In addition to substituting an inductor for a transformer non isolated converters tend to operate at higher switching frequencies which will further reduce the size of the magnetic components and capacitors.
Isolated vs non isolated power supply.
Non isolated power supplies for guitar pedals are basically one power source that a number of different pedals can draw from often in daisy chain fashion.
Non isolated converters tend to be smaller than isolated.
An isolated dc dc converter uses a transformer to eliminate the dc path between its input and.
You ll also benefit from increased efficiency with a non isolated power supply.
In the non isolated converter there is a dc path from input to output.
Non isolated supplies always hold the risk of electrical shock through the design.
In most cases this works fine.
While the isolated power supplies tend to be a more substantial investment they offer more peace of mind and more reliable service.
A non isolated power supply is usually 95 efficient and more compact than an isolated power supply.
The cost adding components mentioned previously take up more space than those used in a non isolated design.
However some applications require isolation between the input and output voltages.
Isolation describes the electrical separation between the input and output of a dc dc converter.
The down side is there is no isolation between the input and output.
For some single examples it is required to have isolated power supply for phone chargers or laptop adaptors which is directly plug in to the wall with high voltage.
An isolated converter provides isolation between the input and output voltage usually with a transformer.
First you ll enjoy more board space relative to an isolated power supply design due to the fact that you won t need to put a big transformer in your enclosure.
Many of the power supplies inside of a laptop or inside of a cell phone are non isolated power supply as the input of this power supplies are selv circuit which is already safe.
For some applications non isolated converters are appropriate.