This series gives an overview of the possibilities for power-supply design. It will address the basic and commonly used isolated and non-isolated power-supply topologies along with their advantages and disadvantages. Also covered will be electromagnetic interference (EMI) and filtering considerations. This mini tutorial aims to provide a simplified understanding and renewed appreciation for the art of power-supply design.
Most electronic systems require some sort of voltage conversion between the voltage of the energy supply and the voltage of the circuitry that needs to be powered. As batteries lose charge, the voltage will drop. Some dc-dc conversion can ensure that much more of the stored energy in the battery is used to power the circuitry. Furthermore, for example, with a 110-V ac line, we can’t power a semiconductor such as a microcontroller directly.