Power Converter

A power converter is a power supply unit (PSU) that not only delivers energy to an electronic device from an electrical outlet, but also regulates the current to meet the devices specific requirements. If you have any type of sophisticated electronics such as computers, laptops, high end audio equipment, cell phones etc, the odds are they also incorporate a power supply unit that also regulates the current.

Most power converters are usually called Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS); they include a power supply unit and a circuit inside the unit to regulate the current. The circuit moves extremely fast regulating the current so that it can stabilize it to a set voltage that is then sent directly to the device. Without a SMPS, your laptop computer would be fried instantly when you would try to plug it into an outlet with a different voltage than found in the US (110V).

SMPS are usually used instead of direct linear power supply units. Because of weight, economic and convenience factors, SMPS are the device of choice to power most consumer electronics that need stable current and voltage. They however have the negative connotation of sometimes being to "cheap" and providing power with efficiency problems such as high noise and having a poor power factor.

There are four major types of SMPS, they include: AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current) out (called a converter), DC in to DC out, AC in to AC out and DC to AC out. A DC to AC out device is usually called an inverter.

Common applications that use SMPS are laptop computers and audio or video equipment that can work from either a home electricity outlet or a car's DC outlet. A laptop is a great example of how useful an SMPS is. For instance, if you live in America, you will normally plug your laptop into a 110 AC outlet. These outlets are what are normally found in any home or office. However, when you travel for business to Europe, the voltage is different, usually 210 volts. An SMPS is used to regulate the current and makes your laptop work seamlessly no matter which continent you are on.

The same is true with a portable TV set. You can usually plug in a TV set in any home electrical outlet, however, to use your portable TV set in your car, you will need to plug it into the DC outlet, sometimes refereed to as the cigarette lighter. The SMPS makes sure that the current is regulated and that your electronics are not damaged by the electricity.