May I say you sound the exact same, without being impolite?
Can we mention the pot calling the kettle black?
Maybe your user name choice slightly hints at that, WISEOLD Tech?
Seriously:
1) SMPS have come a long way.
2) **ALL** supplies eventually fail.
Of course we see here the bad ones so failures are over represented.
Only difference is that being way more complex and still not standardized by any means (meaning they are not mature technology by any means, they change all the time) people find them harder to repair, while, well, a transformer, 4 diodes and 2 capacitors are simpler and faster to troubleshoot.
That said, we still get cries for help on these every day.
I can agree with improvements in technology as time goes on.
And when it's well-designed and reliable, I'm all for it.
I can also agree that SMPS technology, while having come a long way, is still far behind in the "reliability" department. (compared to linear designs)
As I mentioned in a previous post here, I am an authorised member of several service websites which are unavilable to the common person/DIY'er and such.
We discuss assorted subjects, trade help suggestions, inform each other of product changes/service bulletins/warranty information, along with manufacturer chatter regarding feedback and marketing.
Our discussions/info is based on actual situations "in the field", without the speculations and debates usually found on the "amateur" sites.
We know quite a bit about the SMPS future, along with its limitations and its history.
It all boils down to the quality levels found in consumer level products - all I can add is that built-in planned failure is a systematic part of today's products for various reasons.
How many PCs are their in the world? 1 billion? 2 billion? Failures of the power supplies?
In a typical laptop you have the charging brick switcher, and 3, 4 or 5 internal local switchers. Failures?
Performance/studio amps: ever see a 1U chassis with 2000W output, with an internal SMPS? Active speakers, in the 100's of thousands, all SMPS and class D. There are zero, no, nada, none active speakers produced that do NOT have an SMPS.
What is or is not a good product is decided by the market, and the market is clear.
Jan
In a typical laptop you have the charging brick switcher, and 3, 4 or 5 internal local switchers. Failures?
Performance/studio amps: ever see a 1U chassis with 2000W output, with an internal SMPS? Active speakers, in the 100's of thousands, all SMPS and class D. There are zero, no, nada, none active speakers produced that do NOT have an SMPS.
What is or is not a good product is decided by the market, and the market is clear.
Jan
There are many low-profile design active speakers and 1U amplifiers <1000W without SMPS, more often early models. 1U slim toroids do exist.
The market in Europe, for past 20 years, with commerce with China unregulated, brothels legal in many countries, and companies selling import product with no detailed specs or measurements or strength tests and handed by armies of sales women, has been dominated in part by low instincts.
However, legal changes under development are finally going to put limits to this nonsense.
Two examples:
EU brings in 'right to repair' rules for appliances - BBC News
Good News from Germany: Time for a Paradigm Shift on Prostitution? – Association Iroko Onlus
The market in Europe, for past 20 years, with commerce with China unregulated, brothels legal in many countries, and companies selling import product with no detailed specs or measurements or strength tests and handed by armies of sales women, has been dominated in part by low instincts.
However, legal changes under development are finally going to put limits to this nonsense.
Two examples:
EU brings in 'right to repair' rules for appliances - BBC News
Good News from Germany: Time for a Paradigm Shift on Prostitution? – Association Iroko Onlus
There is always a bastard who takes the position of the devils advocate. That's me, but only in part.
SMPS have been used in various high reliability applications including medical for more than 40 years. To claim that they cannot be made reliable would be like stating that bumble-bees cannot fly. Even for the commercial grades, reliability is generally as good as we need. Designing high reliability SMPS is not trivial and a single not obvious mistake can hamper reliability seriously.
The traditional transformer unregulated power supply is so simple that if the most obvious design parameters are respected, they run until the electrolytics dry out which may easily be 40-50 years. The reality is that 40-50 years are outside of most user scopes. They have many drawbacks compared to SMPS but at least they are reliable.
The linear regulators are often combined with the traditional unregulated power supply. With a well designed regulator, the combination can provide very low noise and very good load step response as there is no inherent delay from the switching. I believe this combination is still used for delicate measurement systems and often preferred for more top-of-the-range amplifiers. Like for mechanical Rolex watches, perhaps it is the aesthetics of the components (such as MU-metal enclosed transformers) that still impresses the elder men who can pay the price.
Eva discloses that "right to repair" may replace the current "right to buy new". Clearly good for the use of earth resources but really a change of our societies with endless mass production and massive promotion. Incredible that it had to take so long before guys like me may become (partly) in fashion. I hate throwing things away that can be repaired or re-used, which my basement is evidence of.
SMPS have been used in various high reliability applications including medical for more than 40 years. To claim that they cannot be made reliable would be like stating that bumble-bees cannot fly. Even for the commercial grades, reliability is generally as good as we need. Designing high reliability SMPS is not trivial and a single not obvious mistake can hamper reliability seriously.
The traditional transformer unregulated power supply is so simple that if the most obvious design parameters are respected, they run until the electrolytics dry out which may easily be 40-50 years. The reality is that 40-50 years are outside of most user scopes. They have many drawbacks compared to SMPS but at least they are reliable.
The linear regulators are often combined with the traditional unregulated power supply. With a well designed regulator, the combination can provide very low noise and very good load step response as there is no inherent delay from the switching. I believe this combination is still used for delicate measurement systems and often preferred for more top-of-the-range amplifiers. Like for mechanical Rolex watches, perhaps it is the aesthetics of the components (such as MU-metal enclosed transformers) that still impresses the elder men who can pay the price.
Eva discloses that "right to repair" may replace the current "right to buy new". Clearly good for the use of earth resources but really a change of our societies with endless mass production and massive promotion. Incredible that it had to take so long before guys like me may become (partly) in fashion. I hate throwing things away that can be repaired or re-used, which my basement is evidence of.
Last edited:
You are being incredibly thick
You will NOT solve your "problem" just by driving it more for the very good reason that there are other links in your chain, you will not make it stronger by reinforcing *one* of them.
Maybe you believe you can make a horse pull twice its maximum load by whipping it to death
I agree that there are many nuances in all this. But that also means you can't condemn one and praise the other to heaven. Engineering is finding the best solution for the specifications with the best contemporary parts.
In my SilentSwitcher I tried to keep switching noise and EMI to the lowest I could, then followed up with a pair of RF low-dropout linear regulators. Getting the best parts currently available to do the job in mind. And there is no reason why reliability should be compromised with a competent design.
Have you seen this:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/vendor-s-bazaar/281413-audio-smps-units-sale-14.html#post5939302
Jan
Last edited:
It is a technology I am fully confident you master. Looking at your small promotion video, you seem to have about as much gray hair as I so you had time to learn.
When I occasionally see persons describing themselves as "newbies" and asking how to build an SMPS to their DIY amplifier, it is the moment to explain about the many parameters to keep account of and balance in the design. For the very best I have seen, it takes some years full time work to understand the details of a good SMPS, some never learn in a lifetime. You even need to understand the importance of a good PCB layout.
Your SilentSwitcher seems very performing with high switching frequency and linear drop-out regulators. Noise and step-response I can imagine were important challenges. Such designs will not only be useful for lower power audio circuits but also measuring and monitoring circuits such as in medical use.
When I occasionally see persons describing themselves as "newbies" and asking how to build an SMPS to their DIY amplifier, it is the moment to explain about the many parameters to keep account of and balance in the design. For the very best I have seen, it takes some years full time work to understand the details of a good SMPS, some never learn in a lifetime. You even need to understand the importance of a good PCB layout.
Your SilentSwitcher seems very performing with high switching frequency and linear drop-out regulators. Noise and step-response I can imagine were important challenges. Such designs will not only be useful for lower power audio circuits but also measuring and monitoring circuits such as in medical use.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.