Constant Voltage Current, and Power: A Circuit for All Reasons

A simple inductor, capacitor, and resistor circuit is shown to provide versatile characteristics which can be exploited for constant voltage, constant current, or constant power applications. To reflect these capabilities, it is referenced as the (VIP) circuit. Exact performance characteristics are dependent upon how the circuit constants are chosen. These choices are explained and some nondimensional curves are provided for design purposes. Practical uses described include high-voltage constant-current power supplies and a capacitor charging circuit which draws a constant amplitude sinusoidal current from an ac source.