Power supplies convert electricity from one form to the required form. Such conversions may be done to achieve the right power characteristics in terms of voltage, frequency, and current.
What Power Supplies Do
Usually, every device has a power rating that specifies the power characteristics of the electricity that should power the device.
Failing to adhere to the power rating results in damaged equipment or improper functioning.
Power is usually supplied in a certain form, because it’s easier to transmit that way. Households are supplied with alternating current electricity of around 230 V.
Most electric appliances used at home operate in direct current, and at lower voltages.
For this reason, a power supply will be needed for every appliance, whether in a home or industrial setting.
There are Numerous Types of Power Supplies
There is a wide variety of power conversions that can be made. As a result, there are many types of power supplies.
For example, just by type of current, there can be AC-AC, AC-DC, DC-AC, and DC-DC power converters.
They can also be classified by their packaging, or by their mode of operation. For example, by mode of operation, there are linear and switching power supplies.
There are some industries that need enhanced types of power supplies. Such supplies include medical, ruggedized, and military power supplies.
Let’s briefly take a look at each of these below.
Medical Power Supply
The type of ממיר מתח (power converter) used in hospitals and other medical facilities has to be special, or, in other words, medical-grade.
Medical power solutions have to satisfy a range of requirements. For starters, they should shield the patient from any electronic signals.
In addition, they should have high reliability, meaning that they should have a lower mean-time-between-failure. This is important to reduce the risk of patients losing their lives because of a fault in a power supply.
This reliability means that medical power solutions last longer and have to receive service from the vendor for longer.
In addition, medical power supply units usually take longer to design than normal supplies. The designers also have to work closer with the vendor.
The necessary requirements are embodied in a set of standards that all medical power solutions must adhere to.
Military Power Supplies
The defense industry has unique requirements that make it necessary to have power supplies made especially for the military. Whether used on the shipboard, in the air, or on the ground, a military ממיר מתח (power converter) should meet certain standards.
These requirements are stipulated in the MIL-STD family of standards. It specifies standards for parameters such as testing, electromagnetic interference, durability, and endurance in terms of shock and vibration.
These standards ensure that power supplies used in the military can withstand the harsh conditions of battlefields and that they are highly reliable. No military commander wants to lose a battle because the power supply in one of the radios failed.
The power supplies are taken through rigorous testing procedures. They have to be subjected to the conditions that they are expected to be used in.
This way, problems are identified and resolved way before the power supplies are ever used.
Ruggedized Power Supplies
In some industries, electrical equipment is subjected to harsh environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures.
Such power supplies need to be durable. It would be unsustainable to keep replacing them. As a result, using normal power supplies is not an option. This is where ruggedized power supplies come in handy.
These are power supplies that have been enhanced to ensure increased reliability and durability, enabling them to maintain optimal performance even in harsh conditions.
