Power Electronics Handbook

Cycloconverter principles 207

for inverters are simpler than for cycloconverters and this results in a

further reduction in system cost.

(ii) An inverter can work from a d.c. or an a.c. source, which has first

been rectified and smoothed by relatively cheap components. A

cycloconverter, on the other hand, can only work from an a.c. input,

so if a d.c. supply is available only it is necessary to first convert it to

a.c. before it can feed the cycloconverter. Such a d.c. to a.c. inverter

can add appreciably to the original cycloconverter system cost, even if

rotating converters are used. Therefore an inverter is much more

versatile than a cycloconverte ...