A power supply can be connected to deliver power to one or more loads, for instance, in the form of various electronic devices and circuits. There is an inherent risk that a fault in any such device or circuit can result in system failure, for instance, when significantly higher current is pulled from the power supply than is safe for the load. System components can overheat, even resulting in electrical fires. A circuit breaker, fuse, or load switch can be connected between a power supply and a device to be powered to provide overload protection, including protection from over-current conditions as described above. For example, a load switch can be switched off to disconnect the power supply from the device. This can protect both the device and the power supply from fault conditions, such as short circuits, that might otherwise result in damage or failure of devices and circuits to be powered as well as the power supply.
Also, standards for the manufacture of modern electronic devices and systems often include power limiting and/or current limiting specifications. For instance, some specifications state that certain components cannot be allowed to supply more than 240 volt-amperes (VA). Thus, electronic device manufacturers are often asked to design circuits so that loads connected to a power supply are prevented from pulling more than the applicable power limiting or current limiting standard. Deficiencies exist with conventional approaches to designing and manufacturing protection devices such as load switches for systems in which the supplied current or power may exceed standards.