Multistage Energy-Efficient AC-DC Power Converter

Designing a multistage AC–DC power converter integrating full-wave bridge rectification, DC-link capacitor filtering, and LM2596 buck regulation to produce a regulated 5 V DC output.

Modeling AC–DC rectification, capacitor charging/discharging, switching behavior, and voltage ripple in LTspice to evaluate power conversion across all three stages.

Bench-tested a commercial LM2596 buck converter using a programmable DC supply, oscilloscope, and resistive loads to characterize voltage regulation, output ripple, and power consumption.

Developed a preliminary LM2596 regulator schematic in KiCad, incorporating a 33 µH inductor, Schottky freewheeling diode, input/output filtering, and voltage-feedback connections.

Modeling full-wave bridge rectification, capacitor charging/discharging, and buck regulation in LTspice to characterize voltage waveforms, ripple, and transient behavior.

Designing a custom two-layer PCB in KiCad, minimizing high-(di/dt) current-loop area, parasitic inductance, and feedback noise through component placement and routing.

Evaluating rectifier conduction losses, switching losses, DC-link ripple, and line/load regulation to estimate stage-level and overall conversion efficiency.