AC to DC Power Supplies AC to DC Power
Supplies are electronic devices which convert mains AC
power into DC Power for many different applications. AC to DC
Power Supplies are used for a variety of reasons the main
one being that low voltage DC is often much safer for use on
equipment which will be used by people thus preventing the danger
of electric shock.  DC
Power is also widely used in applications where battery backup
is required, so for example if a radio system needs to continue
functioning in the event of a mains power failure then batteries
are often used as a means of storing the DC power used by the
radio. In these cases the AC to DC Power supply might even be
used to charge the battery and provide power to the system thus
enabling a bumpless transfer to battery power once the mains
disappears.
AC to DC Power Supplies come in many shapes and sizes. In
order to satisfy as many application needs as possible simplypowersupplies.com
offer many different formats including; open frame power supplies,
din rail mounting power supplies, chassis mounting power supplies,
medical power supplies, lump in line power supplies, adaptors,
and 19" rack mountable power supplies. Each format suits
specific applications, so for example a 19" rack mountable
power supply may be used in a hot swap application where two
power supplies run in parallel so that it one fails the second
unit continues to supply the load and the failed unit can be
pulled out of the rack and replaced without the need to turn
off the power. AC to DC Power Supplies are often referred to as Power Supplies,
Power Converters, Rectifiers, AC/DC Converters, or Adaptors,
but they are all perform the same function converting mains power
into safer and more versatile DC AC to DC Power Supplies are continually changing and there
seems to be a continuous drive to make them smaller and more
powerful. The AC to DC Conversion used to be effected by means
or a large linear transformer but in recent years the technology
has changed to Switched Mode devices. These power supplies are
smaller, much lighter, and cost less than Linear Power Supplies,
but they can be considered as noisy in comparison to Linear units
so are still considered unsuitable for more sensitive applications Manufacturing of power supplies has also changed in recent
years. Factories in the west have found it more difficult to
compete with the price of lower cost products made in the far
east and have therefore had to diversify by adding value and
producing more application specific and custom power supplies
which are generally made in lower volumes making them unsuitable
for far east manufacturing plants to consider. AC to DC Power Supplies also form the basis of battery chargers.
Standard power supplies can often be used as float chargers to
charge batteries but with a small degree of voltage control they
can easily be changed into true three stage battery chargers 
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