element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • About Us
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
TDK
  • Products
  • Manufacturers
  • TDK
  • More
  • Cancel
TDK
Documents “Brute Force” Parallel of Power Supplies
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Documents
  • Events
  • Polls
  • Members
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
Join TDK to participate - click to join for free!
Actions
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Engagement
  • Author Author: Nortski
  • Date Created: 12 May 2014 3:40 PM Date Created
  • Last Updated Last Updated: 8 Oct 2021 7:50 AM
  • Views 1167 views
  • Likes 0 likes
  • Comments 0 comments
Related
Recommended

“Brute Force” Parallel of Power Supplies

You will see in many of our instruction manuals a warning about not connecting power supplies in parallel that do not have current share capabilities.

 

At first it would seem a nice easy way to get extra current.  Take two like power supplies, connect them together and they will deliver twice the current?

image

Unfortunately there is a good chance that the two power supplies will not current share due to their output voltage set points.  The power supply with the highest output voltage setting will deliver as much current as it can until it reaches its current limit threshold and then the output voltage starts to drop.  The second power supply will then take over and provide the balance.  The output voltage might glitch during the transition, affecting system operation.

 

For example, take two 24V 10A power supplies with an over current set point of 120% powering a 15A load:

 

Power supply A might deliver 12A (now at its current limit point)

 

Power supply B would then deliver 3A.

 

One could argue that the power supply is being protected by the current limit.  There are two issues with this though:

 

  1. 1.  A power supply is not designed to operate in current limit indefinitely. Internal temperatures will rise, reducing the life of the product
  2. 2.   The safety certifications for UL, CSA are based on 100% load, not 120%

 

My recommendation is to use a power supply with a higher current rating, or choose one with a current share feature.

  • voltage
  • power_supply
  • current_share
  • limit
  • Share
  • History
  • More
  • Cancel
  • Sign in to reply
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2025 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube