Figure 1 provides a idea of what a small power inverter looks like. Power inverters are used today for many tasks like powering appliances in a car such as cell phones, radios and televisions. They also come in handy for consumers who own camping vehicles, boats and at construction sites where an electric grid may not be as accessible to hook into. Inverters allow the user to provide AC power in areas where only batteries can be made available, allowing portability and freeing the user of long power cords.
On the market today are two different types of power inverters, modified sine wave and pure sine wave generators. These inverters differ in their outputs, providing varying levels of efficiency and distortion that can affect electronic devices in different ways.