Switching Power Supply

What Is a Switching DC Power Supply?

A switching dc power supply, also known as a switch mode dc power supply, uses semiconductor chips to turn on and off the AC voltage very rapidly to change the output dc voltage, hence the name switching. A switching power supply is typically very efficient in energy use, and is more compact and weighs less than a linear power supply with a similar output. Volteq switching power supplies are designed to have very clean dc output and long life through over-voltage protection.

What Does a Switching DC Power Supply Do?

While switching power supplies are used as dc power source in alll kinds of electronic equipments like computuers, home electronics, and telecommunications equipements as components, the adjustable switching power supplies that we make are general purpose, standalone power sources that are used where a user demands higher power, better control, and more flexibility. Typical appliations indlude:

general purpose use including R&D, manufacturing and testing
high power / high current applications
communications systems, mobile stations, network equipments, etc.
electroplating, anodizing, electroforming, electrophoresis, etc.
Battery charging for Lithium Polymer (LiPo), Lithium Ion, Lithium Manganese, NiCd, NiMH, Lead Acid batteries (Flooded, Gel, AGM, SLA), etc.
electrolysis, waste treatment, hydrogen generator, fuel cell applications, etc.
DC motors, slot cars, aviation and marine applications, etc.

Why is a power supply called a Switching DC Power Supply?

A switching dc power supply uses semiconductor switching technologies such as MOSFETs and IGBT that operates in the 100KHz range as a critical part of design. As such, the power supply is called a switching power supply, a switch mode power supply, or sometimes simply as a switcher.

How to select a dc power supply for my application?