SMPS and linear power supply comparison

There are two main types of regulated power supplies available: SMPS and linear. The
reasons for choosing one type or the other can be summarized as:
Comparison of a Linear power supply and a switched-mode power supply
Linear power supply Switching power supply Notes
A transformer's power
handling capacity of given
If a transformer is used, size and weight increases
Size large due to low operating Smaller due to higher with frequency provided that
and frequency (mains power operating frequency (typically hysteresis losses can be kept
weight frequency is at 50 or 60 Hz). 50 kHz - 1 MHz) down. Therefore, higher
Small if transformerless. operating frequency means
either higher capacity or
smaller transformer.
With transformer used, any
voltages available; if A SMPS can usually cope
Output transformerless, not Any voltages available. with wider variation of input
voltage exceeding input. If Voltage varies little with load. before the output voltage
unregulated, voltage varies changes.
significantly with load.
The only heat generated is in
the non-ideal aspects of the
components. Switching
losses in the transistors, on-
resistance of the switching
If regulated, output voltage
Efficie transistors, equivalent series
is regulated by dissipating Output is regulated using duty
ncy, resistance in the inductor
excess power as heat cycle control, which draws
heat, and capacitors, core losses in
resulting in a typical only the power required by the
and the inductor, and rectifier
efficiency of 30-40%[1]; if load. In all SMPS topologies,
power voltage drop contribute to a
unregulated, transformer the transistors are always
dissipa typical efficiency of 60-
iron and copper losses switched fully on or fully off.
tion 70%. However, by
significant.
optimizing SMPS design,
the amount of power loss
and heat can be minimized;
a good design can have an
efficiency of 95%.
Compl Unregulated may be diode Consists of a controller IC, Multiple voltages can be
exity and capacitor; regulated has one or several power generated by one
a voltage regulating IC or transistors and diodes as well transformer core. For this
discrete circuit and a noise as a power transformer, SMPSs have to use duty

filtering capacitor.
Mild high-frequency
interference may be
generated by AC rectifier
Radio diodes under heavy current
freque loading, while most other
ncy supply types produce no
interfer high-frequency interference.
ence Some mains hum induction
into unshielded cables,
problematical for low-signal
audio.
Unregulated PSUs may have
a little AC ripple
Electro
superimposed upon the DC
nic Noisier due to the switching
component at twice mains
noise frequency of the SMPS. An
frequency (100-120 Hz).
at the unfiltered output may cause
Can cause audible mains
output glitches in digital circuits or
hum in audio equipment or
termin noise in audio circuits.
brightness ripples or banded
als
distortions in analog
security cameras.
Electro Causes harmonic distortion
nic to the input AC, but
noise relatively little or no high
at the frequency noise.
inductors, and filter
capacitors.
EMI/RFI produced due to the
current being switched on and
off sharply. Therefore, EMI
filters and RF shielding are
needed to reduce the
disruptive interference.
Very low cost SMPS may
couple electrical switching
noise back onto the mains
power line, causing
cycle control. One of the
outputs has to be chosen to
feed the voltage regulation
feedback loop (Usually 3.3
V or 5 V loads are more
fussy about their supply
voltages than the 12 V loads,
so this drives the decision as
to which feeds the feedback
loop. The other outputs
usually track the regulated
one pretty well). Both need a
careful selection of their
transformers. Due to the
high operating frequencies
in SMPSs, the stray
inductance and capacitance
of the printed circuit board
traces become important.
Long wires between the
components may reduce the
high frequency filter
efficiency provided by the
capacitors at the inlet and
outlet.
This can be suppressed with
capacitors and other filtering
circuitry in the output stage.
With a switched mode PSU
the switching frequency can
be chosen to keep the noise
out of the circuits working
frequency band (e.g. for
audio systems above the
range of human hearing)
This can be prevented if a
(properly earthed) EMI/RFI
filter is connected between
the input terminals and the
 interference with A/V
input equipment connected to the
termin same phase. Non power- bridge rectifier.
als factor-corrected SMPSs also
cause harmonic distortion.
Faint, usually inaudible
The operating frequency of
Acoust mains hum, usually due to Inaudible to humans, unless
an unloaded SMPS is
ic vibration of windings in the they have a fan or are
sometimes in the audible
noise transformer and/or unloaded/malfunctioning.
human range.
magnetostriction.
Active/Passive power factor
correction in the SMPS can
Low for a regulated supply Ranging from low to medium
offset this problem and are
Power because current is drawn since a simple SMPS without
even required by some
factor from the mains at the peaks PFC draws current spikes at
electric regulation
of the voltage sinusoid. the peaks of the AC sinusoid.
authorities, particularly in
Europe.
Due to regulations
concerning EMI/RFI
radiation, many SMPS
contain EMI/RFI filtering at
the input stage before the
bridge rectifier consisting of
Supplies with transformers
capacitors and inductors.
allow metalwork to be
Two capacitors are
grounded, safely. Dangerous
connected in series with the
if primary/secondary Common rail of equipment
Live and Neutral rails with
insulation breaks down, (including casing) is energised
the Earth connection in
Risk of unlikely with reasonable to half mains voltage, but at
between the two capacitors.
electric design. Transformerless high impedance, unless
This forms a capacitive
shock mains-operated supply equipment is earthed/grounded
divider that energises the
dangerous. In both linear or doesn't contain EMI/RFI
common rail at half mains
and SM the mains, and filtering at the input terminals.
voltage. Its high impedance
possibly the output voltages,
current source can provide a
are hazardous and must be
tingling or a 'bite' to the
well-isolated.
operator or can be exploited
to light an Earth Fault LED.
However, this current may
cause nuisance tripping on
the most sensitive residual-
current devices.
Risk of Very low, unless a short Can fail so as to make output The floating voltage is
equipm occurs between the primary voltage very high. Can in caused by capacitors

ent and secondary windings or transistor's gain to drop and
damag the regulator fails by
e shorting internally.
some cases destroy input
stages in amplifiers if floating
bridging the primary and
voltage exceeds transistor
secondary sides of the power
base-emitter breakdown
supply. A connection to an
voltage, causing the
earthed equipment will
cause a momentary (and
noise levels to increase.[2]
potentially destructive) spike
Mitigated by good failsafe
in current at the connector as
design. Failure of a
the voltage at the secondary
component in the SMPS itself
side of the capacitor
can cause further damage to
equalises to earth potential.
other PSU components; can be
difficult to troubleshoot.

Applications
Switched mode mobile phone charger
Switched-mode PSUs in domestic products such as personal computers often have
universal inputs, meaning that they can accept power from most mains supplies
throughout the world, with rated frequencies from 50 Hz to 60 Hz and voltages from 100
V to 240 V (although a manual voltage range switch may be required). In practice they
will operate from a much wider frequency range and often from a DC supply as well. In
2006, at an Intel Developers Forum, Google engineers proposed the use of a single 12 V
supply inside PCs, due to the high efficiency of switch mode supplies directly on the
PCB.[10]
Most modern desktop and laptop computers already have a DC-DC converter on the
motherboard, to step down the voltage from the power supply or the battery to the CPU
core voltage, as low as 0.8 V for a low voltage CPU to 1.2-1.5 V for a desktop CPU as of
2007. Most laptop computers also have a DC-AC converter to step up the voltage from
the battery to drive the backlight in the flat-screen, typically around 1000 Vrms.[11]
Due to their high volumes mobile phone chargers have always been particularly cost
sensitive. The first chargers were linear power supplies but they quickly moved to the
cost effective Ringing Choke Converter (RCC) SMPS topology, when new levels of
efficiency were required. Recently the demand for even lower no load power
requirements in the application has meant that flyback topology is being used more
widely; primary side sensing flyback controllers are also helping to cut the bill of
material (BOM) by removing secondary-side sensing components such as optocouplers.

Why Use a Switching Regulator?

Switching regulators offer three main advantages compared to a linear regulators. First,
switching efficiency can be much better than linear. Second, because less energy is lost in
the transfer, smaller components and less thermal management are required. Third, the
energy stored by an inductor in a switching regulator can be transformed to output
voltages that can be greater than the input (boost), negative (inverter), or can even be
transferred through a transformer to provide electrical isolation with respect to the input
Linear regulators provide lower noise and higher bandwidth; their simplicity can
sometimes offer a less expensive solution.
There are, admittedly, disadvantages with switching regulators. They can be noisy and
require energy management in the form of a control loop. Fortunately the solution to
these control problems is found integrated in modern switching-mode controller chips.