The first step to learning about POWER SUPPLIES ICs! | ① Do you know everything? Types and methods of POWER SUPPLIES ICs | NEXTY Electronics, an electronic components and semiconductor trading company

Types of POWER SUPPLIES ICs

To operate an electrical appliance, it needs a voltage that is appropriate for that appliance.
A device that has the function of stably converting a certain voltage into the required voltage is called POWER SUPPLIES IC.
POWER SUPPLIES ICs can be broadly divided into two types: "linear regulators" and "SWITCHES regulators," as shown in the diagram below.

Furthermore, there are two types of linear regulators: "series regulators" and "shunt regulators," but both can only step down (lower voltage).
On the other hand, there are many types of SWITCHES regulators, and depending on the type, they can not only step down, but also step up (increase the voltage), step-up/step-down (increase and decrease the voltage), and invert (make the voltage negative).

Comparison of Series Regulators and SWITCHES Regulators

When designing POWER SUPPLIES, the first thing you need to consider is whether to choose a series regulator or a SWITCHES regulator.
The table below compares important aspects of POWER SUPPLIES supplies between series regulators and SWITCHES regulators.

Basically, we consider whether a linear regulator with a small number of components, simple design, and low cost can be used.
The disadvantages of linear regulators are that they generally have low efficiency and cannot be used at high load currents.
If these drawbacks are unacceptable, consider using a SWITCHES regulator.
The advantage of SWITCHES regulators is their high efficiency of around 95%, although this depends on the type.
However, efficiency fluctuates depending on the magnitude of the load current, and especially at light loads (small load currents), efficiency drops significantly.
Each POWER SUPPLIES manufacturer is implementing various measures to improve efficiency under light loads.
The data sheet usually includes an efficiency curve that corresponds to the load current, so you can use this as a reference when considering whether or not to use it.

It is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each method and choose the one that best suits your purpose.

	linear regulator	SWITCHES regulator
Operation Mode	Step-down only	blood pressure reduction Boost Buck-boost Invert
efficiency	△ * Input voltage and output voltage If the difference is small High efficiency	〇 *Light load (small output current) In this case, efficiency deteriorates
Load current (output current)	△	〇
Circuit area	〇 ※Heat sink In case of required power, Get bigger	△
Output Noise/Ripple	〇	△
Number of parts	〇	△
Total Cost	〇	△
Design difficulty level	〇	△

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The first step to learning about POWER SUPPLIES ICs! | ① Do you know everything? Types and methods of POWER SUPPLIES ICs

Types of POWER SUPPLIES ICs

Comparison of Series Regulators and SWITCHES Regulators

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