A chopper is a high-speed switching device used in power electronics to convert a fixed DC voltage into a variable DC output. By rapidly turning the connection between the source and the load on and off, it creates a pulsed signal whose average voltage is controlled by adjusting the duty cycle. Choppers are widely used in motor drives, switched-mode power supplies, and analog signal processing to prevent DC drift.
The traction motor is whining because the chopper circuit is running at a lower switching frequency than normal.
Also heard as
- DC-DC converter
- switching converter
Related terms
PWM
Pulse-width modulation is a technique for controlling average power delivery by rapidly switching a signal on and off.
Duty cycle
The percentage of time a periodic signal is active compared to its total period.
SMPS
A switched-mode power supply uses high-frequency switching to efficiently convert electrical power.
Power electronics
The branch of electrical engineering focused on the conversion and control of electric power.