Short circuit protected PSU

Short circuit protection (SCP)

— system that protects the power supply (and in some cases, system components) from short circuits.

Recall that a short circuit is a situation when the resistance at the PSU output drops to zero — for example, with direct contact of the wire of one of the power lines with the ground wire. In such situations, the current rises to very high values and the PSU is subjected to significant loads that are fraught with damage. Short-circuit protection prevents these consequences by turning off the power when the output current rises sharply.

Separately, it is worth noting that this function should not be confused with OPP — overcurrent protection (see the relevant paragraph): OPP operates at much lower currents than SCP, so these are two separate functions.