Aswitched-mode power supply (SMPS), also calledswitching-mode power supply,switch-mode power supply,switched power supply, or simplyswitcher, is an electronicpower supply that incorporates aswitching regulator toconvert electrical power efficiently.
Like other power supplies, a SMPS transfers power from a DC or AC source (oftenmains power, seeAC adapter) to DC loads, such as apersonal computer, while convertingvoltage andcurrent characteristics. Unlike alinear power supply, the passtransistor[a] of a switching-mode supply continually switches between low-dissipation, full-on and full-off states, and spends very little time in the high-dissipation transitions, which minimizes wasted energy.Voltage regulation is achieved by varying the ratio of on-to-off time (also known asduty cycle). In contrast, a linear power supply regulates the output voltage by continually dissipating power in the pass transistor. The switched-mode power supply's higherelectrical efficiency is an important advantage.
Switched-mode power supplies can also be substantially smaller and lighter than a linear supply because the transformer can be much smaller. This is because it operates at a high switching frequency which ranges from several hundredkHz to several MHz in contrast to the 50 or 60 Hzmains frequency used by the transformer in a linear power supply. Despite the reduced transformer size, the power supply topology andelectromagnetic compatibility requirements in commercial designs result in a usually much greater component count and corresponding circuit complexity.
Switching regulators are used as replacements for linear regulators when higher efficiency, smaller size or lighter weight is required. They are, however, more complicated; switching currents can cause electrical noise problems if not carefully suppressed, and simple designs may have a poorpower factor.
Alinear power supply (non-SMPS) uses a linear regulator to provide the desired output voltage by dissipating power inohmic losses (e.g., in a resistor or in the collector–emitter region of a pass transistor in its active mode). A linear regulator regulates either output voltage or current by dissipating the electric power in the form of heat, and hence its maximum power efficiency is voltage-out divided by voltage-in since the voltage difference between input and output is wasted.
In contrast, a SMPS changes output voltage and current by switching ideally lossless storage elements, such asinductors andcapacitors, between different electrical configurations. Ideal switching elements (approximated bytransistors operated outside of their active mode) have no resistance whenon and carry no current whenoff, so converters with ideal components would operate with 100% efficiency (i.e., all input power is delivered to the load; no power is wasted as dissipated heat). In reality, these ideal components do not exist, so a switching power supply cannot be 100% efficient, but still provides a significant improvement in efficiency over a linear regulator.
Different switching configurations are used in SMPS designs. Aboost converter acts like astep-up transformer for DC signals. Abuck–boost converter works in a similar manner, but yields an output voltage which is opposite in polarity to the input voltage. Other buck circuits exist to boost the average output current with a reduction of voltage.
The main advantage of the switching power supply is greater efficiency (up to ~98–99%[25][26][27]) and associated lower heat generation than linear regulators because the switching transistor dissipates little power when acting as a switch.
Other advantages include smaller size and lighter weight from the elimination of heavy and expensive line-frequency transformers. Standby power loss is often also reduced with the elimination of these transformers.
Disadvantages include greater complexity, the generation of high-amplitude, high-frequency energy that thelow-pass filter must block to avoidelectromagnetic interference (EMI), aripple voltage at the switching frequency and itsharmonic frequencies.
Very low-cost SMPSs may couple electrical switching noise back onto the mains power line, causing interference with devices connected to the same AC circuit, such asaudio equipment. Non-power-factor-corrected SMPSs also causeharmonic distortion.
There are two main types of regulated power supplies available: SMPS and linear. The following table compares linear with switching power supplies in general:
| Metric | Linear power supply | Switching power supply | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size and weight | 0.12 W/cm3, 88 W/kg[28] | A SMPS operating at a 20 kHz switching frequency is a quarter the size. When operating at 100–200 kHz is one eighth size. 200 kHz–1 MHz types can be even smaller.[28]: 5–8 | A transformer's power handling capacity of given size and weight increases with frequency provided thathysteresis losses can be kept down. Therefore, a higher operating frequency means either a higher capacity or smaller transformer. |
| Output voltage | When a transformer is used, any voltage is possible. When transformerless, voltage is limited to what can be achieved with avoltage doubler. | Any voltages available, limited only bytransistor breakdown voltages in many circuits. Voltage varies little with load. | An SMPS can usually cope with wider variation of input before the output voltage changes. |
| Input voltage | Voltage range limited by acceptable power dissipation in the regulator on high input voltage and transformer turns ratio on low input voltage. | Universal orwide input SMPSs, which work with mains voltages from 90 to 250 V, are common. More specialized designs can accept even wider input voltage range. | An SMPS can usually cope with wider variation of input before the output voltage changes. |
| Efficiency, heat, andpower dissipation | Output voltage is regulated by dissipating excess power as heat, resulting in a typical efficiency of 30–40%.[29] | 70-85% efficiency, but can reach 90%.[30] | They can be used together to form a compound regulator with a linear regulator placed after the SMPS to achieve an efficiency of 60-65%. |
| Complexity | Linear voltage-regulating circuit and usually noise-filtering capacitors; usually a simpler circuit and simpler feedback loopstability criteria than switched-mode circuits. | Consists of a controller IC, one or several power transistors and diodes, as well as a power transformer, inductors, andfilter capacitors. Multiple voltages can be generated by one transformer core, but that can introduce design and use complications.[b] Some design complexities present not found in linear regulator circuits: noise and interference; extra limitations on maximum ratings of transistors at high switching speeds, stray inductance and capacitance of theprinted circuit board traces become important. | Both need a careful selection of their transformers. |
| Radio frequency interference | Mild high-frequency interference may be generated by AC rectifier diodes under heavy current loading. Some mains hum induction into unshielded cables, problematic for low-level audio signals. | EMI/RFI is produced due to the current being switched on and off sharply. Therefore,EMI filters andRF shielding are needed to reduce the disruptive interference. | Long wires between the components may reduce the high-frequency filter efficiency provided by the capacitors at the inlet and outlet. |
| Electronic noise at the output terminals | Linear regulators generally have excellent rejection of AC line ripple and are generally lower noise than switched-mode converters. | Noisier due to the switching frequency of the SMPS. An unfiltered output may cause glitches in digital circuits or noise in audio circuits. | This can be suppressed with capacitors and other filtering circuitry in the output stage. With a switched-mode PSU, the switching frequency can be chosen to keep the noise out of the system's working frequency band, e.g., for audio systems, above the range of human hearing. |
| Electronic noise at the input terminals | Causes harmonic distortion to the input AC, but relatively little or no high-frequency noise. | Very low-cost SMPS may couple electrical switching noise back onto the mains power line, causing interference with A/V equipment connected to the same phase. Non-power-factor-corrected SMPSs also cause harmonic distortion. | This can be prevented if a (properly earthed) EMI/RFI filter is connected between the input terminals and the bridge rectifier. |
| Acoustic noise | Faint, usually inaudible mains hum, usually due to vibration of windings in the transformer ormagnetostriction. | Usuallyinaudible to most humans, unless they have a fan or are unloaded/malfunctioning, or use a switching frequency within the audio range, or the laminations of the coil vibrate at asubharmonic of the operating frequency. | The operating frequency of an unloaded SMPS is sometimes in the audible human range and may sound subjectively quite loud for people whose hearing is very sensitive to the relevant frequency range. |
| Power factor | Low because current is drawn from the mains at the peaks of the voltagesinusoid, unless a choke-input or resistor-input circuit follows the rectifier (now rare). | Around 0.5–0.6 without correction.[28]: 168 0.7–0.75 with passive correction and can exceed 0.99 with active correction.[31] | Active/passivepower factor correction in the SMPS can offset this problem and are even required by some electric regulation authorities, particularly in the EU. The internal resistance of low-power transformers in linear power supplies usually limits the peak current each cycle and thus gives a better power factor than many switched-mode power supplies that directly rectify the mains with little series resistance. |
| Inrush current | Large current when mains-powered linear power supply equipment is switched on until magnetic flux of transformer stabilizes and capacitors charge completely, unless a slow-start circuit is used. | Extremely large peak "in-rush" surge current limited only by the impedance of the input supply and any series resistance to the filter capacitors. | Empty filter capacitors initially draw large amounts of current as they charge up, with larger capacitors drawing larger amounts of peak current. Being many times above the normal operating current, this greatly stresses components subject to the surge, complicates fuse selection to avoid nuisance blowing and may cause problems with equipment employing overcurrent protection such asuninterruptible power supplies. Mitigated by use of a suitable soft-start circuit or series resistor. |
| Risk ofelectric shock | Supplies with transformers isolate the incoming power supply from the powered device and so allow metalwork of the enclosure to be grounded safely. Dangerous if primary/secondary insulation breaks down, unlikely with reasonable design.Transformerless mains-operated supply are not isolated and therefore dangerous when exposed. In both linear and switch-mode the mains, and possibly the output voltages, are hazardous and must be well-isolated. | Common rail of equipment (including casing) is energized to half the mains voltage, but at high impedance, unless equipment is earthed/grounded or doesn't contain EMI/RFI filtering at the input terminals. | Due to regulations concerning EMI/RFI radiation, many SMPS contain EMI/RFI filtering at the input stage consisting of capacitors and inductors before the bridge rectifier. Two capacitors are connected in series with the Live and Neutral rails with the Earth connection in between the two capacitors. This forms a capacitive divider that energizes the common rail at half mains voltage. Its high impedance current source can provide a tingling or a 'bite' to the operator or can be exploited to light an Earth Fault LED. However, this current may cause nuisance tripping on the most sensitiveresidual-current devices. In power supplies without a ground pin (like USB charger) there is EMI/RFI capacitor placed between primary and secondary side.[32] It can also provide some very mild tingling sensation but it's safe to the user.[33] |
| Risk of equipment damage | Very low, unless a short occurs between the primary and secondary windings or the regulator fails by shorting internally. | Can fail so as to make output voltage very high[quantify]. Stress on capacitors may cause them to explode. Can in some cases destroy input stages in amplifiers if floating voltage exceeds transistor base-emitter breakdown voltage, causing the transistor's gain to drop and noise levels to increase.[34] Mitigated by goodfailsafe design. Failure of a component in the SMPS itself can cause further damage to other PSU components; can be difficult to troubleshoot. | The floating voltage is caused by capacitors bridging the primary and secondary sides of the power supply. Connection to earthed equipment will cause a momentary (and potentially destructive) spike in current at the connector as the voltage at the secondary side of the capacitor equalizes to earth potential. |
If the SMPS has an AC input, then the first stage is to convert the input to DC. This is called 'rectification'. An SMPS with a DC input does not require this stage. In some power supplies (mostlycomputer ATX power supplies), the rectifier circuit can be configured as a voltage doubler by the addition of a switch operated either manually or automatically. This feature permits operation from power sources that are normally at 115 VAC or at 230 VAC. The rectifier produces an unregulated DC voltage which is then sent to a large filter capacitor. The current drawn from the mains supply by this rectifier circuit occurs in short pulses around the AC voltage peaks. These pulses have significant high frequency energy which reduces the power factor. To correct for this, many newer SMPS will use a specialpower factor correction (PFC) circuit to make the input current follow the sinusoidal shape of the AC input voltage, correcting the power factor. Power supplies that useactive PFC usually are auto-ranging, supporting input voltages from~100 VAC – 250 VAC, with no input voltage selector switch.
An SMPS designed for AC input can usually be run from a DC supply, because the DC would pass through the rectifier unchanged.[35] If the power supply is designed for115 VAC and has no voltage selector switch, the required DC voltage would be163 VDC (115 × √2). This type of use may be harmful to the rectifier stage, however, as it will only use half of diodes in the rectifier for the full load. This could possibly result in overheating of these components, causing them to fail prematurely. On the other hand, if the power supply has a voltage selector switch, based on theDelon circuit, for 115/230 V (computer ATX power supplies typically are in this category), the selector switch would have to be put in the230 V position, and the required voltage would be325 VDC (230 × √2). The diodes in this type of power supply will handle the DC current just fine because they are rated to handle double the nominal input current when operated in the115 V mode, due to the operation of the voltage doubler. This is because the doubler, when in operation, uses only half of the bridge rectifier and runs twice as much current through it.[36]
The inverter stage converts DC, whether directly from the input or from the rectifier stage described above, to AC by running it through a power oscillator, whose output transformer is very small with few windings, at a frequency of tens or hundreds ofkilohertz. The frequency is usually chosen to be above 20 kHz, to make it inaudible to humans. The switching is implemented as a multistage (to achieve high gain)MOSFET amplifier. MOSFETs are a type oftransistor with a low on-resistance and a high current-handling capacity.
If the output is required to be isolated from the input, as is usually the case in mains power supplies, the inverted AC is used to drive the primary winding of a high-frequencytransformer. This converts the voltage up or down to the required output level on its secondary winding. The output transformer in the block diagram serves this purpose.
If a DC output is required, the AC output from the transformer is rectified. For output voltages above ten volts or so, ordinary silicon diodes are commonly used. For lower voltages,Schottky diodes are commonly used as the rectifier elements; they have the advantages of faster recovery times than silicon diodes (allowing low-loss operation at higher frequencies) and a lower voltage drop when conducting. For even lower output voltages, MOSFETs may be used assynchronous rectifiers; compared to Schottky diodes, these have even lower conducting state voltage drops.
The rectified output is then smoothed by a filter consisting ofinductors andcapacitors. For higher switching frequencies, components with lower capacitance and inductance are needed.
Simpler, non-isolated power supplies contain an inductor instead of a transformer. This type includesboost converters,buck converters, andbuck–boost converters. These belong to the simplest class of single input, single output converters which use one inductor and one active switch. The buck converter reduces the input voltage in direct proportion to the ratio of conductive time to the total switching period, called the duty cycle. For example, an ideal buck converter with a 10 V input operating at a 50% duty cycle will produce an average output voltage of 5 V. A feedback control loop is employed to regulate the output voltage by varying the duty cycle to compensate for variations in input voltage. The output voltage of aboost converter is always greater than the input voltage and the buck–boost output voltage is inverted but can be greater than, equal to, or less than the magnitude of its input voltage. There are many variations and extensions to this class of converters but these three form the basis of almost all isolated and non-isolated DC-to-DC converters. By adding a second inductor theĆuk andSEPIC converters can be implemented, or, by adding additional active switches, various bridge converters can be realized.
Other types of SMPSs use acapacitor–diodevoltage multiplier instead of inductors and transformers. These are mostly used for generating high voltages at low currents (Cockcroft–Walton generator). The low voltage variant is calledcharge pump.
Afeedback circuit monitors the output voltage and compares it with a reference voltage. Depending on design and safety requirements, the controller may contain an isolation mechanism (such as anopto-coupler) to isolate it from the DC output. Switching supplies in computers, TVs and VCRs have these opto-couplers to tightly control the output voltage.
Open-loop regulators do not have a feedback circuit. Instead, they rely on feeding a constant voltage to the input of the transformer or inductor, and assume that the output will be correct. Regulated designs compensate for theimpedance of the transformer or coil. Monopolar designs also compensate for themagnetic hysteresis of the core.
The feedback circuit needs power to run before it can generate power, so an additional non-switching power supply for stand-by is added.
Any switched-mode power supply that gets its power from anAC power line (called an"off-line" converter[37]) requires a transformer forgalvanic isolation.[citation needed] SomeDC-to-DC converters may also include a transformer, although isolation may not be critical in these cases. SMPS transformers run at high frequencies. Most of the cost savings (and space savings) in off-line power supplies result from the smaller size of the high-frequency transformer compared to the 50/60 Hz transformers formerly used. There are additional design tradeoffs.[38]
The terminal voltage of a transformer is proportional to the product of the core area, magnetic flux, and frequency. By using a much higher frequency, the core area (and so the mass of the core) can be greatly reduced. However, core losses increase at higher frequencies. Cores generally useferrite material which has a low loss at the high frequencies and high flux densities used. The laminated iron cores of lower-frequency (<400 Hz) transformers would be unacceptably lossy at switching frequencies of a few kilohertz. Also, more energy is lost during transitions of the switching semiconductor at higher frequencies. Furthermore, more attention to the physical layout of thecircuit board is required asparasitics become more significant, and the amount ofelectromagnetic interference will be more pronounced.
At low frequencies (such as the line frequency of 50 or 60 Hz), designers can usually ignore theskin effect. For these frequencies, the skin effect is only significant when the conductors are large, more than 0.3 inches (7.6 mm) in diameter.
Switching power supplies must pay more attention to the skin effect because it is a source of power loss. At 500 kHz, the skin depth in copper is about 0.003 inches (0.076 mm) – a dimension smaller than the typical wires used in a power supply. The effective resistance of conductors increases, because current concentrates near the surface of the conductor and the inner portion carries less current than at low frequencies.
The skin effect is exacerbated by the harmonics present in the high-speedpulse-width modulation (PWM) switching waveforms. The appropriate skin depth is not just the depth at the fundamental, but also the skin depths at the harmonics.[39]
In addition to the skin effect, there is also aproximity effect, which is another source of power loss.
Simple off-line switched-mode power supplies incorporate a simple full-wave rectifier connected to a large energy-storing capacitor. Such SMPSs draw current from the AC line in short pulses when the mains instantaneous voltage exceeds the voltage across this capacitor. During the remaining portion of the AC cycle the capacitor provides energy to the power supply.
As a result, the input current of such basic switched-mode power supplies has highharmonic content and relatively low power factor. This creates extra load on utility lines, increases heating of building wiring, the utilitytransformers, and standard AC electric motors, and may cause stability problems in some applications such as in emergency generator systems or aircraft generators. Harmonics can be removed by filtering, but the filters are expensive. Unlike displacement power factor created by linear inductive or capacitive loads, this distortion cannot be corrected by addition of a single linear component. Additional circuits are required to counteract the effect of the brief current pulses. Putting a current regulated boost chopper stage after the off-line rectifier (to charge the storage capacitor) can correct the power factor, but increases the complexity and cost.
In 2001, the European Union put into effect the standardIEC 61000-3-2 to set limits on the harmonics of the AC input current up to the 40th harmonic for equipment above 75 W. The standard defines four classes of equipment depending on its type and current waveform. The most rigorous limits (class D) are established for personal computers, computer monitors, and TV receivers. To comply with these requirements, modern switched-mode power supplies normally include an additionalpower factor correction (PFC) stage.
Switched-mode power supplies can be classified according to the circuit topology. The most important distinction is between isolated converters and non-isolated ones.
Non-isolated converters are simplest, with the three basic types using a single inductor for energy storage. In the voltage relation column,D is the duty cycle of the converter, and can vary from 0 to 1. The input voltage (V1) is assumed to be greater than zero; if it is negative, for consistency, negate the output voltage (V2).
| Type[40] | Typical Power [W] | Relative cost | Energy storage | Voltage relation | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck | 0–1,000 | 1.0 | Singleinductor | 0 ≤ Out ≤ In, | Current is continuous at output. |
| Boost | 0–5,000 | 1.0 | Single inductor | Out ≥ In, | Current is continuous at input. |
| Buck–boost | 0–150 | 1.0 | Single inductor | Out ≤ 0, | Current is discontinuous at both input and output. |
| Split-pi (or, boost–buck) | 0–4,500 | >2.0 | Two inductors and three capacitors | Up or down | Bidirectional power control; in or out. |
| Ćuk | Capacitor and two inductors | Any inverted, | Current is continuous at inputand output. | ||
| SEPIC | Capacitor and two inductors | Any, | Current is continuous at input. | ||
| Zeta | Capacitor and two inductors | Any, | Current is continuous at output. | ||
| Charge pump /switched capacitor | Capacitors only | No magnetic energy storage is needed to achieve conversion, however high efficiency power processing is normally limited to a discrete set of conversion ratios. |
When equipment is human-accessible, voltage limits of ≤ 30 V (r.m.s.) AC or ≤ 42.4 V peak or ≤ 60 V DC and power limits of 250 VA apply for safety certification (UL,CSA,VDE approval).
The buck, boost, and buck–boost topologies are all strongly related. Input, output and ground come together at one point. One of the three passes through an inductor on the way, while the other two pass through switches. One of the two switches must be active (e.g., a transistor), while the other can be a diode. Sometimes, the topology can be changed simply by re-labeling the connections. A 12 V input, 5 V output buck converter can be converted to a 7 V input, −5 V output buck–boost by grounding theoutput and taking the output from theground pin.
Likewise, SEPIC and Zeta converters are both minor rearrangements of the Ćuk converter.
Theneutral point clamped (NPC) topology is used in power supplies and active filters and is mentioned here for completeness.[41]
Switchers become less efficient as duty cycles become extremely short. For large voltage changes, a transformer (isolated) topology may be better.
All isolated topologies include atransformer, and thus can produce an output of higher or lower voltage than the input by adjusting the turns ratio.[42][43] For some topologies, multiple windings can be placed on the transformer to produce multiple output voltages.[44] Some converters use the transformer for energy storage, while others use a separate inductor.
| Type[40] | Power [W] | Relative cost | Input range [V] | Energy storage | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flyback | 0–250 | 1.0 | 5–600 | Mutual inductors | Isolated form of the buck–boost converter1 |
| Ringing choke converter (RCC) | 0–150 | 1.0 | 5–600 | Transformer | Low-cost self-oscillating flyback variant[45] |
| Half-forward | 0–250 | 1.2 | 5–500 | Inductor | |
| Forward2 | 100–200 | 60–200 | Inductor | Isolated form of buck converter | |
| Resonant forward | 0–60 | 1.0 | 60–400 | Inductor and capacitor | Single rail input, unregulated output, high efficiency, lowEMI.[46] |
| Push-pull | 100–1,000 | 1.75 | 50–1,000 | Inductor | |
| Half-bridge | 0–2,000 | 1.9 | 50–1,000 | Inductor | |
| Full-bridge | 400–5,000 | >2.0 | 50–1,000 | Inductor | Very efficient use of transformer, used for highest powers |
| Resonant, zero voltage switched | >1,000 | >2.0 | Inductor and capacitor | ||
| IsolatedĆuk | Two capacitors and two inductors |
Chopper controller:The output voltage is coupled to the input thus very tightly controlled
In a quasi-resonant zero-current/zero-voltage switch (ZCS/ZVS) "each switch cycle delivers a quantized 'packet' of energy to the converter output, and switch turn-on and turn-off occurs at zero current and voltage, resulting in an essentially lossless switch."[48] Quasi-resonant switching, also known asvalley switching, reducesEMI in the power supply by two methods:
Higher input voltage and synchronous rectification mode makes the conversion process more efficient. The power consumption of the controller also has to be taken into account. Higher switching frequency allows component sizes to be shrunk, but can produce moreRFI. Aresonant forward converter produces the lowestEMI of any SMPS approach because it uses a soft-switchingresonant waveform compared with conventional hard switching.[citation needed]
SMPSs tend to be temperature sensitive. For every 10-15 °C beyond 25 °C, failure rate doubles.[49] Most failures can be attributed to improper design and poor component selections.[50]
Power supplies with capacitors that have reached the end of their life or suffer from manufacturing defects such as thecapacitor plague will fail eventually. When either the capacitance decreases or theESR increases, the regulator compensates by increasing the switching frequency, thereby subjecting the switching semiconductors to ever greater thermal stress. Eventually the switching semiconductors fail, usually in a conductive manner. For power supplies withoutfail-safe protection, this may subject connected loads to the full input voltage and current, and wild oscillations can occur in the output.[51]
Failure of the switching transistor is common. Due to the large switching voltages this transistor must handle (around325 V for a230 VAC non-power-factor-corrected mains supply, otherwise usually around390 V), these transistors often short out, in turn immediately blowing the main internal power fuse.
Power supplies in consumer products are frequently damaged by lightning strikes on power lines as well as internal short circuits caused by insects attracted to the heat and electrostatic fields. Those events may damage any part of the power supply.
The main filter capacitor will often store up to325 volts long after the input power has been disconnected. Not all power supplies contain a small "bleeder" resistor which slowly discharges the capacitor. Contact with this capacitor can result in a severe electrical shock.
The primary and secondary sides may be connected with a capacitor to reduceEMI and compensate for various capacitive couplings in the converter circuit, where the transformer is one. This may result in electric shock in some cases. The current flowing fromline orneutral through a2 kΩ resistor to any accessible part must, according toIEC 60950, be less than250 μA for IT equipment.[52]
Switched-mode power supply units (PSUs) in domestic products such aspersonal computers often have universal inputs, meaning that they can accept power frommains supplies throughout the world, although a manual voltage range switch may be required. Switch-mode power supplies can tolerate a wide range ofpower frequencies and voltages.
Due to their high volumes of production,mobile phone chargers have always been particularly cost-sensitive. The first chargers werelinear power supplies, but they quickly moved to the cost-effective ringing choke converter (RCC) SMPS topology, when new levels of efficiency were required. Recently, the demand for even lower no-load power requirements in the application has meant that flyback topology is being used more widely; primary side sensing flyback controllers are also helping to cut thebill of materials (BOM) by removing secondary-side sensing components such asoptocouplers.[citation needed]
Switched-mode power supplies are used for DC-to-DC conversion as well. In heavy vehicles that use a nominal24 VDC cranking supply, 12 V for accessories may be furnished through a DC/DC switch-mode supply. This has the advantage over tapping the battery at the 12 V position (using half the cells) that the entire 12 V load is evenly divided between all cells of the 24 V battery. In industrial settings such as telecommunications racks, bulk power may be distributed at a low DC voltage (e.g. from a battery backup system) and individual equipment items will have DC/DC switched-mode converters to supply required voltages.
A common use for switched-mode power supplies is an extra-low-voltage source for lighting. For this application, they are often called "electronic transformers".
The termswitch mode was widely used untilMotorola claimed ownership of the trademark SWITCHMODE for products aimed at the switching-mode power supply market and started to enforce its trademark.[37]Switching-mode power supply,switching power supply, andswitching regulator refer to this type of power supply.[37]
Rod Holt... created the switching power supply that allowed us to do a very lightweight computer.
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