Power Sources and Supplies: World Class Designs
Newnes has worked with Marty Brown, a leader in the field of power design to select the very best design-specific material from the Newnes portfolio. Marty selected material for its timelessness, its relevance to current power supply design needs, and its real-world approach to design issues. Special attention is given to switching power supplies and their design issues, including component selection, minimization of EMI, toroid selection, and breadboarding of designs. Emphasis is also placed on design strategies for power supplies, including case histories and design examples. This is a book that belongs on the workbench of every power supply designer!
*Marty Brown, author and power supply design consultant, has personally selected all content for its relevance and usefulness
*Covers best design practices for switching power supplies and power converters
*Emphasis is on pragmatic solutions to commonly encountered design problems and tasks
Why Read This Book
You will learn practical, workbench-ready techniques for designing reliable power supplies for embedded products, with unusually strong, real-world coverage of switching regulators, EMI control, and magnetics. Marty Brown’s curated selection emphasizes proven design strategies, component choices, and breadboarding tips so you can move from schematic to a robust prototype faster and with fewer surprises.
Who Will Benefit
Embedded systems and hardware engineers, power-designers, and IoT product developers who need to design or specify compact, low-noise power sources for real-world electronics.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic DC circuit theory, familiarity with passive components and semiconductors, and hands-on experience with bench tools (multimeter, oscilloscope).
Key Takeaways
- Design switching power supplies (buck, boost, flyback) tailored to embedded and IoT applications.
- Minimize EMI/EMC through topology choices, component selection, and layout techniques.
- Select and wind magnetics and toroids appropriate for your power levels and switching frequencies.
- Prototype and breadboard power-supply designs safely and interpret real bench measurements.
- Analyze real-world case histories to recognize common failure modes and troubleshooting strategies.
Topics Covered
- Introduction: Scope and Design Philosophy
- Power-Source Fundamentals: Regulators, Topologies, and Tradeoffs
- Linear vs. Switching Supplies: When to Use Which
- Switching Topologies: Buck, Boost, Flyback, Forward, and Variants
- Control Methods and Compensation Techniques
- Magnetics and Toroid Selection: Design and Practical Considerations
- Component Selection: MOSFETs, Diodes, Capacitors, and Inductors
- Minimizing EMI/EMC: Layout, Filtering, and Shielding
- Breadboarding and Prototyping Power Supplies
- Testing, Measurement, and Troubleshooting on the Bench
- Thermal Management, Reliability, and Safety Considerations
- Case Histories and Worked Design Examples
- Appendices: Design Formulas, SPICE Tips, and Reference Data
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More hands-on and design-focused than Erickson & Maksimovic's Fundamentals of Power Electronics (which is more theoretical); comparable in scope to Pressman/Billing's Switching Power Supply Design but presented as a curated, application-oriented collection with practical case studies.
