An alternator is essentially an electric motor in reverse.

Unlike a small gas generator, your mains power comes from multiple generators, all feeding into the grid.

In contrast, any fluctuations in a gasoline generator can manifest as power dips and surges.

Person operating a yellow portable gasoline generator.

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Portable generator power can also exhibit an issue known as harmonic distortion.

This is the distortion of the smoothsine waveof AC power, usually due to a nonlinear (i.e.

If there’s too much harmonic distortion, that can fry sensitive electronics.

An exploded view of a car’s alternator.

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Yourvacuum cleaneror power tools will probably be just fine!

With a THD under 3 percent, the WH2200iXLT is safe to use with electronics such as computers.

First, the THD ortotalharmonicdistortionmust be less than 5%.

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With a THD under 3 percent, the WH2200iXLT is safe to use with electronics such as computers. You can combine two units in parallel if you need even more power, and 1.3 gallons of fuel can last up to 13 hours.

Anything above that isn’t suitable for electronics and should be avoided.

Second, it should have built-in protection features for electronics.

These devices make almost no noise, have low harmonic distortion, and offer direct DC power.

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You can power your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and most other electronic devices with the Jackery Explorer 240.

When powering electronics, you don’t waste power converting from DC to AC and back to DC.

Once you’re plugged in, learn how tooptimize your TV for use with a limited power supply.

Related:How to Make Your TV Last Longer on Backup Power