On Wed, 18 Oct 2017 04:40:07 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

a) Modern caps do not have 'wires inside'. The do have connection(s) between
the foil and the connecting wires that can go flaky - but those are all-or-nothin
g situations.

That tells me how the caps are connected internally, and although it's
"all or nothing", I do wonder if jiggling it (tapping it) can make that
connection make or break contact? This inverter is very simple, and I'm
pretty confident I can fix it. I'll start by replacing that cap. If that
dont do it, I may resolder every connection at least on that end of the
board.

This simple inverter does not completely shut down when the battery
voltage gets low. Instead it keeps shutting offn and on, till the
battery gets so low that it shuts off completely. It did leave me
stranded once, when it started to go off and on, in my car, when my
battery was weak to start with. The car would not start. Fortunately a
friend lived 2 blocks away, so I walked to his house and had him come
and jump my car.

b) The buzzer comes on when the input voltage approaches, then drops below
the trigger voltage for the inverter. So, if your battery voltage drops below wh
atever that is - first inverter will buzz, then AC-out will stop. \


The battery used to test that other inverter was purchased 2 months ago,
and was just charged, reading 14+ volts on my digital multimeter.

Although I could not find a schematic, I did find an owners manual for
that one. The red LED on that one does different things. Low battery
makes the red LED light up solid and the buzzer makes a steady sound.

What I am getting is flashing red, and beeping on-off alarm sound. The
manual says that means the LOAD is too large. The load I was using was
80W (AC). Far from too large. It was working until I shut off this
switch on the load. (ODD). Then that inverter went into that error mode
and has remained that way ever since, even with no load. According to
web articles, this is a common problem with this model.
The circuit in this thing is very complex, and without a schematic, near
impossible to trace. So, I think it belongs in my scrap box.