“Can I charge a laptop or smartphone on a generator?”

(Answer requested by Ayesha Fatima.)

Almost surely, yes. Most good-quality generators of recent vintage produce electronically-stabilized, sine- or pseudo-sine wave AC power that’s usually fine for any purpose, up to the stated output limits of the generator. (Check the owner’s manual.)

But cheap no-name generators, and many older units, may use mechanical voltage/speed governors, and/or square-wave inverters; both of which can be very hard on electronic devices. (Inverter info.)

In either case, it’s smart to protect your valuable electronics with a power conditioner or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) between any suspect power source and the device you’re powering. Power conditioners and UPSes can help smooth out any electrical weirdness, and ensure your device receives only clean, regulated power.

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