Regulated and unregulated power supplies are two such categories based on the type of output.
Unregulated power supply circuit.
Some called these power supplies that ac adapter.
A regulated power supply rps is an embedded circuit used to convert unregulated alternating current into a stable direct current by using a rectifier.
There are many types of power supplies.
Disadvantages of unregulated power.
What is a regulated power supply.
A regulated dc power supply is also known as a linear power supply it is an embedded circuit and consists of various blocks.
Before we get into the difference between a regulated and unregulated power supply let s first start with understanding exactly what power supply even means.
The output of the transformer is a pulsating sinusoidal ac voltage which is converted to pulsating dc with the help of a rectifier.
The main function of this is to supply a constant voltage to a circuit that should be functioned in a particular power supply limit.
In many of the circuit applications especially the ones using op amps a dual power supply becomes mandatory for enabling the and ground supplies to the circuit.
For a vast number of applications a simple unregulated power supply is sufficient.
And the unregulated power supply circuit design skill is great in electronics learning.
Design of an unregulated power supply.
For example if your circuit is designed to draw 1 amp at 12 volts assume that component tolerances are 20 and design to meet these requirements with at least 20 50 reserve current in this example i would design a power supply which could safely deliver 12 volts at 1 5 amps without overheating.
Both change a high ac voltage from a wall socket into dc low voltage for any electrical appliances.
Table of contents show all what is an unregulated power supply.
This type of power supplies are normally used to supply power to current hungry loads for instance amplifiers control circuits irrigation systems alarm circuit.
In a general sense a power supply is any device that supplies energy power to an electrical circuit.
Key difference regulated vs unregulated power supply generally a power supply is a device or an electrical circuit that gives energy power to another electrical device.
Designing a simple dual power supply actually involves a just a center tap power supply and a bridge rectifier along with a couple of high value filter capacitors as shown below.
The electrical characteristics of any power supply will depend on the circuit or circuits being powered but generally all unregulated power supplies consist of a transformer to step down the ac mains voltage to the required level as well as providing electrical isolation and a diode rectifier to provide an unstabilised output voltage.