Stabilized power source: advantages and disadvantages

With the invention of the zener diode, there is an excellent opportunity to stabilize the alternating voltage. This is necessary for the normal operation of many household devices. The modern stabilized power supply has good output characteristics and is used in almost all electronics circuits. It can be found in tape recorders, televisions, chargers, computers, etc.

A lot depends on the quality nutrition of the scheme. This is primarily the stability of the entire device. In addition to household appliances, a stabilized power source is widely used in production. With its help, power circuits are implemented electronics, which is involved in the management of technological processes. The quality of DC power sources is subject to special requirements, since the normal operation of the entire process line depends on their operation.

Usually stabilizers of alternating voltage have in their composition a parametric stabilizer, which is an ordinary voltage divider, in one arm of which a zener diode is included. This circuit is so simple and reliable in operation that its use in electronics has become a good tone when designing various devices.

The non-linear characteristic of the zener diode allows the control voltage to be generated, which is fed to the amplifier stage based on the transistor. At the output of the device, electrolytic capacitors are usually placed. Their task is to straighten the stabilized voltage. Such a circuit has very good characteristics, pulsations at the output do not exceed one percent. The merits also can be attributed to the low level of radiated interference. But such a stabilized power source also has its drawbacks. This is a low efficiency and large dimensions, as it uses a power step-down transformer.

Attempts to correct these shortcomings led to the creation of devices in which the impulse conversion principle is implemented. The work of such sources is based on rectifying the AC voltage and converting it into a pulsed frequency of up to 1000 Hz and higher. Its transformation can be carried out with the help of small-sized transformers. This led to a reduction in overall dimensions and an increase in the efficiency of the device.

Then the voltage is stabilized and smoothed by capacitors. Such a stabilized power source has a high efficiency and small dimensions. But it has a high level of interference at the output. Their use is advisable in household devices, where such a parameter, as dimensions, is of great importance. Pulse sources have proven themselves and are used in TVs, computers, laptops, etc.

To organize a home laboratory it is useful to buy or produce a self-stabilized power supply. It will help in setting up the circuits and initial supply of the necessary voltage. Such blocks are widely used in laboratories in production, they can repair old ones or create new electronic devices.