You are likely using a smartphone, laptop, or personal computer on a daily basis.
These electronic devices use direct current (DC) to work.
The most common power supplies used today are the linear and switching power supply.
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Knowing which one to use for specific applications will keep your electronics safe and working optimally.
Continue reading below for a comparison between linear and switching power supplies.
What Are Linear and Switching Power Supplies?
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Linear and switching power supplies are electrical devices used to power and charge DC electronic devices.
These devices are tasked to do two things: lower voltage and convert AC to DC.
A linear power supply is a machine used in low-noise and precision operations.
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A switching or switch mode power supply (SMPS) is used for high-efficiency and high-current operations.
Although transistors were already mass-produced then, high AC voltages simply produced too much heat for transistors to handle.
Step 3:The pulsating DC voltage signals pass through a filter composed of inductors and capacitors.
The full-bridge rectifier converts AC to pulsating DC, which is then smoothened by a capacitor.
The switching also makes the straight DC current into a square wave.
Linear vs.
Switching Power Supplies
There are different reasons why a power supply is chosen to be used on specific applications.
These would often include efficiency, noise, reliability and reparability, size and weight, and cost.
Depending on how they are rated, switching power supplies can have an efficiency of 80 - 92%.
This means that your machine can output 80 - 92% of the energy youve put into them.
Its efficiency comes from using smaller yet efficient components that regulate voltages through high-frequency low voltage switching.
The amount of signal noise depends on the design and quality of the specific switch mode power supply.
It also didnt help that manufacturing semiconductor components were expensive.
This, in turn, makes many switching power supply designs more cost-effective than linear power supplies.
