Today almost every electronic device needs a DC supply for its smooth operation and they need to be operated within certain power supply limits. This required DC voltage or DC supply is derived from single phase ac mains.
A regulated power supply can convert unregulated an AC (alternating current or voltage) to a constant DC (direct current or voltage). A regulated power supply is used to ensure that the output remains constant even if the input changes. A regulated DC power supply is also called as a linear power supply, it is an embedded circuit and consists of various blocks.
The regulated power supply will accept an AC input and give a constant DC output. Figure below shows the block diagram of a typical regulated DC power supply
The basic building blocks of a regulated DC power supply are as follows:
- A step down transformer
- A rectifier
- A DC filter
- A regulator