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IT Support & Hardware · Advanced

Power Factor Correction (PFC)

PSU circuitry that aligns current with voltage to improve power usage and enable wide input range.

Definition

Active PFC improves power factor near 1.0, reducing wasted current and enabling auto-ranging 100-240 V input. It is required in many regions for efficiency standards. Active PFC PSUs can be sensitive to some simulated-sine-wave UPS outputs.

Example

An active PFC PSU paired with a pure sine wave UPS to avoid shutdowns during switchover.

Exam tip

Use a pure sine wave UPS for systems with active PFC power supplies.

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