What is the difference between switching power supply and ordinary power supply?

The power regulator of linear power supply always works in the amplification area, and the current flowing through it is continuous. Due to the large power loss on the regulating tube, the regulating tube with large power is required and equipped with a large radiator. The heating is serious and the power is very low, generally 40%~60% (also a good linear power supply).

The operation method of linear power supply makes it necessary to have a voltage converter from high voltage to low voltage, which is generally a transformer. There are also other power supplies like KX, which output DC voltage through rectification. In this way, the volume is also large, relatively bulky, low power, and large heat; But there are also advantages: small ripple, good adjustment rate, small external interference, suitable for use with analog circuits/various amplifiers, etc.

The power components of the switching power supply operate in the switching state. When the voltage is adjusted, the energy is temporarily stored through the inductance coil, so that the loss is small, the power is high, and the requirements for heat dissipation are low. But it also has higher requirements for transformers and energy storage inductors, which should be made of materials with low loss and high permeability. Its transformer is a small word. The total power is 80%~98%. The switching power supply is high in power but small in size. However, compared with the linear power supply, it has a certain discount in the voltage and current regulation rate.