two components:
A. The Inductor
B. The Capacitor
Here we select one component with a high value and the other with a much lower value.

Keeping the capacitor value high got me understood that more current were consumed from the inverter for every UF it
had. I tried this on one of my previous made inverters and found out that the capacitor value cannot be kept high upto a
certain limit. This was with regard to ltering the UPS output.

Also on my COMPUTER UPS 600VA model, the ceiling fan that i powered made irritating noise, but after connecting a
1.25uF capacitor, all noise diminished but the noticeable hum remained.

Then i also tried increasing the capacitor value to 2.5 and 5uF by combining capacitors on the UPS output, they behaved
in the same manner and what i got in nal was no noise but only hum present.

All this was only after keeping an ammeter connected on the DC side of the UPS and i found out that connecting higher
value capacitors consumes more current from the battery.
My UPS never tripped after connecting several caps on the output, but the results were same.

I came up to a conclusion;

"Capacitor only removes NOISE but keeps the HUM intact".

"Capacitor value should be kept as low as possible when ltering inverter output".

What remains is the inductor,

here its value can be kept as high as possible since its always a series connected component. But the resistance for the
wire used at a given inductance say 100uH should not exceed 0.001 ohms meaning a thick guage wire should be used
for winding and the core should preferably be an EI IRON CORE laminated type.

The inductor is the component going to break down the harmonics in the generated stepped waveform and since being
a 5 step inverter, we have attached a 5 stage LC circuit to further enhance the output to a clean sinewave.
Here, sensitive and sophisticated gadgets can be operated without problems.

The nal conclusion with the inductor is that;

"It removes the HUM and lters out the waveform making it close to a smooth sine wave and its value(UH) can be kept
as high as possible".

The basic LC lter for this inverter design;

Whatever the value(UH) of inductor used one should connect 100 times less the value of capacitor to satisfy one stage of
the lter circuit.

The capacitors used for this lter should be preferably a 400V AC cylindrical type rated to work on mains voltage.
Thanks

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Swagatam says
July 25, 2017 at 11:36 am
That's great Sherwin, the practical outcome is more important than calculations, if you are able to achieve a best
possible output as per the requirement, that's good enough.

Could you please provide a schematic in my email for the same, I will publish it as a new article, and also
compensate you accordingly.

By the way the SPWM article which you required is published below:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2017/07/spwm-inverter-circuit-using-ic-555.html

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Sherwin Baptista says

July 14, 2017 at 8:01 am
Okay, i just thought that the 4020 might help, but no issues.
Actually i were asking for a second alternative only because i seen it having more outputs than the 4017 that's why i
were asking you.

Anyway there are no issues with the 5 level inverter as long as the LC circuit has helped me get the SINE WAVE output.

I have cracked the data of transformer, clamping circuit and LC circuit and will send it to you soon.
THANKS

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Swagatam says
July 14, 2017 at 11:18 am
yes, 4017 has the highest number of outputs (10) to date…I hope somebody manufactures a similar IC with 20 or 30
outputs…

wish you all the best, keep up the good work

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Sherwin Baptista says

July 13, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Dear Sir,
After getting success in making the Multilevel 5-Step Inverter circuit, i now wish to prepare a higher level inverter i.e., 7
or more step using the IC4020 binary counter.

Please if this is possible my request to you is to help me with the same.

Keeping the LC circuit intact i am getting a stable SINE WAVE output which i added in the previous circuit. This also
takes much more space and i'm prepared to make that.

I will send you the updates as i prepare the circuit…..

Just give me a GO……..THANKS!!!

Regards

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Swagatam says
July 14, 2017 at 3:33 am
Dear Sherwin,
for 7 step you will require an IC which may have higher number of sequential outputs than 4017, so far we do not
have any such ICs, IC 4020 has even less no of outputs than what 4017 has…so according to me it looks dif cult.
moreover a 5 step may be quite suf cient for getting a good sinewave output

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Swagatam says
July 14, 2017 at 3:34 am
please send me the lter related updates, as as soon as you nish preparing the details

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Sherwin Baptista says

July 12, 2017 at 5:01 am
I forgot to mention,
I have correctly calculated the LC lter circuit and now it takes extra space in my inverter and makes it more bulky.

But i don't mind this since at the output i'm getting a proper sine wave and there is no hum from operating inductive
loads.

Finally completed this project.

Thanks

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Swagatam says
July 12, 2017 at 6:05 am
That's great Sherwin, I think you should quickly submit the details to me so that I publish it as a new article.

I'll make sure you are compensated for the article appropriately.

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Sherwin Baptista says

July 12, 2017 at 4:34 am
Dear Sir Swagatam,
Now that this project has become successful to me, i'm able to power sophisticated and sensitive gadgets properly from
this inverter circuit.

Indeed you have really cracked a simple way of making this step inverter using ordinary components.

I'm greatly thankful to you for providing such an easy circuit.

Thanks.

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Swagatam says
July 12, 2017 at 6:04 am
Thank you Sherwin, I appreciate your efforts a lot, you are indeed one of the valuable readers of this website who
builds my projects by deeply understanding the project concept.

Appreciate it a lot, keep up good work.

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Sherwin Baptista says

April 7, 2017 at 7:50 am
Dear Sir Swagatam,
I have sucessfully built and tested this multilevel inverter circuit….It works….
Thanks

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Swagatam says
April 7, 2017 at 3:10 pm
That's great Sherwin, your keen effort is very much appreciated.

I have received the details of the experiment in my Gmail ID sent by you from G+, and I will soon publish it in this
website.

If possible send me your Bank details to my following email, I will make the necessary compensation for the sent
write up.

hitman2008
@
live.in

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Ainsworth Lynch says

November 12, 2016 at 10:01 pm
Also Each reading on the transformer in the drawing are they in repect to the 0v tap.

for example if im to test for 36v is it between the last tap and the center tap?

I plan to use 12v so if thats the case would I be able to wrap it 9v, 12v, 15v, 19v, 22v.

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Swagatam says
November 13, 2016 at 6:17 am
the outer tap values are with respect to the center tap, not from end to end

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Ainsworth Lynch says

November 12, 2016 at 9:48 pm
I cant believe this is the rst time seeing this post I have built basically all your inverters except this one, did you by
chance get any time to test it or have anyone tested it and given you a feed back?

Also do you believe this would be the inverter you have with the closest to puresinwave using a scope to look at the
wave?

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Swagatam says
November 13, 2016 at 6:15 am
I have not tested it, but the circuit concept looks pretty straightforward and according to me it should work as stated.

the output will be sinewave effortlessly, although my other designs using PWM will also create pure sinewave if the
output lter is optimally calculated

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Jay Larugal says

August 17, 2016 at 1:25 am
sir can i use FET instead of BJT?

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Swagatam says
August 17, 2016 at 2:28 pm
yes you can use…

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Jay Larugal says

August 10, 2016 at 8:45 am
i don't have an oscilloscope sir.. thank you.

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Jay Larugal says

August 10, 2016 at 8:42 am
sir at what frequency should the ic 555 set to be able to get a 50hz at the output of the inverter? and at its con guration
what's its output power?

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Swagatam says
August 10, 2016 at 11:10 am
..output power will depend on transformer wattage and the battery AH rating, the transistor must be rated
accordingly…

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Jay Larugal says

August 10, 2016 at 8:39 am
sir at what frequency should the 555 ic to be set to be able to take a 50hz frequency at the output of the inverter. i don't
an oscilloscope. thank you.

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Swagatam says
August 10, 2016 at 11:09 am
Jay, it should be 9 x 50 = 450 Hz

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Usa Juana says

June 2, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Hello sir thanks for the reply , there is what noticed on the tranformer detail , the taps are 16,22,20,27,36 , that put tap 3
at lower than tap 2, my questions are (1) was that a mistake? If yes the correct should be 16,20,22,27,36 (2)the voltage
between the taps are not even is that ok? (3) I want to achive it with 12 volts 500 watts , so I tend to device the gures
in 2 to achive that, there by getting 8,10,11,13.5,18. Is that correct?(4) I want to incorporate the "No load detection"
circuit , my question is , after deactivating because of no load , will the circuit be able to detect added load and
reactivate or will I need to reset to use it? I look farword to your king reply , best wishes

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Swagatam says
June 3, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Thanks Usa,

yes the 20V tap after the 22V seems to be done by mistake, so please correct it appropriately.

Any trafo tap con guration can be used, provided it has a center tap and an identical sets of incrementing winding
taps across the two halves.

the no load feature can be added by some suitable circuitry which will need to be gured out…it will be a real time
control no resetting would be required.

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Usa Juana says

May 24, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Hello sir please sujest the power of the transformer for this project , how much power can I achieve with out modifying
it?

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Swagatam says
May 25, 2016 at 5:21 am
hello Usa, the transformer will depend on your requirement specs and the load…..you can upgrade it to any level by
suitably matching it with the power devices and the battery output specs.

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GOliath Keet says

December 19, 2015 at 8:36 pm
I was thinking of using the old faithful 3055's and winding the coil toroid style. i would make use of current amp
bd139/140 buffer between the 4017's and the 3055's.

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Swagatam says
December 20, 2015 at 5:23 am
I think an NPN/PNP buffer is advisable for mosfets, but for the above design a Darlington stage will work better,
using BD139 and 2N3055 as pairs…… you may refer to the following example:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2014/11/48-v-inverter-circuit.html

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GOliath Keet says

December 19, 2015 at 9:40 am
im really liking what i see here., but was curious.

is there any chance of a fully blown example of different transformer designs that are compatible with this project and
also possibly. a complete diagram. I worked out what needs to be done. but a full diagram would be really cool

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Swagatam says
December 19, 2015 at 12:46 pm
I have updated the complete circuit diagram at the bottom of the article, please check it out.

The shown transformer is the recommended one, although it can be upgraded as per other battery voltages by
changing the winding data proportionately.

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