POWER SUPPLIES

POWER SUPPLIES

There are many ways to provide power to a Teleo System. The best choice will depend on many things: the current requirements, portability, budget, etc.

In all cases, the power supply is presumed to have at least one output in the range 7.5V - 30V (the voltage range permitted for Teleo Systems). The positive line should be connected to the positive (+) connector on the Teleo Power Module. The ground (sometimes called "-") line should be connected to the other connector.

Connection to the Power Module

Batteries provide a wide range of voltages and current capacities. They are portable and sometimes rechargable. One of the major benefits of batteries (particulary NiCads and Lead Acid batteries) is their ability to deliver huge amounts of current. Care should be take with car batteries and many battery packs not to short circuit them. One obvious disadvantage is that they either need replacement or recharging before very long.

Linear Power Supplies used to be the main way to turn 110V AC (in the US) into DC power that most electronic devices require. They are typically heavy for their current output, but units can be found to supply huge amounts of current where this is necessary. The quality of the power obtained from a linear supply can vary tremendously from perfect to only half rectified (meaning the voltage will vary from 0 volts to some higher value 60 times a second). Unrectified power supplies have the additional problem that their voltage under light loads may be significantly higher than under heavy loads. These have to be monitored closely so their output voltage doesn't exceed the maximum permissible voltage.

Switch-mode Power Supplies can deliver a very high power output from a small package. They now form the bulk of laptop and other power supply equipment. These power supplies are a little quirkier than their linear cousins - sometimes generating electrical noise and sometimes in multiple output supplies requiring certain minimum currents in order for them to work.