If you’re interested in testing fuel cells and using related equipment, you’ll want to investigate using a power supply. The purpose of a power supply is to convert the conventional 110 V or 220 V alternating voltage, or AC power, into continuous voltage, or DC power.

There are two basic power supply designs: linear and switching mode. Linear power supplies work by getting the 110 V or 220 V from the power grid and transforming it into a lower value, such as 12 V. The resulting lower voltage is still AC. Diodes then transform the AC voltage into pulsating voltage, which is then filtered by an electrolytic capacitor and transformed into what is close to DC. A final transformation, using a zener diode (usually with the aid of a power transistor) or a voltage regulator integrated circuit turns the output into true DC power.

Linear power supplies work well for low-power applications, you’ll want a switching mode power supply. In this type, the input voltage has its frequency increased before going into the transformer, and it’s much smaller in size. the PC and several other electronic equipments, like DVD players. Keep in mind that “switching” is a short for “high-frequency switching” and has nothing to do whether the power supply has an on/off switch.

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