One of the hottest areas on Electronic Design is power management and power supplies are front and center. Here are a few recent articles that cover this topic area that you might find useful.
What’s the Difference Between RMS and Peak Watts?
Root mean square (RMS) and peak power ratings are basic power-handling terms. If you’re looking to build a high-performance entertainment system, you should understand exactly what they represent.
What's the Difference Between AC-DC and DC-DC Power Supplies?
Making a dc voltage from an ac source means you will have to rectify the ac voltage to get a dc bus. One difference compared to a dc-dc converter is that you can use a linear power supply with an ac voltage. Significant complications arise when trying to get your power supply working from a wall outlet.
Snubber Capacitors Stop Spikes
A snubber capacitor will reduce the spikes in your converter design, protecting the transistors and reducing EMI. Snubbers are also used in the output of Class-D audio amplifiers for the same reasons.
FAQ: Offline AC-DC and DC-DC Power Supplies
Designing power supplies that work from wall outlets has multiple challenges. This FAQ should answer many of your questions.