Linear Power Supply vs SMPS

Many of us buy bench top power supplies for our labs. They vary in Voltage and Current and , power range is not same the entire power supply voltage input. Of course, there are other factors which affect this but the having an entire discussion around supplies is a huge topic. Let us restrict now to see the differences between Linear type and switch type power supplies used commonly. There are hybrid type (combining switch and linear) as well but let us restrict the discussion to major types. The below table differentiating linear and switching supplies should help you to decide on your next power supply purchase for the lab. When we say bench top power supply in labs, the discussion starts with AC input and that is where the major difference lies between Linear and Switch mode supply.