INDEX

1. Aim
2. Introduction
3. Principle
4. List of Components
5. Components Description
6. Circuit Diagram
7. Circuit Diagram Description
8. Working
9. Result
10. Precautions
11. Bibliography
 AIM
To construct a Half Wave Rectifier and show that the
Alternating Current (AC) is rectified into Direct Current
(DC).
 INTRODUCTION
Almost all electronic circuits require DC power systems.
Batteries may be used more frequently, however
electronic equipment energized by a power supply.
A rectifier is an electronic device that converts AC
voltage into DC voltage. In other words, it converts
alternating current to direct current. A rectifier is used
in almost all electronic devices. Mostly it is used to
convert the mains voltage into DC voltage in the power
supply section. By using DC voltage supply electronic
devices work.
A Half Wave Rectifier is a circuit that passes only one half
of the applied input and blocks the other. More clearly, we
can say, that when positive half of the input is passed
then negative half is blocked and vice-versa.
 PRINCIPLE
Half Wave Rectifier is based on the fact that diodes only
allow current to flow in one direction. A Half Wave
Rectifier is defined as a type that only allows one half-
cycle of an AC voltage waveform to pass, blocking the
other half-cycle. Half Wave Rectifiers are used to convert
AC voltage to DC voltage, and only require a single diode
to construct.
 LIST OF COMPONENTS
1. Step Down Transformer
2. Diode
3. LED
4. Capacitor
5. Resistor
6. Connecting Wires
 COMPONENTS DESCRIPTION
Step Down Transformer:
A Step Down Transformer is a device which converts high
primary voltage to a low secondary voltage. In a Step
Down Transformer, the primary winding of a coil has
more turns than the secondary winding. Figure below
shows the winding representation of a typical Step-Down
Transformer.
Transformer work on the principle of “Faraday‟s law of
electromagnetic induction”. Mutual induction between the
windings is responsible for transmission action in a
transformer.
The emf (Electro Motive Force) induced between the two
windings is determined by the number of turns in primary
and secondary winding respectively. This ratio is called
as Turns Ratio.

The voltage reduction capability of step down

transformers depends on the turn ratio of the primary
and secondary coil. As the number of windings in
secondary coil is less as compared to the number of
windings in primary coil, so the amount of flux linkage to
the secondary coil of the transformer will also be less
compared to the primary coil.
Accordingly, the emf induced will be less in the secondary
coil. Due to this, the voltage reduces at the secondary
winding compared to primary winding.
Diode:
A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that
conducts current primarily in one direction; it has low
resistance in one direction, and high resistance in the
other. Diodes can be used as rectifiers, signal limiters,
voltage regulators, switches, signal modulators, signal
mixers, signal demodulators, and oscillators. The
fundamental property of a diode is its tendency to
conduct electric current in only one direction.
LED (Light Emitting Diode):
The “Light Emitting Diode” or LED as it is more
commonly called, is basically just a specialized type of
diode as they have very similar electrical characteristics
to a PN junction diode. This means that an LED will pass
current in its forward direction but block the flow of
current in the reverse direction.
Light emitting diodes are made from a very thin layer of
fairly heavily doped semiconductor material and
depending on the semiconductor material used and the
amount of doping, when forward biased an LED will emit a
coloured light at a particular spectral wavelength.
The construction of a Light Emitting Diode is very
different from that of a normal signal diode. The PN
junction of an LED is surrounded by a transparent, hard
plastic epoxy resin hemispherical shaped shell or body
which protects the LED from both vibration and
shock. Light Emitting Diodes are made from exotic
semiconductor compounds such as Gallium Arsenide
(GaAs), Gallium Phosphide (GaP), etc.
Capacitor:
A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in
an electric field. It is a passive electronic component with
two terminals. The effect of a capacitor is known as
capacitance. A capacitor consists of two or more parallel
conductive (metal) plates which are not connected or
touching each other, but are electrically separated either
by air or by some form of a good insulating material such
as waxed paper, mica, ceramic, plastic or some form of a
liquid gel as used in electrolytic capacitors. The insulating
layer between capacitors plates is called Dielectric.
Resistor:
A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical
component that implements electrical resistance as a
circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used
to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide
voltages, bias active elements, and
terminate transmission lines, among other uses. High-
power resistors that can dissipate many watts of
electrical power as heat, may be used as part of motor
controls, in power distribution systems, or as test loads
for generators. Fixed resistors have resistances that
only change slightly with temperature, time or operating
voltage. Variable resistors can be used to adjust circuit
elements (such as a volume control or a lamp dimmer),
or as sensing devices for heat, light, humidity, force, or
chemical activity.
Resistors are common elements of electrical
networks and electronic circuits and are ubiquitous
in electronic equipment. Practical resistors as discrete
components can be composed of various compounds and
forms. Resistors are also implemented within integrated
circuits.

The electrical function of a resistor is specified by its

resistance: common commercial resistors are
manufactured over a range of more than nine orders of
magnitude. The nominal value of the resistance falls
within the manufacturing tolerance, indicated on the
component.
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM DESCRIPTION
The circuit basically consists of a step down transformer.
The AC supply is fed across the primary coil and a low
voltage AC is obtained from the secondary coil of the
transformer. This low voltage alternating current is
applied to the diode.
The Diode converts this Alternating Current into Direct
Current. The load resistance is connected in series with
the PN junction diode. During the positive half cycle, the
diode is under forwarding bias conditions. During the
negative half cycle, the diode is under reverse bias
condition. The voltage output is measured across the load
resistance. During the positive half-cycles, the output is
positive and significant. And during the negative half
cycle, the output is zero or insignificant. This is known as
half-wave rectification.
 WORKING
During the positive half cycle of the AC voltage, the diode
will be forward biased and the current flows through the
diode. During the negative half cycle of the AC voltage, the
diode will be reverse biased and the flow of current will
be blocked. The final output voltage waveform on the
secondary side (DC).
For the positive half cycle of the AC source voltage, the
equivalent circuit effectively becomes:
This is because the diode is forward biased, and is hence
allowing current to pass through. So we have a closed
circuit.
But for the negative half cycle of the AC source voltage,
the equivalent circuit becomes:

Because the diode is now in reverse bias mode, no

current is able to pass through it. As such, we now have
an open circuit. Since current can not flow through to the
load during this time, the output voltage is equal to zero.
This all happens very quickly – since an AC waveform will
oscillate between positive and negative many times each
second (depending on the frequency).
Here‟s what the half wave rectifier waveform looks like
on the input side (Vin), and what it looks like on the output
side (Vout) after rectification (i.e. conversion from AC to
DC):

The graph above actually shows a positive half wave

rectifier. This is a half-wave rectifier which only allows
the positive half-cycles through the diode, and blocks the
negative half-cycle.
Half Wave Rectifier Capacitor Filter:
Filters are components used smoothen pulsating DC
waveforms into constant DC waveforms. They achieve
this by suppressing the DC ripples in the waveform.
Although half-wave rectifiers without filters are
theoretically possible, they can‟t be used for any
practical applications. As DC equipment requires a
constant waveform, we need to „smooth out‟ this
pulsating waveform for it to be any use in the real world.
This is why in reality we use half wave rectifiers with a
filter. A capacitor or an inductor can be used as a filter –
but half wave rectifier with capacitor filter is most
commonly used.
Ripple Factor of Half Wave Rectifier:
„Ripple‟ is the unwanted AC component remaining when
converting the AC voltage waveform into a DC waveform.
Even though we try out best to remove all AC
components, there is still some small amount left on the
output side which pulsates the DC waveform. This
undesirable AC component is called „ripple‟.

To quantify how well the half-wave rectifier can convert

the AC voltage into DC voltage, we use what is known as
the Ripple Factor. The ripple factor is the ratio between
the RMS value of the AC voltage (on the input side) and
the DC voltage (on the output side) of the rectifier. The
formula for ripple factor is:

The ripple factor of half wave rectifier is equal to 1.21 (i.e.

γ = 1.21). To construct a good rectifier, we want to keep
the ripple factor as low as possible.
 RESULT
The model of Half Wave Rectifier is constructed and is in
Working Condition. Alternating Current is converted into
Direct Current.
 PRECAUTIONS
1. Connect the components in correct manner.
2. Avoid excessive heating of the components while
soldering.
3. Use the little soldering wax and hold the leads of
the components to be soldered by a pair of
tweezers.
4. Hands should not shake while soldering.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. From Internet:
(i) [Link]
(ii) [Link]
2. Physics - NCERT
3. Physics – S.L. Arora