Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

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Power Supply (SMPS)

By Ashutosh Bhatt

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QUESTION?
Engineers are familiar with the term Switched Mode Power Supply
or SMPS. Once it is understood that what SMPS actually is, its
countless applications can be easily imagined. Have a technical
An SMPS is used for converting the electronic power supply question about an
efficiently. It is used to supply power to sensitive devices that article or other
require stable power supply with high efficiency. Any SMPS has engineering
some storage components which store electrical energy to supply questions? Check
to the load device and some switching components which turn on

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Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

and off at high frequencies charging and discharging the storage out our engineering
components. forums
The power is supplied to the load device by discharge of the EDABoard.com and
storage component when the switching component is in non- Electro-Tech-
conduction state. The use of switching regulators makes the Online.com where
SMPS different from the linear regulators. The SMPS can be AC to you can get those
DC, DC to DC, AC to AC or DC to AC supply. In this series on questions asked and
designing SMPS, AC to DC and DC to DC SMPS are dealt. answered by your
The switching regulators (like transistors) in SMPS continuously peers!
switches between their ON and OFF state. So they spend very less
time in high dissipation state which reduces power dissipation of EDA BOARD
the system. In Linear regulators, all the power is dissipated in the
form of heat which reduces the overall efficiency of the system.
Due to use of switching components working at high frequency, ELECTRO-TECH-
ONLINE
SMPS can be made to deliver high efficiency up to 95%. SMPS can
be used in place of any linear regulator when high efficiency and a
small size, light weight power supply is required.

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TUTORIALS

Forest fire
detection
system
using IoT
sensor
network

IoT-based
Fig. 1: Typical image of SMPS smart
remote
In this series, SMPS are designed by using different topologies. For designing classroo…
SMPS (AC to DC type) they can be categorized as follow – 

IoT-
based,
pre-paid
electricity
system

Arduino
Based IoT
Garden
Monitori…
System
Fig. 2: Image showing Different Types of SMPS

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Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

First the  SMPS can be broadly categorized in two categories –

IoT-based
1. Non-Isolated SMPS patient
health
2. Isolated SMPS register
In Non–isolated SMPS the input and output share the same ground
or it can be said that there is an electrical connection between the
input and output. But in Isolated SMPS the input and output are
IoT-based
isolated from each other by a transformer which gives safety from heart rate
monitori…
any electric shock by the input power supply (AC). system
In   Non-Isolated   SMPS,   the basic topologies of SMPS can be
categorized on the basis  of Input-Output Voltage as follows –
1.Boost Converter – In this SMPS, the output voltage is always
greater than Input voltage.
2.Buck Converter– In this SMPS, the output voltage always less
than Input voltage
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3.Buck-Boost Converter– In this SMPS, the output voltage can
be greater or less than the Input voltage
In  Isolated  SMPS,  there are  two topologies of SMPS which  are
designed in this series. They are as follows –
4. Push-pull Converter
5. Flyback Converter Sign up and receive our
Now the above mentioned topologies can be further divided weekly newsletter for
into different types as follows –  latest Tech articles,
1. Boost Converter or Buck Converter Electronics Projects,
Tutorial series and other
In this series of SMPS, a Boost converter and Buck Converter is
insightful tech content.
designed by four ways –
I. Open   Loop   Boost/Buck   Converter- In this Boost   Converter,
there is no any error detection circuit or any feedback circuit. So
the output voltage of this Boost Converter will be unregulated. EE TRAINING
II. Closed  Loop  Boost/Buck  Converter – In this Boost  Converter CENTER
there will be an error detection circuit or feedback circuit. This CLASSROOMS
feedback circuit helps in regulating the output voltage.
III. Open   Loop   Boost/Buck   Converter with Adjustable Output –This Boost
  Converter will have a variable output voltage but without any error detection
circuit or feedback circuit. So the output voltage of this Boost Converter will be
variable but unregulated.
IV. Closed  Loop  Boost/Buck  Converter with Adjustable Output-
This Boost   Converter will have a variable output voltage and a
feedback circuit. So the output voltage of this Boost Converter will
be variable and regulated.

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Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

2. Buck-BoostConverter–
MORE EE CLASSROOMS
There will be two types of Buck-Boost Converters designed in this series – 
I. Open Loop Inverting Buck – Boost Converter- In an Inverting
Buck-Boost converter, the output voltage can be greater and less
that the input voltage. The polarity of the output is opposite to the
input voltage that’s why it is called Inverting Buck-Boost converter. RECENT
II. Open Loop Inverting Buck – Boost Converter with Adjustable ARTICLES
Output
Types of filter responses
In this Buck-Boost Converter, the output voltage can be varied
What is FreeRTOS?
from the lower voltage (voltage less than input voltage) to the
Infineon launches
higher voltage level (voltage greater than input voltage).
XMC7000 microcontroller
3. Flyback converter series for industrial
applications
The Flyback converter is just like a Buck-Boost Converter, the only
TSMC launches OIP
difference is that in Buck-Boost Converter it uses a single winding
3DFabric Alliance
of inductor, in the Flyback converter the inductor splits into two
TI unifies IoT ecosystems
windings which form a transformer. This gives the isolation to the
with Matter-enabled
output from input. In this series, a Flyback converter is designed
wireless MCU software
which will step down the input voltage and give low voltage at the
output.

4. Push–pull  converter

An Open Loop Push-Pull converter will be designed which will be a

DC to DC SMPS. This converter uses the transformer for
converting one DC voltage to another level. A transformer
provides the isolation between input and the output. This
converter can provide either high voltage or low voltage at the
output as compared to input. The number of turns of transformer
and duty cycle will decide whether high voltage or low voltage is
delivered at the output.
In this series, a Push-Pull converter will be designed which will
step up the input voltage and give high voltage at the output
Now let us understand some basic terminologies which will be
used in the designing of the SMPS –
SUBMIT A GUEST
On the basis of output current of  SMPS, it can have two modes of
POST
operation –
1. Continuous Mode
2. Discontinuous mode

1. Continuous Mode-

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Usually in SMPS circuit there is an inductor at the input which

decides the input current. In continuous mode, the current in the
inductor is continuous in the entire cycle of the switching period.
So a regulated voltage is obtained at the output in continuous
mode. In continuous mode, there is some critical value of output
current below which the inductor current is zero for a part of
switching cycle then the system is said to be in discontinuous
mode. So for the operation of continuous mode, the output is
always greater than or equivalent to the critical current value.
Below is the waveform which shows the inductor current in
continuous mode. EDABOARD.COM
DISCUSSIONS

ADS Layout output results

Cheap DAC + Class D
differential amplifier
Partially depleted SOI
(silicon on insulator)
Fig. 3: Graph showing Current Variation in Continuous
Power supply for OpAmps
Conduction Mode of SMPS Body effect and Deep N
2. Discontinuous mode-  well

In this mode, the current in the inductor is pulsating and it

becomes zero for a part of switching time. The current in inductor
ELECTRO-TECH-
starts with zero and reaches to peak current then again it returns
ONLINE.COM
to zero after completion of one switching cycle. So in this mode, DISCUSSIONS
the output voltage is not regulated. So, discontinuous mode needs
an error detection block which regulates the output voltage. TESTING 18650
Below is the waveform which shows the inductor current in BATTERIES
discontinuous mode – Why do some inductors
have magnets?
Building a simple oscillator
Transformer primary fuse
size
Fig. 4: Graph showing Current Variation in Discontinuous computer Christmas lights
Conduction Mode of SMPS
In this series, each circuit will be designed in both CCM and DCM
Modes and there will be the standard eqautions of CCM/DCM
used for calcuting the components values.
An SMPS has several advantages over Linear Regulators. Some of
the main advantages which leverage SMPS over any linear

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Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

regulator are as follows –

• Small size –
Any SMPS has switching components which work on high
frequency. This reduces the size of components required in the
circuit design of the SMPS.
• Low cost-
Because small size components are used to make the SMPS
circuit, so assembling the circuit is less costly.
• High efficiency up to 95%-

Due to the use of switching regulators, the efficiency of SMPS is

usually very high. An SMPS can have output efficiency up to 95%.
That means, around 95% of the input power can be delivered to
the output load.
• Isolation between input and output-

By using a transformer in place of inductor, the SMPS can provide

good isolation. By providing the isolation between the input and
output, the output load can be saved from any electrical shock or
voltage fluctuation from the input supply.
The use of SMPS is not just limited to computers. They are used with most of the
sensitive devices that essentially require stable and efficient power supply.
They are used as low loss current source to drive LEDs and LED circuits. They
are used in self-powered devices. They are also used as an interface between
battery and components in CPU or notebooks where voltage demand is lower or
higher than the battery voltage. 
So in this series, the following SMPS circuits will be designed –
1. Boost Converters –
a) Open  Loop  Boost  Converter
b) Closed  Loop  Boost  Converter
c) Open  Loop  Boost  Converter with Adjustable Output
d) Closed  Loop  Boost  Converter with Adjustable Output
2. Buck Converters –
a) Open  Loop  Buck  Converter
b) Closed  Loop  Buck  Converter
c) Open  Loop  Buck  Converter with Adjustable Output
d) Closed  Loop  Buck  Converter with Adjustable Output
3. Buck-Boost Converters
a) Open Loop Inverting Buck – Boost Converter

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Designing a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) 16/11/2022, 12:47

b) Open Loop Inverting Buck – Boost Converter with Adjustable

Output
4. Flyback Converter
5. Push-Pull Converter

Filed Under: Featured Contributions, Tutorials

Tagged With: buck converters, smps, switched mode power
supply
 

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