Electrical Power Supply Types and their Uses, Applications

Hey, today we are going to know about Electrical Power Supply Types. Here you will find different types of power supply and their applications and uses.
There are different types of electrical and electronic circuits we use to perform different types of tasks. All of them do not use the same nature of the power supply. Mostly electronics circuits are needed for different types of power supply.

The main two types of Power Supply

According to the polarity of the voltage and direction of current their two types of power supply, one is AC Power Supply and another is DC Power Supply.

AC Power Supply

AC or Alternating Current has no polarity. Its polarity changes with time according to its frequency. In an AC power supply, the magnitude and direction of the current also change with time.

Source of AC Power Supply: The main source of the AC power supply is the alternator which is an electrical machine that can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in the form of alternating nature.

AC Power Supply Uses: AC power supply with a standard voltage and frequency is mainly used to operate electrical appliances such as electrical motors, electrical fans, Air Conditioners, pumps, refrigerators, etc.

DC Power Supply

DC power supply has fixed polarity. In a DC power supply, the magnitude and direction of the current do not change with time. DC has no power factor and no frequency.

Source of DC Power Supply: The sources of DC power supply are Batteries, Solar panels, etc. Also, we can convert AC into DC using the rectifier circuit.

DC Power Supply Applications: Electronic circuits and devices mostly use DC power supply such as Computers, Printers, Televisions, Music players, etc.

Read Also: The main important difference between AC and DC-Full explanation

Other Types of Power Supply

Depending upon the voltage, current limit, Size of the circuit, efficiency, and noise, there are different types of electrical power supply we are designed according to our requirements. Some important types of electrical power supply are explained below.

Transformerless Power Supply

The transformerless power supply has no transformer for voltage step-down purposes that's why it is called a transformerless power supply. Here a series capacitor is used to step down the 230V AC supply to our required voltage level. The series capacitor drops the voltage. Here a bridge rectifier circuit using PN junction diodes is used to convert AC into DC.
Here you can see the circuit diagram of transformerless power supply,

Applications of Transformerless Power Supply: Transformerless power supply is generally used in low-cost electronic devices such as rechargeable lights, DC fans, Music systems, etc.

Advantages of Transformerless Power Supply: The transformerless power supply is very small in size, low cost. It can give up to 80% efficiency.

Read Also: Why Transformerless Power Supply not Safe?

Switched Mode Power Supply(SMPS)

Switched Mode Power Supply or SMPS is an electronic power supply where, semiconductor devices such as MOSFET, and IGBT converts the AC to DC or DC to AC by a high-speed switching mechanism.
In an SMPS, the Pulse Width Modulation(PWM) technique is used for high-speed switching purposes.
By varying the duty cycle, the output voltage can be changed according to our requirements.
Here you can see the block diagram of Switched Mode Power Supply,

Applications of Switched Mode Power Supply: Switched Mode Power Supply is used in electronic devices or circuits where more than one power supply is required. For example, in a computer, different circuits are there, and they take different voltages and currents. So SMPS provides power to them at different voltages and currents as required.

Advantages of Switched Mode Power Supply: Switched Mode Power Supply dissipates very low power, in fact, an ideal SMPS circuit dissipates no power. It also has high efficiency, very good voltage regulation, lighter weight, etc.

Read Also: Why Resistance of a Winding or Coil always measured with DC not AC?

Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS)

An Uninterruptible Power Supply is an electrical power supply that is designed to provide power to a load during emergency purposes or when the main input power supply fails. This power supply system uses electrical energy storage devices such as batteries, and supercapacitors to store electrical energy.
Here you can see the block diagram of the Uninterruptible Power Supply,

Applications of Uninterruptible Power Supply: UPS power supply system is used where continuous power supply is needed such as Computers, Servers, Electronic testing machinery, telecommunication equipment, etc.

Read Also: Proper UPS Connection with Loads, Inverter, Computer at Home

Regulated Power Supply

Regulated Power Supply(RPS) is an electronic circuit that is designed for variable loads to deliver stable direct current and keep the constant voltage across the load.
Regulated Power Supply circuits always keep the constant voltage across the load by changing the input current.

Applications of Regulated Power Supply: Regulated power supply is generally used in amplifier circuits, oscillator circuits, DC motors, etc.

Linear Power Supply

Linear Power Supply is an electronic circuit that is designed to convert a variable DC Supply into a constant DC supply. It takes a variable DC supply in input and provides a stable DC supply in output. Linear Power supply circuit has a current limiting function also.

Application of Linear Power Supply: Linear Power Supply is mainly used to provide power to electronic ICs.


Read Also:

• Inverter connection diagram. Install Inverter and Battery at Home.
• Bipolar Output Full Wave Bridge Rectifier with Center Tapped Transformer.

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