System and method for controlling power to a heater

A control system for controlling a heater, the heater including at least one heating element, the control system comprising:

• a power converter configured to supply a power that is adjustable to the heater;
• a sensor circuit configured to measure an electrical characteristic of the heating element of the heater, wherein the electrical characteristic includes at least one of an electric current and a voltage;
• a reference temperature sensor configured to measure a reference temperature of a reference area at the heater;
• and
• a controller including a processor and a memory, the controller configured to operate the power converter to control the power to the heater, wherein:
• the controller is configured to operate the heater based on a control state selected from among a plurality of control states stored in the memory, and
• the controller is configured to calculate a primary temperature of a heater element based on the electrical characteristic, and
• the controller is configured to control the power to the heater based on the control state and on at least one of the reference temperature and the primary temperature.