I am having difficulty defining a transformer and a power supply. What is the difference between a power supply and a transformer - technical and philosophical?
- posted
19 years ago
power supply and transformers
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- posted
19 years ago
A transformer basically converts a higher voltage to a lower one, or vice versa. So, in a stereo receiver, say, The incoming voltage from the wall is
120v (or higher depending on where you live). This is usually too high a voltage for the components inside, so a transformer is used to step down the voltage to something more manageable. Once it is at the proper level, the voltage is fed to the rest of the power supply, where it is converted to DC and regulated so that it maintains a constant DC level regardless of load. So a transformer is usually part of a power supply, but the power supply turns the AC voltage into DC voltage at the required levels for the circuit it is powering.