Pulsation rate

A numerical value that represents the ratio of alternating current components contained in output direct current (ripple current) in devices such as DC regulated power supplies. It is also called ripple content.

ΔVac: RMS value of the AC component contained in DC (ripple current)
Vdc: Average value of DC (ripple current)

Then, the ripple factor is expressed by the following formula.

Ripple factor: γ = (ΔVac / Vdc) × 100 (%)

In devices such as DC regulated power supplies, it is a numerical value that indicates the accuracy of the output DC voltage. The smaller the ripple factor, the higher the stability of the DC voltage. For perfect DC, the ripple factor is 0 (%).