Is it safe to say then that a ripple or an uneven DC output from an AC to DC converter is due to the omission of some very cheap and simple passive components?  And if so, where they left out just to keep costs down because they aren't necessary when charging a battery or providing the input DC supply like a wall-wart does? And as a hobby electronics person, I can just understand that and add them myself if I really need a more filtered DC output?

(I would like to say I've really learned a lot from this thread and I do really appreciate the time people took to explain things.) 



-----Original Message-----
From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of James Newton, Host
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 21:26
To: 'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.'
Subject: RE: [EE] Will phone charger work as a 5v DC power supply?


The resistor helps to "disconnect" the capacitor, and therefore the output of the circuit, from the input. It allows the capacitor to have more effect with a smaller farad rating. 

Again, the terms are correct from the authors point of view. A ripple filter is an integrator. Hopefully, the output is integrated so much that it approaches DC. With the right components, the sawtooth will be almost flat.
With other components, the sawtooth will reach almost the full range of the square wave.

In each case, the VALUES of the components in the circuit probably mean as much as the connections of the components. An integrator will have a larger resistor and a smaller capacitor for less integration. A ripple filter will have a much smaller resistor (probably none aka a resistor of 0 ohms) and a larger capacitor for more integration.

Hope that helps.



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