{"id":4676,"date":"2020-04-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4676"},"modified":"2020-04-06T09:03:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T13:03:02","slug":"can-i-charge-a-laptop-or-smartphone-on-a-generator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/07\/can-i-charge-a-laptop-or-smartphone-on-a-generator\/","title":{"rendered":"“Can I charge a laptop or smartphone on a generator?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Answer requested by Ayesha Fatima.)<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In either case, it’s smart to protect your valuable electronics with a power conditioner<\/a> or uninterruptible power supply<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4676<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[seperator]\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong> on THIS ITEM?<\/strong> See the<\/em> Comment box<\/strong> at bottom of this page!<\/em>

<\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b>Ask<\/em> here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!

(Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em> <\/strong>here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-science-and-tech"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/generator-rf-e1585162096534.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-1dq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6011,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/07\/do-external-hard-drives-make-sense-in-the-cloud-storage-era\/","url_meta":{"origin":4676,"position":0},"title":"Do external hard drives make sense in the cloud-storage era?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2022-03-07","format":false,"excerpt":"With effectively infinite storage available online (such as the Google data center, pictured above), is there any point to storing files and backups locally, on external hard drives? A subscriber\u2019s question prompts today\u2019s first item. The second item looks at a PC electrical glitch. A subscriber has a battery-backed uninterruptible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AskWoody Plus"","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/NL-2022-03-07-Langa_Fig1-e1646659422287.jpg?fit=400%2C267&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4037,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/06\/jan-6-free-newsletter-available\/","url_meta":{"origin":4676,"position":1},"title":"Jan 6 Free Newsletter available","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-01-06","format":false,"excerpt":"The newest\u00a0AskWoody newsletter\u00a0is now available. The FREE version is open to all; the PLUS version contains major additional content for members. 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A scrollbar appears when I open the page, but it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AskWoody Plus"","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Langa-2020-11-02_Fig1.png?fit=1054%2C810&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Langa-2020-11-02_Fig1.png?fit=1054%2C810&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Langa-2020-11-02_Fig1.png?fit=1054%2C810&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Langa-2020-11-02_Fig1.png?fit=1054%2C810&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Langa-2020-11-02_Fig1.png?fit=1054%2C810&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1366,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/15\/a-reader-asks-have-you-heard-about-the-boston-molassacre\/","url_meta":{"origin":4676,"position":3},"title":"A reader* asks: “Have you heard about the Boston Molassacre?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-15","format":false,"excerpt":"I believe that's a phrase used jokingly by tour guides to refer to the very real \"Great Molasses Flood\" of 1919. On an unusually warm January day, a poorly-constructed industrial tank containing\u00a0 2,300,000 US gallons (8,706,447 liters) of hot, fermenting molasses burst, sending a wave of heavy liquid, initially 25ft\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1702,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/23\/a-reader-asks-why-cant-i-shut-off-my-usb-c-ports-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":4676,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: “Why can’t I shut off my USB-C port’s power?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-23","format":false,"excerpt":"Reader Bernie Holladay* writes: Fred, I have a question about the USB-C port.I needed to spec a USB connection for my new PC and choose Type-C.\u00a0 It was for a connection to a USB powered cooling pad for a laptop.It worked fine but when I shut down I noticed the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/root-hub-power.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4975,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/14\/computers-have-an-internal-battery-for-the-clock-to-keep-it-running-even-when-the-computer-has-no-power-why-do-stoves-not-have-this-feature\/","url_meta":{"origin":4676,"position":5},"title":"“Computers have an internal battery for the clock to keep it running even when the computer has no power. 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