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› Converters which convert the alternating current (AC) from the mains to a direct
current (DC) are used in a great variety of applications, for example, such as
controlling DC motors for household or industrial use (e.g., in washing machines,
refrigerators, dishwashers, industrial machines). Such converters are also known
as "Switch Mode Power Supply" (SMPS).
› AC to DC converters generally comprise a rectifier bridge to rectify the AC
current of the input line and a regulating device supplying on output of one or
more regulated DC voltages. In converters without isolation between the input
and output, a neutral conductor of the input line can be placed directly on the
output, and will act as voltage a reference for the whole converter.
› AC-to-DC converters which receive power from AC power mains often rectify the
sinewave (AC) mains voltage and store energy in a capacitor. The capacitor
generally charges to the peak mains voltage such that current only flows into the
power supply around the peaks of the input voltage.
› Many AC-DC power converters employ power factor correction. This is often
accomplished with two stages in series, a boost converter input stage and a buck
converter second stage. The power factor correction (PFC) techniques can be
used to reduce the harmonic content of the input current by reforming the input
current into what approximates a sinewave. Such power factor circuits are,
however, generally complex. AC to DC converters need power factor correction
in order to fulfill international standards of low input harmonic current content. A
front-end boost PFC converter is one way to obtain good input harmonic current
to meet these international standards.
› Another DC to DC converter is generally cascaded from the front-end boost PFC
converter to provide a steady output voltage
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Advantage :

Load efficiency is almost always a critical factor in renewable energy systems. An

additional advantage of pulse width modulation is that the pulses are at the full supply
voltage and will produce more torque in a motor by being able to overcome the internal
motor resistances more easily. A resistive speed control will present a reduced voltage
to the load, which can cause stalling in motor applications. Finally, in a PWM circuit,
common small potentiometers may be used to control a wide variety of loads, whereas
large and expensive high power variable resistors are needed for resistive controllers.

Disadvantage :

The main disadvantages of PWM circuits are the added complexity and the
possibility of generating radio frequency interference (RFI). Locating the controller near
the load, using short leads, and in some cases, using additional filtering on the power
supply leads, may minimize RFI.