The diagram shows how the diodes are connected to the transformer. Using a couple of diodes for making a power supply requires a transformer having a center tapped secondary winding. However the above configuration cannot be considered an efficient power supply design due to its crude half wave rectification and limited output conditioning capabilities. The above compensation act done by the capacitors stored energy helps to maintain a clean and ripple free DC output which wouldn't be possible just by the diodes alone.įor a single diode power supply design, the transformer's secondary winding just needs to have a single winding with two ends. Since a single diode will rectify only one half cycle of the AC signal, this type of configuration requires a large output filter capacitor for compensating the above limitation.Ī filter capacitor makes sure that after rectification, at the falling or decreasing sections of the resultant DC pattern, where the voltage tends to dip, these sections are filled and topped by the stored energy inside the capacitor. The most basic and crude form of power supply design is the one which uses a single diode and a capacitor. You may also want to learn how to design a bench power supply
The low stepped down voltage available at the secondary of the transformer is used for the intended application in electronic circuits, however before this secondary voltage can be used, it needs to be first rectified, meaning the voltage needs to be made into a DC first.įor example if the transfornmer secondary is rated at 12 volts then the acquired 12 volts from the transformer secondary will be a 12 volt AC acros the relevant wires.Įlectronic circuit can never work with ACs and therefore this voltage should be transformed into a DC.Ī diode is one device which effectively converts an AC to DC, there are three configurations through which basic power supply designs may be configured. Mains 220v or 120v is fed to the primary winding which is transferred to the secondary winding to produce a lower induced voltage there. Let's begin and learn how to design a power supply circuit, a simplest one first, probably for the noobs who would find this information extremely useful.Ī basic power supply circuit will fundamentally require three main components for providing the intended results.Ī transformer, a diode and a capacitor.The transformer is the device which has two sets of windings, one primary and the other one is the secondary. If this equipment is so important, it becomes imperative for all in the field to learn all the nitty-gritties of this important member of the electronic family.
This is because no electronics can run without power, to be precise a low voltage DC power, and a power supply unit is a device which is specifically meant for fulfilling this purpose. Whether it's an electronic noob or an expert engineer, all require this indispensable piece of equipment called the power supply unit.