Power Conditioning Circuits Figures of Merit

When it comes to power conditioning circuits, there are many things that we need to consider, not just I/O voltage, current, power, etc.

• Efficiency
• Output Voltage Accuracy: How close does $V_{out}$ match specification?
• Load Regulation: Stability of $V_{out}$ with changes in $I_{out}$
• Line Regulation: Stability of $V_{out}$ with changes in $V_{in}$
• Ripple and Noise: How “clean” a supply is
• Transient Response: How fast $V_{out}$ can respond to step change in $I_{out}$
• Mechanical: Size, weights, form factor, thermal
• Protection Features
  • Overvoltage protection (OVP)
  • Overcurrent protection (OCP)
  • Short-circuit protection (SCP)
  • Thermal protection
• Power Factor Correction (PFC): Ensure that $V_{in}$ and $I_{in}$ are in-phase
• Level of Integration: Module vs. Regulator vs. Controller
• Reliability: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) quantifies average time between failures