Making Sure That Power Supply Meets Requirements
Most embedded engineers feel they know power supplies well. Power supplies are thought off as simple instruments because they are one function, DC instruments which give a controlled voltage.
However, there is much more to them than meets the eye. For example, if you want an instrument with many isolated circuits, the power supply you’ve chosen should not reduce the isolation. Your best bet against this, is a custom power supply.
You also have to worry about noise. If the circuit is working at a low voltage output or if the circuit is using or measuring low currents then external noise can be problematic. The power supply itself can cause noise.
Here, you can benefit from a linear power supply as opposed to a switching power supply. But there is a tradeoff. Linear power supplies have low power conversion efficiencies and they are quite large and heavy.
On the opposite end, switching power supplies have higher power conversion efficiencies and they can hold higher output power in a small space. Here too, a custom power supply can come to your rescue.
Embedded engineers must not shy away from experimenting and modifying circuit designs. This is the way to come up with suitable custom power supplies.
