power supply and transformers

I am having difficulty defining a transformer and a power supply. What
is the difference between a power supply and a transformer - technical
and philosophical?

 

[tempus fugit]

A transformer basically converts a higher voltage to a lower one, or vice
versa. So, in a stereo receiver, say, The incoming voltage from the wall is
120v (or higher depending on where you live). This is usually too high a
voltage for the components inside, so a transformer is used to step down the
voltage to something more manageable. Once it is at the proper level, the
voltage is fed to the rest of the power supply, where it is converted to DC
and regulated so that it maintains a constant DC level regardless of load.
So a transformer is usually part of a power supply, but the power supply
turns the AC voltage into DC voltage at the required levels for the circuit
it is powering.


<genenamg@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1107399404.922955.138680@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

I am having difficulty defining a transformer and a power supply. What
is the difference between a power supply and a transformer - technical
and philosophical?