SMPS
Switch Mode Power Supply
Power supplies are used in almost every electrical/electronic
application to provide sufficient current at a required voltage.
There are two main types of power supplies: linear and
switched-mode.
A switched mode power supply (also known as switching power
supply, SMPS, switcher) is an electronic power supply device that
converts electrical power from one voltage to another efficiently.
Typically, SMPS is used to transfer power from a DC/AC source
to a DC load.
Laptops do use SMPS as power supply and it's called
Power Brick .
Power Brick is a compact form of the power supplies
used in desktop PC. Unlike desktop power supply,
laptop power supplies don't need to be powerful. A
65W power supply is enough for a laptop.
Switch Mode Power Supply Working
Principle
The diagram above outlines how the SMPS
operates. An SMPS’s functionality is more
complex than that of a linear regulator, but
we can break it down into five stages:
1. In the first stage, the incoming AC power
runs through a rectifier and undergoes
filtration to produce DC
2. The SMPS works at high frequencies, so a
high-frequency switch processes the DC
signal, which creates a high-frequency
pulsating DC signal
3. The power transformer steps down the
high-voltage DC signal to a DC signal of the
appropriate level
4. The stepped-down DC signal is rectified
and filtered to a achieve a steady, constant
DV output
5. The control circuitry monitors the output
voltage and adjusts the high-frequency
switch on-the-fly to ensure a continuous
output stream of the desired voltage
A switched-mode power supply consists of a
complex circuit that contains a series of
power electronic sub circuits to efficiently
convert the power from one voltage to
another.
A typical SMPS has the following block
diagram with these key sub sections:
Input stage
Switching stage
Output stage
Control Circuit
Components and circuits inside SMPS :
Input Stage :
The power input stage generally consists of
a full or half-bridge rectifier circuit that
takes AC power as input and outputs a
filtered DC output of the same voltage. For
example, this stage can convert 110V AC to
110V DC. This stage also contains additional
LC filters (inductor and capacitor) to further
remove any ripples from the input power.
High-Frequency Switch
This is the most critical stage of the power supply.
Typically, a SMPS has a power MOSFET (one or
more) as the main switching device. A PWM signal
rapidly turns on and off the MOSFET to act as a
switch. This converts the smoothened DC voltage
from the input stage into a high-frequency square
wave. The switching device works in continuous
conduction mode in most supplies to achieve
better conversion efficiency.
This oscillating supply is fed into a power
transformer, which steps down or up the voltage
according to the primary and secondary winding
ratio. Some power supplies have multiple windings
for feedback purposes and for obtaining multiple
output voltages.
Output Stage
The output from the power transformer is also an
oscillating waveform, which gets further filtered by the
output stage. This stage also contains similar filters to
the input stage, but are able to handle more current at
lower voltages. This is the final stage of the circuit and
outputs the power to the connected load.
Control Circuitry
The switching device (transistor or MOSFET) needs to
rapidly turn on and off to generate the square wave
needed to feed the power transformer using a PWM
signal. This PWM signal has both a frequency and a
duty cycle. The duty cycle is the ratio between the on-
time and the total time per cycle. The output voltage
of the SMPS can be controlled by increasing or
decreasing the duty cycle of the PWM signal fed to the
transistor.
MOSFETs are electronic devices used to
switch or amplify voltages in circuits.
Duty cycle is the ratio of time a load or
circuit is ON compared to the time the load
or circuit is OFF.
PWM, is a digital on/off signal that pulses up
and down at various frequency rates and
duty cycles. The frequency rate is a measure
of how often the pulse repeats and is
generally expressed as "hertz" or cycles per
second.
When a load is connected, it starts drawing
current, and the output voltage of the SMPS
drops. At this moment, a separate circuit
needs to be in alert to monitor the output
voltage and as it drops, needs to increase
the PWM signal duty cycle.
Similarly, when a load is disconnected, the
feedback circuit decreases the duty cycle to
maintain the desired output voltage.
An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or
reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical
component that stores energy in a magnetic
field when electric current flows through it. An
inductor typically consists of an insulated wire
wound into a coil.
Types of SMPS:
D.C. to D.C. Converter:
Forward Converter:
Flyback Converter:
Self-Oscillating Flyback Converter
Buck smps
It is one of the most common and simplest
topologies. It is ideally used as a DC to DC
converter to step down the DC voltage.
High efficiency and high power levels can
be achieved through it. But a disadvantage
of this converter is that the input current is
discontinuous.
D.C. to D.C. Converter:
Forward Converter
FLYBACK SMPS
This topology is isolated by using a
transformer in the circuit. The circuit is
similar to the buck boost circuit.
One main advantage of this topology is that
there is no need of a separate inductor, the
transformer itself behaves as an inductor. It
has a simple circuitry which makes it cost
effective and easy to use.
Flyback Converters
UPS(uninterruptible power supply)
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a
device that allows a computer to keep running
for at least a short time when incoming power
is interrupted.
As long as utility power is flowing, it also
replenishes and maintains the energy storage.
The more energy stored, the longer power can
be maintained, with practical limitations that
will be discussed later.
The differences among UPS systems lies in the
technology that enables them to do their jobs.
Selecting a UPS for your particular
application requires an examination of a
number of factors.
The load size, location and criticality of the
equipment to be protected are key, as well
budgetary considerations, when choosing a
UPS for power backup.
The three major types of UPS system
configurations are offline (also called
standby and battery backup),online
double conversion and line-
interactive .These UPS systems are
defined by how power moves through the
unit.
STANDBY UPS
Standby UPS, also called offline UPS or
battery backup, is a cost-effective choice.
The key to offline UPS quality is the range of
power the unit will except before switching to
battery backup. The wider the range, the less
drain on the battery and the more backup
time available when the power shuts off. The
more times the UPS switches to battery
backup, the shorter the battery life.
An offline UPS system passes utility AC power
straight through the unit, past a transfer
switch, to the output point where the
protected load is connected.
When an input power failure happens, the built-
in battery and the inverter, which converts the
battery’s DC power to AC, are activated and
connected to the output by the transfer switch.
There is generally about a 6-8 millisecond break
in power when transferring to battery back-up.
During power outage, it provides enough
runtime to save work in process and complete
an orderly shutdown of equipment.
This technology is best suited for devices under
1500VA such as small offices, personal home
computers and other less critical applications.
Offline UPS is a good option for those requiring
lower power capacity and cost.
LINE INTERACTIVE
Line-interactive UPS systems provide both
power conditioning and battery backup. This
technology is particularly effective in areas
where outages are rare, but power
fluctuations are common.
The critical advantage of line-interactive
UPS is the voltage boost circuitry and the
range of input voltage that that UPS
accepts. The wider the range, the more
total protection you will have.
Line-interactive UPS technology provides
power conditioning with a 4-6 millisecond
break in power when transferring to battery
back-up and protects against the most
common power problems experienced in a
network.
Line-interactive UPS systems are typically
used in rackmount applications below
5000VA.
Online Double Conversion
AC power is stable and clean upon
generation. But during transmission and
distribution, it is subject to voltage sags,
spikes and complete failure that may
interrupt computer operations, cause data
loss and damage equipment.
When it comes to safeguarding critical IT
loads, only online double conversion
technology protects fully against all these
power problems, providing the highest
levels of security for networks.
An online UPS system is usually called double
conversion as well because incoming power is
converted to direct current (DC) and then
converted back to AC.
The online UPS takes the incoming AC power
supply and converts it to DC using a rectifier to
feed the battery and the connected load via the
inverter so that no power transfer switches are
necessary. If the main AC input fails, the
rectifier drops out of the circuit and the
batteries keep the power flowing to the device
connected to the UPS. When AC input power is
restored, the rectifier resumes carrying most of
the load and begins charging the batteries.
This means the quality of power from online
UPS is significantly better than that of other
technologies.
Online double conversion is the most
common UPS mode of operation used for
protecting large data centers by providing
the highest level of power quality to the
load always.
