Some Basics You Should Know about Power Supply Unit

What Is a PSU

Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a piece of hardware that is used to converts the outlet power into usable power to ensure the normal running of parts within a computer. Specifically, it converts the mains AC to low-voltage controlled DC power for the use of internal computer parts.

Besides, it handles the overheating issue by regulating voltage. In a word, the power supply is vital. Other internal hardware will not function properly without power supply PC. Generally speaking, the power supply unit is located in the back of the computer case.

-image from Corsair

It can be found by following the computer’s power cable. And you can often only see the backside of the power supply. At the back of the power supply, you may also see an opening fan that sends air out the computer.

Power supply units are often rated by wattage to display the total amount of power that can be provided for the computer. The required power varies on different parts, so it is necessary to get the right volume with PSU.

Main Power Supply Types

The power supply is mainly divided into internal power supply and external power supply. For internal power supply, there are ATX and ATX12V for you. The external power supply is often utilized for gaming consoles.

For instance, it is common to see a power supply between the gaming console and the wall. In fact, the internal power supply functions same with the external power supply. The Xbox One power supply is one of such facts.

Compared with internal power supply, the external power supply has an advantage over it. The external power supply is movable and can be replaced with ease.

Working Theory of PC Power Supply Unit

How does the PC power supply work? Before learning the working theory of power supply unit, you should have an overall understanding of its components. The computer power supply unit main contains transformer, rectifier, filter, voltage regulators and IC voltage regulators.

All these components can help the power supply unit to step up or down voltage, convert power and decrease ripper voltages. As you know, power supply unit is utilized to convert power. Hence, the working principle of power supply unit is exactly the way it changes the current type with the rectifier.

Power supply unit has 3 available silicon diode rectifiers type to convert AC power to DC. The first one is half wave that is the lowest-cost rectifier using a single silicon diode. The drawback is that it can only convert half of the AC wave.

The second one is full wave. It requires a center tap in the secondary winding. The last one is the bridge, which is the most efficient rectifier that can blend the best half-wave and full-waves types.

Main Applications of Computer Power Supply  

What does a power supply do? To learn the main applications of power supply unit is also one important step to get a comprehensive understanding of power supply. According to summarization, there are several uses for power supply unit.

Firstly, it can be used to change voltage. This is the leading and primary use of power supply unit. Then, it is used to convert power. The outlet power cannot be used by computer components directly. Instead, the power needs to be converted by computer power supply unit.

Last but not the least, the power supply can be utilized to regulate power. Most electronics need regulated power. Though a power supply can change the voltage and power type, the output is not always steady. An unregulated power supply will deliver more power than expected, which can lead to sever or permanent damage to the parts.

Although the regulating power feature can increase the cost of device, it saves you the money to buy new electronics or the cost to replace damaged parts.

Read here, you may have a further understanding of power supply unit (PSU). Hope this post can be useful you. Here comes the end of the post.