Switching Power Overview
All embedded engineers are aware of this principle- you can’t change anything in the power supply without affecting some function or parameter at some point, either inadvertently or voluntarily. This is where switching power conversion comes in.
Many embedded engineers consider the realm of switching power, ‘difficult’ to work with and rightly so. It is like being asked to fix a broken power supply without changing anything. Switched mode power supplies include DC to AC converters and DC to DC converters.
The power convertors in switching mode regulators have a continuously variable function. So the voltage difference in the power supply does not affect the efficiency of the switched mode power supply by much, unlike in linear supplies. Moreover, SMPS regulators are always operated in saturation or cut-off mode.
Another major feature of SMPS power supplies is, the need for large power transformers and magnetic elements in power is done away with. The result is a lighter and smaller package and a lower manufacturing cost, mostly because of the reduction of 50 Hz parts.
The problem is most switched mode power supply units are catalog. If you have a specific requirement, these SMPS units won’t serve your need. For this, you need a custom power supply.
