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Goal: Generate The DC Voltages - Needed For Most Electronics - Starting With The AC Power That Comes Through The Power Line

This document discusses rectifier circuits and DC power supplies. It begins by explaining the goal of generating DC voltages from the alternating current (AC) power that comes through power lines. It then describes how rectifiers use diodes to break up the AC waveform into a direct current (DC) voltage by only allowing current to flow during one half of the AC cycle. The document provides examples of half-wave and full-wave rectifier circuits and calculations for analyzing their output voltage and ripple.

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xaviigta
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© © All Rights Reserved
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83 views15 pages

Goal: Generate The DC Voltages - Needed For Most Electronics - Starting With The AC Power That Comes Through The Power Line

This document discusses rectifier circuits and DC power supplies. It begins by explaining the goal of generating DC voltages from the alternating current (AC) power that comes through power lines. It then describes how rectifiers use diodes to break up the AC waveform into a direct current (DC) voltage by only allowing current to flow during one half of the AC cycle. The document provides examples of half-wave and full-wave rectifier circuits and calculations for analyzing their output voltage and ripple.

Uploaded by

xaviigta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rectifier circuits & DC power supplies

Goal: Generate the DC voltages needed for most electronics


starting with the AC power that comes through the power line.

120 VRMS

f = 60 Hz

=(

(T = 16.67 ms)

) sin

How to take time-varying voltage with an average value of 0 and turn it


into a DC voltage?
EE 201

rectifiers 1

120 VRMS

transformer

peak rectifier

regulator

DC load

transformer : reduces AC amplitude so that Vpeak VDC.


(We will study these later.)
peak rectifier : breaks up the AC waveform and produces a VDC Vpeak .
regulator : Refines the output of the rectifier. (optional)
Issues:
Total power
Efficiency
Cost
Load regulation (Does V
DC change as the load draws different
amounts of current?)
Line regulation (Does V
DC change if the input AC amplitude changes?)
EE 201

rectifiers 2

Half-wave rectifier
()=

sin

VS +

Vp = 3 V.

Diode is off until VS > 0.7 V.

EE 201

+
vR

Resistor represent a load.


We are trying to deliver
DC power to it.

Current flows when diode is in forward


conduction. The output tracks the input
during positive half cycle.
rectifiers 3

The diode turns off when


VS < 0.7 V. It stays off
during the negative half
cycle of the sinusoid.

VS > 0:

()

VS < 0:

vR(t) = 0:

sin

0!

To get the negative half of the cycle, turn the diode around.
EE 201

rectifiers 4

Time delay
Note that since the diode will not turn on until the sinusoid goes above
0.7 V, there is time delay before the rectifier turns on. It is a simple
matter to determine the delay time, using the on-off diode model:
3
VS
Vo

sin

arcsin

V , V (V)

diode off again


output
follows
input

-1

diode initially off


-2

If f = 60 Hz (T = 16.67 ms)
and Vp = 3 V, t = 0.62 ms.

-3

time

There is a similar time offset at the other end of the positive half cycle.
The effect of the time offset become negligible if VP >> 0.7 V.
EE 201

rectifiers 5

Peak rectifier
Add capacitor after the diode, in parallel with the load.

VS

EE 201

iD

C
iC iR

+
vR

Initially, diode is on & cap charges


to VP - 0.7 V.

VS

iC
iR

+
vR

While VS < vC , diode is off!


Cap discharges through load.

rectifiers 6

VS

iD

C
iC iR

+
vR

Diode stay off until VS comes back


around and becomes bigger than
vC. Then diode comes on again
and re-charges the capacitor.
EE 201

When VS falls to less than vC, the


diode turn off again, and the cycle
continues.
rectifiers 7

Not a a perfect DC voltage at


output. There is some variation
(ripple) around an average value.

0
0

)=

)=[

] exp

] exp

t1
T

=[
(

t1 = time when diode conducts again.


EE 201
t1 T

.
(

(
]

)
exp

rectifiers 8

Example 1
=(

) sin

VS

+
vo

T = 16.67 ms

C = 100 F
R = 5000 !

Find the average value of vo and the ripple voltage. Repeat for R =
1000 ! and 200 !.
=[

=[

exp
]

exp

)(

= 0.47 V
(

EE 201

)=

R = 1 k!

R = 200 !

Vripple = 2.19 V

Vripple = 8.09 V

Vo (avg) = 13.2 V

Vo (avg) = 10.2 V

Drawing more current causes


the ripple to increase and VDC
to droop. Can fight this with
more capacitance.

rectifiers 9

Example 2
=(

) sin

VS

+
vo

T = 16.67 ms

R = 1000 !

Find the capacitance so that the ripple will be no bigger than 1 V.


What is the DC voltage?
=[
=
(

ln
)=

exp
=

.
(

ln
=

= 397 F

What capacitance is needed to limit the ripple to 0.1 V?


C = 4000 F !!!
EE 201

rectifiers 10

Full-wave rectifier
With a few more diodes, we can rectify the entire sinusoidal input.
1

VS

+
vR

or

VS

vR +

The diodes are in a bridge configuration.


During the positive half cycle of the input, diodes 1 and 2 will be
forward biased. Current will flow from the positive source through those
diodes and the resistor to generate a positive voltage across the resistor.
During the negative half cycle of the input, diodes 3 and 4 will be
forward biased. Current will flow from the negative source through those
diodes and the resistor to generate a positive voltage across the resistor,
again.
EE 201

rectifiers 11

VS

vR +

iR

VS

vR +
iR

Note that there are no two diode drops in the conduction path(s).
Also, the frequency is effectively doubled.
EE 201

rectifiers 12

Full-wave peak rectifier


Placing a capacitor in parallel with the load, turns the circuit into a fullwave peak rectifier. It behaves essentially the same as the half-wave peak
rectifier except with twice the frequency (half the period).
()=

sin

Vp = 8 V.

VS

+
vR

The ripple voltage is calculated in exactly the same way, except that the
period is cut in half (frequency doubled).
=[
EE 201

exp

Same as doubling
capacitance!

rectifiers 13

Example 3
You want to use a wall transform that outputs 10-VRMS to generate a DC
voltage. The desired voltage DC should be greater than 12 V and it should
be able to supply at least 50 mA while keeping the voltage ripple to less
than 5%. Design the rectifier to meet these goals. (Note: f = 60 Hz.)
10 VRMS 14.1 V amplitude
effective RL Vo / Io = 12.0 V / (50 mA) = 240 !
Note: This would be the minimum value of effective resistance. If
we choose C to meet the ripple requirement, then we will still be
safe if we use a slightly higher Vo.
Two options: half-wave or full-wave rectifier. Try both.
Half-wave:
Vo(max) = Vp 0.7 V = 13.4 V Vripple 0.67 V.
=
EE 201

ln

= 1350 F

Vo(avg) = Vo(max) Vripple / 2 = 13.06 V.

rectifiers 14

Full-wave:
Vo(max) = Vp 2(0.7 V) = 12.74 V Vripple 0.64 V.
=

ln

Vo(avg) = Vo(max) Vripple / 2 = 12.42 V.


Either approach will work and meet the requirements. The full-wave
version uses extra diodes, but only half the capacitance. Since diodes are
nearly free (pennies per piece), but big capacitors are relatively expensive,
the full-wave circuit will actually cost less than the half-wave.
This is why full-wave rectifiers are used more commonly than half-wave
rectifiers.
Component manufactures supply full-wave bridge rectifiers packaged as
single unit with the transformer sinusoid as input the rectified waveform as
the output.
EE 201

rectifiers 15

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