Electronics
Electronics ->> POWER SUPPLY CIRCUITS Most electronic equipment requires DC voltages for its operation. These can be provided by batteries (see Battery) or by internal power supplies that convert alternating current as available at the home electric outlet, into regulated DC voltages. The first element in an internal DC power supply is a transformer, which steps up or steps down the input voltage to a level suitable for the operation of the equipment. A secondary function of the transformer is to provide electrical ground insulation of the device from the power line to reduce potential shock hazards. The transformer is then followed by a rectifier, normally a diode. In the past, vacuum diodes and a wide variety of different materials such as germanium crystals or cadmium sulfide were employed in the low-power rectifiers used in electronic equipment. Today silicon rectifiers are used almost exclusively because of their low cost and their high reliability. Fluctuations and ripples ...