In general a switch mode power supply is best suited for portable equipment since it is lighter and more compact.
Switching power supply vs linear.
However this switching can generate noise which can be lowered by filtering.
It is simple circuits are not complicated.
A linear power supply is generally not as efficient as a switch mode power supply smps but it does afford better performance.
And like old school linear power supplies they can also include extra features.
A linear power supply affords better performance than a switch mode power supply at the expense of reduced efficiency.
Linear power supply vs switching power supply.
A switching power supply has greater efficiency than linear regulators because the switching transistor dissipates little power when acting as a switch.
This is why switching power supplies are less expensive more efficient smaller and lighter than their elders.
For this reason they are mostly suitable for lower power applications where the weight does not pose a problem.
Despite of the fact that linear power supplies are more durable the switching power supplies are used broadly nowadays in most of our applications.
While they work are a loss in the form of high heat.
The linear power supply is commonly used.
But they are large and low efficiency only about 50 or more.
Linear power supplies are simpler devices than switching supplies so their reliability can be better and the dc output voltage is free from the high frequency noise of a switching supply.
Linear power supplies have transient response times up to 100 times faster than their switch mode counterparts which is important in certain specialized areas.
High frequency voltage coming out of the switch requires a much smaller transformer.
The traditional linear power supplies are typically heavy durable and have low noise across low and high frequencies.
There are 2 main types of power supplies.
There s a one word answer.
Consider unregulated linear power supplies only when the dc load is constant.
The switching power supplies are much lighter more efficient durable and have limited high frequency noise due to the design.