Power Supplies

Description

Power supplies are electrical devices, which supply the power needed to operate electronic equipment. Usually, the rating of power supplies is done by the number of watts they produce. Power supplies consist of four main components that include transformer, rectifier, filter, and regulator. The factors to be considered when choosing power supplies are number of watts, cables, form factor version, noise, efficiency, and power factor correction (PFC).

It is necessary for power supplies to follow four steps to provide functional low voltage. They are listed below:

• Reduction of the alternating current voltage to a lower level
• Conversion of  this lower level voltage from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC)
• Regulation of direct current (DC) output to compensate for varying load (current demand)
• Provide protection against input or output voltages

Types of Power Supplies

The basic types of electric power supply are listed below:

• Linear power supplies
• AC power supplies
• DC power supplies
• AC Adapter
• DC Adapter
• Switched mode power supplies
• Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
• Programmable power supplies
• Regulated power supplies
• Variable power supplies
• Computer power supplies

Advantages

Advantages of basic power supplies are listed below:

• Linear power supplies are relatively noise free and easy to design
• Switch mode power supplies are highly efficient, smaller in size and light weight
• Uninterrupted power supplies have reduced sensitivity, higher efficiency, and stable performance

The various power supply families provide solutions to improve reliability and safety in many industrial applications.

Applications

Power supplies help in the conversion of high voltage alternating currents into low voltage direct currents for usage in electronic circuits in telecommunications, office equipment, and consumer electronics. Power supplies are commonly used as a power source for computers, welding equipment, chargers, switchboards, exchange systems, plan sets, and electronic components that are used in military, marine, and medical applications.