Electrical load

Know your enemy!

Power component selection, on the surface, can seem straightforward. In essence, a power supply is an electrical device that supplies power to a component (or system of components) that needs it, known as an electrical load. It does this by converting an input electric current to the desired voltage, current and frequency to meet the needs of the load.

There are key parameters here that any system designer will need to pay close attention to when selecting the right power supply for the job. This includes:

· Input Voltage: Exceeding a power supply’s rated input voltage limit can lead to catastrophic component failures. As available mains voltages and stability can vary around the world and with different types of power sources, taking a “close enough” approach to a component’s input specification and adversely affect system performance.

· Output Voltage: Choosing a power supply with a high output voltage can increase efficiency in power intensive applications as a higher voltage system suffers from less energy loss from resistance. However, system designers may choose to adopt a low voltage output current to increase safety for example in home installations where conditions cannot be controlled.

· Load Type: A power supply selection rests heavily on the type of load in a system: capacitive loads, inductive loads and resistive loads.

· Load Duration: For prolonged loads, power supplies with good overload protection and overtemperature protection can mitigate the strain on uninterrupted system operation.

· Application Type: There are unique requirements for different market sectors, and we believe it should be straightforward to filter for your specific application type. We understand the power requirements of military applications can differ from medical applications, for instance.

Other factors to watch out for include peak load requirements, duty cycles, power factor and nominal efficiency.

When browsing our range of power components available on our online store, you can filter products by your electrical specifications. For example, you can select your desired input & output voltages, your desired market sector and more.

If you’d like some more information about our range of products and if you’re looking for expert advice for deploying our power supplies, get in touch and see how we can help!