AC/DC Conversion
Traditional ‘linear’ AC/DC power supplies use a mains frequency transformer to provide voltage step-down and galvanic isolation. These transformers are inefficient, in some cases wasting more power than they actually deliver to the load.
Modern switched-mode AC/DC converters process energy at high frequencies, typically between 100kHz and 200kHz, resulting in a much smaller and more efficient solution than the traditional linear supply.
RD001 60W Switched-Mode AC/DC power supply
In most cases, switched-mode converters are controlled by an intelligent IC which gives the following advantages:-
- The output voltage can be monitored and controlled in a closed loop system so that changes in input voltage or output load demand do not effect the output voltage
- The power supply can be designed to operate efficiently over a very wide range of AC voltages (85Vac to 265Vac typically), allowing your product to run anywhere in the world
- The IC can recognise when there is no-load present and put the power supply into a green mode to reduce standby energy wastage
- The IC can implement many forms of power supply protection such as over-temperature shutdown and output short-circuit detection to increase system reliability.
At Converter Technology we have many years of real world design experience in applying a wide range of switched-mode IC’s to many different applications. This ensures you a power design which is robust, reliable and has minimal BOM cost.