Also known as power inverters, DC to AC inverters are designed to change a DC (direct current) power supply to an AC (alternating current) power supply.  DC is a relatively stable and positive voltage source and AC oscillates around a 0V base level, usually in a square or sinusoidal fashion.

The most common use for the inverter technologies is to change a battery source voltage into an AC signal, which can be used for almost all electronics today.  Commonly, they are designed to operate with a 12V source since that is common in the automotive world, and lead-acid technology generally.  An alternate use is an inverter system for photovoltaic cells.  These solar panels often produce hundreds of volts in intense daylight and need special inverter systems to be able to align with household voltage requirements.

The simplest circuitry required for an inverter is a transformer coil system and a switch.  A standard transformer is connected to the input DC signal via a switch, which quickly oscillates back and forth according the frequency requirements of the output.  Because of the bi-directional current flow in the transformer’s primary coil, an AC signal is output through the secondary coils