I was just researching this on the net (WIKI and a few tech sites) here's one of the clearest http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Tech-Doctor/Universal/Tech1-Universal.pdf
The bottom line is that anything that uses electronic timing circuits (like computers or computer controls) will bet fouled up if you run it on anything but Pure Sine Wave (PSW) power. I kinda did computer troubleshooting and electronical stuff some years ago and it has to do with the zero crossing points of PSW. Modified Sine Wave (MSW) power is actually a square wave and the power "dwells at zero" for a measurable time and that messes with the computer's head. This happens because the core of every computer processor chip is a digital clock, the processor uses the clock cycle to count. That's how it computes.
That's why computer UPCs always put out PSW power. If your stove is microprocessor controlled (like my Harman P38) then you need a PSW power inverter (like the SF512 or SF502) or you run the risk of scrambling your computer control and then you have a hunk of steel or cast iron, not a stove.
See your manufacturers recommendations. I for one don't want to find out my power supply is cooking my stoves controller cause I know it'll happen in the middle of the next big power out blizzard.
RE: Cleaning up generator power. Inexpensive generators define "dirty power". I don't understand all there is about UPCs but I do know that the common ones just pass the line power through as is. The battery and their PSW inverter doesn't kick in until the line power goes out. Here is the WIKI article on UPSs technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply.
The Online / Double Conversion seems to be one that will clean up power, but they may be more expensive and there is a limit to how much they can clean up really dirty power.
The bottom line is that anything that uses electronic timing circuits (like computers or computer controls) will bet fouled up if you run it on anything but Pure Sine Wave (PSW) power. I kinda did computer troubleshooting and electronical stuff some years ago and it has to do with the zero crossing points of PSW. Modified Sine Wave (MSW) power is actually a square wave and the power "dwells at zero" for a measurable time and that messes with the computer's head. This happens because the core of every computer processor chip is a digital clock, the processor uses the clock cycle to count. That's how it computes.
That's why computer UPCs always put out PSW power. If your stove is microprocessor controlled (like my Harman P38) then you need a PSW power inverter (like the SF512 or SF502) or you run the risk of scrambling your computer control and then you have a hunk of steel or cast iron, not a stove.
See your manufacturers recommendations. I for one don't want to find out my power supply is cooking my stoves controller cause I know it'll happen in the middle of the next big power out blizzard.
RE: Cleaning up generator power. Inexpensive generators define "dirty power". I don't understand all there is about UPCs but I do know that the common ones just pass the line power through as is. The battery and their PSW inverter doesn't kick in until the line power goes out. Here is the WIKI article on UPSs technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply.
The Online / Double Conversion seems to be one that will clean up power, but they may be more expensive and there is a limit to how much they can clean up really dirty power.