DYSMEBel222/221

Basic Electronics Engineering/Lab

ENGR. RENY BOY S. NAMALATA, ECE

Instructor, School of Mechanical Engineering

Declaration:
This learning module is an exclusive property of Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Inc., as an essential part of the
REIMAGINED Learning Program for the Academic Year 2020-2021, and shall only be used by and for
DYCIans. No part of this learning module shall be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, and/or sold, without the
consent of DYCI.
 <<Module No. 6>>

<< Power Supply: Transformer and Rectifier >>

This module allows the student to explore the use of diodes through power supply. This
module further displays the discussion of how the phases or parts of the power supply
behave and allow the students to understand transformer, rectifier, filter and regulator
respectively.
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. understand transforming coupling
2. understand half wave and full wave rectifier

One of the main reasons that we use alternating AC voltages and currents in our homes
and workplace’s is that AC supplies can be easily generated at a convenient voltage,
transformed (hence the name transformer) into much higher voltages and then distributed
around the country using a national grid of pylons and cables over very long distances.

The reason for transforming the voltage to a much higher level is that higher distribution
voltages implies lower currents for the same power and therefore lower I2*R losses along
the networked grid of cables. These higher AC transmission voltages and currents can
then be reduced to a much lower, safer and usable voltage level where it can be used to
supply electrical equipment in our homes and workplaces, and all this is possible thanks
to the basic Voltage Transformer.

The Voltage Transformer can be thought of as an electrical component rather than an

electronic component. A transformer basically is very simple static (or stationary)
electro-magnetic passive electrical device that works on the principle of Faraday’s law of
induction by converting electrical energy from one value to another.

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The transformer does this by linking together two or more electrical circuits using a
common oscillating magnetic circuit which is produced by the transformer itself. A
transformer operates on the principals of “electromagnetic induction”, in the form of
Mutual Induction.

Mutual induction is the process by which a coil of wire magnetically induces a voltage
into another coil located in close proximity to it. Then we can say that transformers work
in the “magnetic domain”, and transformers get their name from the fact that they
“transform” one voltage or current level into another.

Transformers are capable of either increasing or decreasing the voltage and current levels
of their supply, without modifying its frequency, or the amount of electrical power being
transferred from one winding to another via the magnetic circuit.

A single phase voltage transformer basically consists of two electrical coils of wire, one
called the “Primary Winding” and another called the “Secondary Winding”. For this
module we will define the “primary” side of the transformer as the side that usually takes
power, and the “secondary” as the side that usually delivers power. In a single-phase
voltage transformer the primary is usually the side with the higher voltage.

These two coils are not in electrical contact with each other but are instead wrapped
together around a common closed magnetic iron circuit called the “core”. This soft iron
core is not solid but made up of individual laminations connected together to help reduce
the core’s losses.

The two coil windings are electrically isolated from each other but are magnetically
linked through the common core allowing electrical power to be transferred from one
coil to the other. When an electric current passed through the primary winding, a
magnetic field is developed which induces a voltage into the secondary as indicated in
figure 1.

In other words, for a transformer there is no direct electrical connection between the two
coil windings, thereby giving it the name also of an Isolation Transformer. Generally, the
primary winding of a transformer is connected to the input voltage supply and converts
or transforms the electrical power into a magnetic field. While the job of the secondary
winding is to convert this alternating magnetic field into electrical power producing the
required output voltage as shown in figure 2.
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 Figure 1. Singe Phase Voltage Transformer (Electronics Tutorial, 2012)

Figure 2. Single-Phase Transformer Construction (Electronics Tutorial, 2012)

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A typical construction of a simple transformer has two coils wound on a ferromagnetic
core that is laminated to minimize eddy currents. The magnetic field created by the
primary is mostly confined to and increased by the core, which transmits it to the
secondary coil. Any change in current in the primary induces a current in the secondary.

The two coils are called the primary and secondary coils. In normal use, the input voltage
is placed on the primary, and the secondary produces the transformed output voltage. Not
only does the iron core trap the magnetic field created by the primary coil, its
magnetization increases the field strength. Since the input voltage is AC, a time-varying
magnetic flux is sent to the secondary, inducing its AC output voltage.

Figure 3. Basic transformer symbol (Lumen, n.d.)

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Turns Ratio:

The ratio of the number of turns on each coil, called the turns ratio, determines the ratio
of the voltages. A step-down transformer has a large number of turns on its primary
(input) coil which is connected to the high voltage mains supply, and a small number of
turns on its secondary (output) coil to give a low output voltage.

The amount that the voltage is stepped down is determined by the turns ratio of the
transformer. Unfortunately, the definition of turns ratio for transformers is not consistent
between various sources and disciplines.

In this module we use the definition given by the IEEE for electronic power transformers,
which is “the number of turns in the secondary (Nsec) divided by the number of turns in the
primary (Npri).”

Thus, a transformer with a turns ratio less than 1 is a step-down type and one with a turns
ratio greater than 1 is a step up type. To show the turns ratio on a schematic, it is common
practice to show the numerical ratio directly above the windings. The secondary voltage of
a transformer equals the turns ratio, n, times the primary voltage.

Vsec = nVpri

If n >1 the secondary voltage is greater than the primary voltage. If n< 1, the secondary
voltage is less than the primary voltage. If n = 1, then Vsec = Vpri.

Turns ratio is useful for understanding the voltage transfer from primary to secondary.
However, transformer datasheets rarely show the turns ratio. A transformer is generally
specified based on the secondary voltage rather than the turns ratio.

Also, please note that the word "ratio" in these formula refer to a fraction, not an actual
ratio. The fraction of 1/4 is different from the ratio 1:4. While 1/4 is one part out of a
whole that is divided into four equal parts, the ratio 1:4 represents that, for one of
something, there are four of something else. The "ratio" in the transformer turns ratio is a
fraction, not a ratio, in the transformer ratio formula.

For example, a transformer with five primary wound coils and 10 secondary wound coils
will cut a voltage source in half as given by 5/10 or 1/2.
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Rectifiers

A rectifier is an electrical component that converts alternating current (AC) to direct

current (DC). A rectifier is analogous to a one-way valve that allows an electrical current to
flow in only one direction. The process of converting AC current to DC current is known
as rectification. A rectifier can take several physical forms such as solid-state diodes,
vacuum tube diodes, mercury-arc valves, silicon-controlled rectifiers, and various other
silicon-based semiconductor switches.

Now we come to the most popular application of the diode: rectification. Simply defined,
rectification is the conversion of alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). This
involves a device that only allows one-way flow of electric charge. As we have seen, this is
exactly what a semiconductor diode does. The simplest kind of rectifier circuit is the half-
wave rectifier. It only allows one half of an AC waveform to pass through to the load.

What is Half-Wave Rectifier?

A diode is connected to an ac source and to a load resistor, RL, forming a half-wave

rectifier. Keep in mind that all ground symbols represent the same point electrically. Let’s
examine what happens during one cycle of the input voltage using the ideal model for the
diode. When the sinusoidal input voltage (Vin) goes positive, the diode is forward-biased
and conducts current through the load resistor, as shown in figure 4. The current produces
an output voltage across the load RL, which has the same shape as the positive half-cycle
of the input voltage.

Figure 4. Half-cycle during the positive alternation of the 60 Hz input voltage (Floyd,
2012)
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When the input voltage goes negative during the second half of its cycle, the diode is
reverse-biased. There is no current, so the voltage across the load resistor is 0 V, as shown
in figure 5. The net result is that only the positive half-cycles of the ac input voltage appear
across the load.

Since the output does not change polarity, it is a pulsating dc voltage with a frequency of
60 Hz, as shown in figure 6.

Figure 5. During the negative alternation of the input voltage (Floyd, 2012)

Figure 6. 60 Hz half-wave output voltage for three input cycles (Floyd, 2012)

Average Value of the Half-Wave Output Voltage

The average value of the half-wave rectified output voltage is the value you would measure
on a dc voltmeter. Mathematically, it is determined by finding the area under the curve
over a full cycle, and then dividing by 2 π , the number of radians in a full cycle. The result
of this is expressed as

where Vp is the peak value of the voltage. This equation shows that VAVG is approximately
31.8% of Vp for a half-wave rectified voltage.

Figure 7. Average value of the half-wave rectified signal (Floyd, 2012)

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What is the average value of the half-wave rectified voltage in

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Effect of the Barrier Potential on the Half-Wave Rectifier Output

In the previous discussion, the diode was considered ideal. When the practical diode
model is used with the barrier potential of 0.7 V taken into account, this is what happens.
During the positive half-cycle, the input voltage must overcome the barrier potential
before the diode becomes forward-biased. This results in a half-wave output with a peak
value that is 0.7 V less than the peak value of the input, as shown in figure 8. The
expression for the peak output voltage is

Figure 8. The effect of the barrier potential on the half-wave rectified output voltage is to
reduce the peak value of the input by about 0.7 V. (Floyd, 2012)

It is usually acceptable to use the ideal diode model, which neglects the effect of the
barrier potential, when the peak value of the applied voltage is much greater than the
barrier potential (at least 10 V, as a rule of thumb). However, we will use the practical
model of a diode, taking the 0.7 V barrier potential into account unless stated otherwise.

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Draw the output voltages of each rectifier for the indicated input voltages, as shown in
below figure. The 1N4001 and 1N4003 are specific rectifier diodes.

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Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV)

The peak inverse voltage (PIV) equals the peak value of the input voltage, and the diode
must be capable of withstanding this amount of repetitive reverse voltage. For the diode
in figure 9 below, the maximum value of reverse voltage, designated as PIV, occurs at
the peak of each negative alternation of the input voltage when the diode is reverse-
biased. A diode should be rated at least 20% higher than the PIV.

Figure 9. The PIV occurs at the peak of each half-cycle of the input voltage when the
diode is reverse-biased (Floyd, 2012)

Transformer Coupling

As you have seen, a transformer is often used to couple the ac input voltage from the
source to the rectifier, as shown in Figure 10. Transformer coupling provides two
advantages.

First, it allows the source voltage to be stepped down as needed.

Second, the ac source is electrically isolated from the rectifier, thus preventing a
shock hazard in the secondary circuit.

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 Figure 10. Half-wave rectifier with transformer coupled input voltage (Floyd, 2012)

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 Determine the peak value of the output voltage for the figure below if the turns ratio is
0.5.

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Bibliography:

All About Circuits (n.d.) Rectifier Circuits. Retrieved from

[Link]
circuits/

Byju’s (n.d.) Uses of Rectifier. Retrieved from [Link]

rectifier/

Electronics Tutorial (n.d.) Transformer Basics. Retrieved from

[Link]

Floyd, T.L. (2012) Electronic Devices: Electron Flow Version. Prentice Hall.

Lumen Physics (n.d.) Transformer. Retrieved from

[Link]

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 Name: _____________________________________________ Rating: ________________
Year and Section:_____________ Professor / Instructor:__________________________
Due of Submission: _____________________________

<< Week No 6 >>

<< Power Supply: Transformer and Rectifier >>

Answer as required and submit to to [Link]@[Link] with the following

file name format: [ACT 6C] FAMILY NAME, GIVEN NAME, (if more than two files
put -1, -2 after given name

example [ACT 6C] NAMALATA, RENY BOY (take note in capital letters)

1. At what point on the input cycle does the PIV occur?

2. For a half-wave rectifier, there is current through the load for approximately what
percentage of the input cycle?
3. What is the average of a half-wave rectified voltage with a peak value of 10 V?
4. What is the peak value of the output voltage of a half-wave rectifier with a peak sine
wave input of 25 V?
5. What PIV rating must a diode have to be used in a rectifier with a peak output voltage
of 50 V

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