I need a power supply which converts mains ac to a high frequency (about 20khz) square wave. At first I did a normal linear power supply: xformer--->rectifier--->limiter then I used this as Vcc for a 555 timer. Done deal.
Now I'm reading about switching power supplies. They have some nice qualities, but It seems like it'd go something like this: rectifier--->inverter--->isolation xformer.
The thing is, wouldn't the inverter require a 555 timer, or something similar anyway? Is it really worth switching power supplies just for a smaller xformer?