A switching power supply is designed for high efficiency and small size. Working with a smart, switching power supply can save power, provide clean energy, and provide valuable information.
Advantages / Disadvantages
- Small & Light
- Efficiency around 70-95%
- Complex Design
- EMI Filtering Required
- Low Cost
Switching power supplies incorporate a switching regulator to convert electrical power efficiently. Switching DC power supplies regulate the output voltage through a process called pulse width modulation (PWM). Pulse width modulation is a method of reducing the average power delivered by an electrical signal, by effectively chopping it up into separate and distinct parts. The average value of voltage (and current) fed to the load is controlled by turning the switch on and off between supply and load at a very fast rate. The longer the switch is on compared to the off periods, the higher the total power that is supplied to the load. The PWM process generates some high-frequency noise but enables the switching power supplies to be built with very high power efficiency while utilizing a small footprint.
With a good design, a switching power supply can have excellent load and line regulation. They can either step-up or step-down the input voltage to get the desired output voltage. Switching power supplies have greater efficiency than linear power supplies because the switching transistor dissipates a small portion of the power when acting as a switch.
Switching Power Supply - Advantages / Disadvantages
- Small & Light
- Efficiency around 70-95%
- Complex Design
- EMI Filtering Required
- Low Cost
Switching power supplies are used as replacements for linear power supplies when higher efficiency, smaller size, or lighter weight are required. Switching power supplies, however, are more complicated; their switching currents can cause electrical noise problems if not carefully suppressed.
You may also refer to the following Power Management video for additional overview information about power.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.