What is power Supply? Basic introduction of power supply:

A power supply is an electrical device that offers electric power to an electrical load such as laptop computer, server, or other electronic devices. The main function of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, current, and frequency to power the load. It could be AC to DC or DC to DC. Consequently, power supplies are sometimes regarded as electric power converters. Some power supplies are standalone and separated from equipment to be external power supplies and others inside the device to be the internal power supplies.

Every power supply has a power input connection, which gets energy from a source, and single or multiple power output connections that transmit current to the electrical load.

The power source could be from the electric power grid, which generally provides AC, such as an electrical outlet and energy storage devices, which commonly offer DC, such as solar power devices, batteries, generators, or another power supply.

General Classification of Power Supply:

Power supplies could be categorized in several ways such as packaging, function, power conversion method.

Here are AC-DC power supplies categorized by packaging:

• Wall-mount adapter:

It is external power supply. In this category, the AC plug is either fixed or interchangeable. In addition, the type of DC jack is various.

• Desktop adapter:

It is external power supply. In this category, the AC inlet could be Class II or Class I (with ground). In addition, the type of DC jack is various.

• Open-frame power supply

It is internal power supply. In this category, you may find PCB mountable type (pin) and wafer type (connector).

• Encapsulated power supply

According to application, it could be either internal or external power supply. In this category, you may find PCB mountable type (pin) and wire type.

• Enclosed power supply

It is internal power supply. In this category, you may find the power supply with metal cover.

• Din-rail power supply

It is internal power supply. In this category, you may find the power supply with metal cover and screw terminal.

In addition, according to features, power supplies could be regulated power supplies, unregulated power supplies, adjustable power supplies, adjustable regulated power supplies, isolated power supplies or non-isolated power supplies.

Moreover, power supplies could be roughly divided to linear and switching mode types. The design concept of linear power supplies has longer history and is not fit into the recent trend of product design, which is minimizing the product.

Check Cincon’s AC-DC power supply page to see what we have.

More Types of AC-DC Power Supplies:

• Programmable power supply

It’s able to have remote control its operation via either digital interface or analog input. The properties that could be set on a programmable power may include voltage, current, and in the case of AC output power supplies, frequency.

Programmable power supplies typically use an essential microcomputer to control and monitor power supply daily operation by using private or standard protocols via a user interface.

• Uninterruptible power supply

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) receives and store its power from two or more power sources simultaneously. It is mainly powered directly from the AC mains and charges a storage battery simultaneously.

• High-voltage power supply

A high-voltage power supply provides a very high output voltage which could be hundreds or thousands of volts. This kind of high voltage power supply uses a special output connector to prevent arcing, insulation breakdown and accidental human contact. Federal Standard connectors are usually used for applications more than 20 kV, and other types of connectors may be used at lower voltages. Some high-voltage power supplies have an analog input or digital communication interface to control the output voltage.