A High-Grade Power Unit

1AT A HIGH-GRADE POWER UNIT C. Bolton BSc These supplies were developed to power experimental electronic equipment including small RF oscillators and amplifiers. There are two versions: a single-channel unit and a dual-channel unit in which the channels may be used independently or in series to give well-balanced positive and negative rails. Various circuits may be used to produce a variable, regulated output voltage: Chopper circuits In these, the current is chopped into pul- ses which are fed to an energy storage device to give an output voltage. This type of circuit was discounted for the present design since the switching involved pro- duces RF energy which readily interferes with other equipment. Shunt regulators These circuits produce a larger current than is required, and shunt the unwanted part away. The shunt regulator is particu- larly wasteful when the required current is much smaller than the available cur- rent, as is frequently the case in ex- perimental work. Series...