[rescue] phase converters, was Re: Rescued: SGI Altix 450

[Mouse]

> [...inverters...] create a stepped rough approximation of a sine
> wave.  This will tear a switching power supply apart,

Huh?

My impression was that a switching supply first rectifies and smoothes
the incoming power, then runs a DC-DC converter off that.  As such, it
doesn't much care what the incoming power looks like, provided it can
be rectified without too much ripple remaining.

Why would a "stepped rough approximation of a sine wave" bother such a
thing?  (Ideal from a switching supply's perspective, I would expect,
would be a square wave.)

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